Language Features COPY Flashcards
(32 cards)
Hyperbole
Exaggeration; Eg. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
purpose: To emphasize the magnitude of something.
Pun
A play on words; Eg. We went camping it was in tents (intense)
Purpose: Humour
Personification
Given human characteristics to a non-human thing; Eg. The branch knocked on the window.
Purpose: Stretches the boundaries of reality to make literature and poetry more vivid.
Personal Pronouns
Used when referring to a person; Eg. I, you, she
Purpose: Personal pronouns make the text seem as though it is directly addressing the reader, making it more personal and more likely for the reader to respond. … Use of personal pronouns can establish a connection between the reader and the writer.
Simile
Comparing two things using the words like or as; Eg. Her eyes were like diamonds
Purpose: emphasize what they are trying to convey to the reader or listener in a vivid way. Also to add depth to creative pieces.
Metaphor
Comparing two things saying one is the other; Eg. Her eyes were diamonds
Purpose: allows writers to convey vivid imagery that transcends literal meanings, creates images that are easier to understand and respond to than literal language. Metaphorical language activates the imagination, and the writer is more able to convey emotions and impressions through metaphor.
Alliteration
A string of words that begin with the same letter or sound; Eg. Tiny Tim Takes Tennis
purpose: it sounds pleasing. It’s a means to get the attention of readers.
Sibilance
Alliteration with the letter ‘S’; Eg. She Sells Sea Shells.
Purpose: Writers also sometimes use sibilance to give their writing form and structure. As with assonance, consonance, and alliteration, sibilance adds rhythm and musicality to a piece of text by suggesting which syllables a reader should emphasize
Assonance
Repetition of the vowel sound; Eg. The moon’s a balloon
Purpose: It guides which syllables should be stressed. This rhythm-making has a flow-on effect. It helps to embed a set of words within the mind of whoever is hearing them
Onomatopoeia
A noise that sounds like the word; Eg. Bang, splat
Purpose: It guides which syllables should be stressed. This rhythm-making has a flow-on effect. It helps to embed a set of words within the mind of whoever is hearing them
Repetition
The act of repeating a sentence or phrase; Eg. Hit it, hit it, hit it
Purpose: can help to emphasize a point and make a speech easier to follow. Adds to the power of persuasion.
Connotation
Words with an association that can lead to other meanings; Eg. Skinny can mean bony or malnourished
Purpose: create emotional associations that can be either positive, negative, or neutral. To invoke emotion in the reader.
Use of senses
Using senses to engage the reader or explain something in detail. Eg: The trees smelt foreign.
Purpose: engage a reader’s mind on multiple levels.
Cliche
A phrase or opinion that is overused and lacks originality
eg:The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Purpose: helps familiarise a topic.
Colloquialism
A word or phrase that is not formal and is used in familiar conversation
eg: TV, ain’t, gonna
purposes: in informal writing situations and creates a conversational tone. Everyday spoken language gives your writing a casual, relaxed effect. Colloquial language is not necessarily “wrong,” but it is used when a writer is trying to achieve informality.
Statistics
Used for drawing conclusions using analysis of data
eg: 1 in 4 have depression
Purpose: Gives evidence to the reader to further persuade them.
Emotive Language
Words or phrases that carry emotional weight,
eg: An innocent bystander was murdered in cold blood in Downtown Chicago.
innocent and murdered
Purpose: used to persuade people to agree with them.
Imperative
A suggestion or command
eg: Please don’t forget your belongings
Purpose: To issue a command or instruction, make a request, or offer advice.
Euphemism
A mild or indirect expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh.
Eg: passed away instead of died.
Purpose: Some Euphemisms are used to make the situation less serious or while presenting something in a sarcastic way. Euphemism provides a mask to the impolite or rude expression and conveys the same meaning to the readers by reducing its harshness.
Anecdote
A short amusing or interesting story
eg: if a group of coworkers are discussing pets, and one coworker tells a story about how her cat comes downstairs at only a certain time of the night
Purpose: entertain the audience as well as enable the characters to have more depth. Through these stories, the reader is able to better understand the personalities of the people in the piece of literature.
Allusion
An expression designed to bring something to mind without recalling it
eg: Chocolate is his Kryptonite
Purpose: An allusion can be used as a straightforward device to enhance a text by providing further meaning, but it can also be used in a more complex sense to make an ironic comment on one thing by comparing it to something that is dissimilar.
Jargon
Special words or expressions used by a professional or group and hard to understand by others
eg: due diligence
Purpose: Jargon in literature is used to emphasize a situation, or to refer to something exotic. In fact, the use of jargon in the literature shows the dexterity of the writer, of having knowledge of other spheres. Writers use jargon to make a certain character seem real in fiction, as well as in plays and poetry.
Superlative
The highest degree of something
eg- smallest, most comfortable, fastest
Purpose: The superlative form of an adjective is used to show something has a quality to the greatest or least degree. The superlative form of an adverb is used to show something has performed an action to the greatest or least degree.
Denotation
Literal meaning of something
eg: The boy was pushy.
Purpose: The purpose of denotation is for a word to be understood by a reader. If the word is not understood, the reader may look this word up in order to obtain the correct meaning. If words did not have denotation, we would not have a consistent definition to refer to and readers would be confused on meaning.