Syntax/Diction

Question 1

What is syntax?

Answer 1

The way words and clauses are arranged to form sentences

Question 2

How do authors quicken the pace?

Answer 2

They will use shorter, simpler sentences

Question 3

How do authors slow down the pace?

Answer 3

They will use longer, more complex and convoluted sentences

Question 4

Loose sentence

Answer 4

The main point is at the beginning

Question 5

Periodic sentence

Answer 5

The main point is at the end (near the period)

Question 6

Parallel Structure

Answer 6

Grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence

Question 7

Natural order sentence

Answer 7

A sentence that follow the order: Subject - Verb - Object

Question 8

Inverted order sentence

Answer 8

A sentence where the predicate (main verb) comes before the subject

Question 9

Slightly inverted sentence

Answer 9

May simply move the object in front of the subject and verb

Question 10

Simple sentence

Answer 10

One independent clause

Question 11

Simple sentence example

Answer 11

The singer bowed to her adoring audience

Question 12

Compound sentence

Answer 12

Two or more independent clauses (joined by a comma with a coordinating conjuction - and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so - or a semicolon)

Question 13

Compound sentence example

Answer 13

The singer bowed gratefully to the audience, but/however she sang no encores.

Question 14

Complex sentence

Answer 14

One independent clause and one or more dependent (subordinate) clauses

Question 15

Complex sentence example

Answer 15

Although the singer bowed gratefully to the audience, she sang no encores

Question 16

Compound-complex sentence

Answer 16

Two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent (subordinate) clause

Question 17

Compound-complex sentence example

Answer 17

The singer bowed gratefully while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores

Question 18

Dependent (subordinate) clause

Answer 18

Has a subject and a verb; however, it cannot stand alone because it does not have a complete thought

Question 19

Independent clause

Answer 19

Has a subject and a verb, and can stand alone because it has a complete thought

Question 20

How do authors syntactically create emphasis?

Answer 20

Position, isolation, repetition, and isolation

Question 21

Position

Answer 21

Where you put something in the sentence

Question 22

Isolation

Answer 22

Setting it off by itself (dash, quotation marks, parenthesis, etc.)

Question 23

Repetition

Answer 23

The number of times something is repeated

Question 24

Proportion

Answer 24

The size of the idea and how much of the piece the idea takes up

Question 25

Diction

Answer 25

The author's choice of words

Question 26

Informal diction

Answer 26

The norm in newspaper editorials, works of fiction, and friendly writing. Language of everyday use. Relaxed and controversial

Question 27

Formal diction

Answer 27

Largely reserved for scholarly writing and serious prose or poetry, and business writing, and essays. Creates an elevated tone. ex. "The Scarlet Letter"

Question 28

Colloquial diction

Answer 28

Borrows from informal speech and typically used to create a mood or capture a particular historic or regional dialect, found in song lyrics

Question 29

Neutral diction

Answer 29

Everday vocabulary

Question 30

Slang

Answer 30

Recently coined words (LOL, BRB)

Question 31

Colloquial expressions

Answer 31

Nonstandard, regional, ways of using language appropriate to informal or conversational speech and writing

Question 32

Colloquial expression example

Answer 32

Y'all, fixin, pop, wanna, etc.

Question 33

Jargon

Answer 33

Consists of words and expressions characteristic of a particular trade, profession, or pusuit (profession related)

Question 34

Jargon example

Answer 34

HR, "pirate talk," self-assesment, etc.

Question 35

Idiom

Answer 35

Language that is peculiar; it's meaning is other than the literal meaning of the words that compromise the idiom

Question 36

Idiom example

Answer 36

Bad egg, back burner, in a pickle, in hot water, no-brainer

Question 37

Connotation and denotation

Answer 37

When studying diction, you must understand both ____ (meaning by the word) and ____ (literal meaning)

Question 38

Connotation

Answer 38

Meaning by the word

Question 39

Denotation

Answer 39

Literal meaning

Question 40

Apostrophe

Answer 40

A discretion in the form of an address to someone not present or to a personified object. A figure of speech sometimes represented by the exclamation "O"

Question 41

Apostrophe example

Answer 41

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star" - An imaginary personified object

Question 42

Synecdoche

Answer 42

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole is used for a part

Question 43

Synedoche example

Answer 43

wheels/cars graybeard/old man sails/ship or boat

Question 44

Metonymy

Answer 44

A word that describes another thing that's closely linked but not a part of it

Question 45

Metonymy example

Answer 45

The pen is mightier than the sword or let me give you a hand

Question 46

Oxymoron

Answer 46

Two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect

Question 47

Oxymoron example

Answer 47

Cruel kindness, living death, awfully pretty

Question 48

Paradox

Answer 48

A sentence or even a group of sentences that will seem contradictory but will ultimately hold some truth

Question 49

Paradox example

Answer 49

Your enemy's friend is your enemy, I am nobody, truth is honey which is bitter

Question 50

Pun

Answer 50

A play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings

Question 51

Pun example

Answer 51

A horse is a very stable animal, I was struggling to figure out how lightning works, then is struck me

Question 52

Cacophonous

Answer 52

Harsh sounding words; "bad or evil voice"

Question 53

Euphonious

Answer 53

Sweet voiced; a noteworthy melody of loveliness in the sounds they create