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A2EnglishTerminology
English (literature and language) Terminology
Question | Answer |
---|---|
A name to describe things that have no physical qualities. | Abstract Noun |
A set of distinctive pronounciations that mark regional or social identity | accent |
a grammatical structure in which the subject is the actor of a sentence. E.g. the dog eats the bone. | Active voice. |
A word that modifies a noun or pronoun. | Adjective/ Modifier |
A word that modifies verbs, adjectives, conjunctions and prepositions. | Adverb |
repetition of the same sound in the initial position in a sequence of words. | alliteration. |
To refer to something indirectly or metaphorically. | allusion |
Lines of poetry of where the rhyme is ever other line (ABAB) | Alternate rhyme. |
A unit of poetic meter containing two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable --/ | Anapest |
A word or phrase no longer in current use | Archaisms |
Sounds that denote audible breath e.g. h | Aspirants |
A repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds | Assonance |
The omission of co-ordinating conjunctions as a feature of rhetorical style | Asyndetic listing |
The opinions expressed in the text | Attitudes |
A verb that precedes another verb e.g. I can go | Modal/Auxilary Verbs |
Term used to denote sounds made with both lips e.g. m, b | Bilabials |
A mid-line pause | ceasura |
A name that refers to a group of people, animals or things | Collective noun |
A name for every day objects | common/concrete noun |
An adjective made up of two words joined by a hyphen | compound adjective |
A deliberately elaborate metaphor | Conceit |
The associations attached to a word in addition to its dictionary definition | Connotations |
What the text is about | Content |
Things outside the text which may shape its meaning e.g. when it was written, and who wrote it | Context |
A two line verse (often rhyming) | Couplet |
A unit of poetic meter containing one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllable /-- | Dactyl |
A mood used to express a statement | Declarative |
'the' | Definite article |
Terms used to denote words that rely on the context to be understood e.g. pass me that, there. | Diectic |
Language interaction with two or more participants | Dialogue |
The study of spoken language | Discourse |
A structure in which more than one negative is used | Double negative |
A verb that expresses an action rather than a state | Dynamic Verb |
The omission of sounds in connected speech | Ellision |
The omission of part of a sentence | Ellipsis |
A change in the structure of the sentence to place emphasis on a closing sentence element. | End-focus |
Run-on lines | Enjambement |
A word that replaces a term seen by society as taboo or unpleasant | Euphemism/ Expletive |
A mood that expresses strong emotions | Exclamatory |
Where the rhyme looks like it should rhyme but the sound is not exactly the same. | Eye Rhyme |
Words used when hesitating in speech, um, er | Fillers |
A change in the structure of the sentence to place emphasis on an opening sentence element | Foregrounding |
The structure and shape of the text | Form |
Sounds where air escapes through a small passage e.g. f, v | Fricatives |
Exaggeration used to heighten feeling and intensity | Hyperbole |
A unit of poetic meter containing one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable -/ | Iambic |
A mood that expresses a command | Imperative |
'a' | Indefinite Article |
Where the rhyming sound occurs within a line of verse | Internal rhyme |
A mood expressing a question | Interrogative mood |
The quality or tone of the voice in speech | Intonation |
To place two or more things side by side | Juxtaposition |
A group of words joined by similarities | Lexical set |
The term used to describe the vocabulary of a language | Lexis |
A deliberate understatement | Litotes |
A description which does not compare one thing with another but actually becomes the other e.g. the trees danced in the wind | Metaphor |
The point of view of the text i.e. first, second or third person | Mode of address |
A term used to describe consonants produced with an open nasal passage e.g. m,n | Nasals |
Any variety that does not conform to the standard form as used by society | Non-standard lexis |
A naming word | noun |
An eight line verse | octet |
The term used to denote words that imitate sounds | onomatopoeia |
A study of spelling and the ways letters are used in language | Orthography |
The use of apparently contradictory words in a phrase | Oxymoron |
Non-verbal communication using gestures, posture and facial expressions | paralinguistic features |
The patterning of pairs of sounds, words or structures to create a sense of balance | Parallelism |
A grammatical structure in which the subject and object can change places in order to alter the focus of a sentence e.g. the bone was eaten by the dog | Passive Voice |
When the environment mirrors emotions | Pathetic Fallacy |
A unit of poetic meter containing five feet (10 syllables in total) | Pentameter |
A device in which the non-human is given personal and human qualities e.g. the trees danced in the wind | Personification |
A poem of 14 lines, divided into an octet and a sestet, written in iambic pentameter, rhyming abbaabbba cdecde (sestet may vary) | Petrarchan/ Italian sonnet |
Sounds which release a sudden burst of air e.g. p,b,t | plosives |
A word that shows relationships between nouns or pronouns e.g. on | Preposition |
A word that replaces a noun | Pronoun |
A name of a distinctive person, place or other unique reference | Proper nouns |
The use of pitch, volume, pace and rhythm to draw attention to key elements of spoken language | Prosodic features |
The reason the text has been produced e.g. to entertain, inform, persuade etc. | Purpose |
A four-line verse | Quatrain |
An English accent which has a high social status and is not connected to a specific region | Received Pronunciation |
The correction of a mistake or misunderstanding in conversation | Repair |
Saying the same thing more than once | Repetition |
The pattern of syllables and stresses within poetry | Rhythm |
A poem with a circular structure which begins and ends similarly | Rondo |
A six-line verse | Sestet |
A poem of 14 lines, divided into three quatrains and a couplet, written in iambic pentameter, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg | Shakespearean/ English Sonnet |
Consonant sounds articulated with a hissing sound e.g. s,z | Sibilants |
A device which directly compares two things using like or as e.g. the tress swayed in the wind like dancers | Simile |
A unit of poetic meter containing two stressed syllables // | Spondee |
The division of lines in a poem, also called a verse | Stanza |
Verbs that express states of being or processes | Stative Verbs |
The exaggerated phoneme in any particular word | Stress |
A word that emphasizes the extremes e.g. best, worst | Superlatives |
The beats or rhythm in a line of verse | Syllable |
A device in which a word or phrase represents something else | Symbolism |
Using conjunctions to join clauses | Syndetic Listing |
The deliberate alteration of the structure of words in a sentence | Syntax Inversion |
An interrogative structure attached to the end of a sentence which expects a reply e.g. isn’t it | Tag Question |
A unit of poetic meter containing four feet (8 syllables in total) | Tetrameter |
The recurring ideas and images in a text | Themes |
The style or voice the text is written in e.g. excites, emotional | Tone |
Transcription A written record of spoken language, which can use symbols and markings to illustrate the distinctive nature of speech | Transcription |
A unit of poetic meter containing three feet (6 syllables in total) | Trimeter |
Listing of three items | Tripling |
A unit of poetic meter containing one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable /- | Trochee |
The organization of speakers’ contributions to a conversation | Turn Taking |
A stretch of spoken language used in stead of ‘sentence’ when discussing spoken language | Utterance |
Words that express states, actions or processes | Verbs |
The type of poem e.g. sonnet, lyric, ballad, ode, narrative poem etc. | Verse Type |
The words used to name or refer to people when talking to them | Vocatives |
The turning point in a sonnet | Volta |