Language, Structure and Form Flashcards
Imperative verb
The imperative verb is an action a speaker or writer wants someone else to do.
E.g open the window!
anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
E.g violent mimd, violent smile, violent joke
anadiplosis
repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause
E.g our doubt is our passion, our passion is our task
antithesis
a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
E.g keep your mouth closed and eyes open
epistrophe
the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
E.g of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the eart
foregrounding
A literary technique that’s employed in order to draw attention to a specific part of aE.g. I’ll only, and I mean only, forgive her when she apologizes.
foreshadowing
A warning or indication of a future event
E.g It was a dark and stormy night” foreshadows trouble, danger, and mayhem.
juxtaposition
By putting two separate things or concepts together, you can create contrast.
E.g sweet sea
motif
A recurring theme, subject or idea
E.g
oxymoron
When 2 opposite words are side by side
E.g small giant
paradox
a statement that contradicts itself. For example, the statement “I am not lying”
pathetic fallacy
the attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature E.g angry clouds; cruel winds
repetition
Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis
e.g I have to practice my times tables over and over and over again so I can learn them.
semantic/ lexical field
a lexical set of semantically related items, for example verbs of perception.
E.g ocean, waves, sea, tide, blue, storm, wind, sails
symbol
something that represents something else
E.g Red roses symbolize love.
tricolon
A sentence with three clearly defined parts of equal length, usually independent clauses.
E.g to describe a person: Tall, dark, slumped
allusion
“Chocolate cake is my Achilles heel.” The allusion here is to “Achilles’ heel,” or the Greek myth about the hero Achilles and how his heel was his one weakness. In this case, the speaker’s “weakness” is chocolate cake.
intertextual reference
The main plotline of Disney’s The Lion King is a take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
metaphor
A comparison without using like or as
E.g thesnow is a white blanket
persdonification
giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea
similie
A comparison using “like” or “as”
alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
“Sugar, shit, shush”
assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
E.g killed, cold, culled
consanance
Consonance is a stylistic literary device that repeats the same consonant sound within a group of words.
E.g Paddy’s potatoes were prepared to perfection
mimetic rhyme
the imitative representation of nature and human behavior in art and literature
E.g the mimetic pattern on the wings of a bird might look just like the pattern on tree bark
onomatopoeia
a word is used to represent a sound.
E.g ‘pop’,
plosives
Consonant sounds that form a small explosion when spoken eg ‘b’, ‘p’, ‘t’, ‘d’
E.g pat, kid, bag
sibilance
A type of alliteration in which the “s” sound is repeated.
blasphemy
speech which offends religious sentiments
colloquialism
informal language
E.g gonna wanna
connotations
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
denotations
the literal meaning of a word
emotive language
Deliberate use of language by a writer to instill a feeling or visual.
euphemism
An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
E.g passed away
hyperbole
exaggeration
E.g I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
imagery
Literal imagery uses descriptive words that mean exactly what they say. For example: “The grass was green, and the flowers were red
irony
if it were a cold, rainy gray day, you might say, “What a beautiful day!”
pun
a humorous play on words
