Language Features - NCEA Lvl 2 English
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50 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Euphemism | A mild, indirect term for a blunt, direct or offensive one, e.g. "John's grandfather passed away". Some may be less mild, e.g "'kicked the bucket.' May create a humorous effect or offer insight into a character's personality (kindhearted or sarcastic or squeamish, for example). It may be used to take the sting out of a negative comment. |
| Irony | The method of which the ordinary expression of the word is more or less the opposite of what is intended, e.g. "That will do extremely well, you have delighted us long enough." said to someone playing the piano awfully. It may seem like praise but it's not. Draws attention to the real meaning of the word and may carry the character or writer's atttude. May be used for humour. |
| Allusion | An indirect reference to a person or event. These may be, but not necessarily, people and events in mythology or history. Can create an added dimension to an image often by comparison to similar qualities. |
| Narrative Voice | Narrative is telling of events. 3rd person narrative used in novels or stories; the writer presents information about characters by describing them and what they do. Dialogue may be mixed in to show what they think or feel. The writer may reveal everything about everyone (the omniscient narrator) or just one or a few characters. 1st person; the use of "I", the "I" is not the narrator but the character. The narrator may choose to have one character narate the whole story or have several. The language used alludes to the attitude, thoughts and feelings of the character not the writer. Occasionally 2nd person is used; "You" (Usually non-fiction.) Difficult to tell whether it is the writer's voice or that of a persona in the writing. |
| Tense | Examples are: Past, e.g. "I brought". Past continuous, e.g. "I was bringing". Present; "I bring". Present continuous; "I am bringing". Future; "I will bring". Future continuous; "I will be bringing". Active voice; "I took" "I saw" "Tom hit the ball". Passive voice; "I was taken" "I was seen" "The ball was hit by Tom". |
| Denotation | Dictionary definition of a word, e.g. Mother is "a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth" |
| Connotation | The implied or suggested meaning of a word, e.g. Mother implies : 'female' 'caring' 'sensible' 'loving' etc... |
| Syntax | The order of words. The arrangements of words in sentences. The correct uses of parts of speech and the classification of sentences according to their clause structure. |
| Minor sentence | Begins with a capital letter and ends in a full stop. Has no completed verb, e.g. "Sunshine, Sunshine all day" |
| Simple Sentence | One clause, one completed verb, e.g. 'The sun shone all day' |
| Compound Sentence | Two main clauses, each with a verb, linked with a conjunction, e.g. "The sun shone and the children played on the beach" |
| Complex Sentence | One main clause, one dependent on the other, e.g. "Timothy was too hot because the sun was shining brightly." |
| Compound-complex Sentence | Two main clauses, one dependent clause, e.g. "The sun shone and the children played on the beach but Timothy was too hot." |
| Antithesis | Placing contrasting ideas or terms close together to emphasise their difference and give the effect of balance, e.g. "For fools rush in where angels fear to tread." |
| Apostrophe | A direct address to a person or personified idea, e.g. "Oh death! Why art thou so cruel?" |
| Caesura | A natural pause, a break in a line of poetry, usually indicated by a punctuation mark, e.g. "When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?" |
| Symbolism | A word or phrase signifying a sign or mark representing something else. It brings a significant idea and all connotations through use of a single word, e.g. The cross = Christianity. These are a form of shorthand to emotions - an author can use a symbol so that the reader / audience understands the emotions invested in the object without describing those emotions every time the object is used. Provides the reader with a visual (actual or mental) aide-memoire - something that conjures up certain memories and/or emotions or qualities when s/he sees the symbol. |
| Oxymoron | Two words or phrases of opposite or contrasting meaning placed together for effect, e.g. "The impossible possible journey" |
| Enjambment | When the meaning of a line of poetry is completed on the next line. Can emphasize an idea or add to the rhythm and flow of lines, e.g. "How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart / My pack of unruly hounds". |
| End stopped line | The lines of a stanza with a grammatical pause at the end of each line. This completes an idea visually and grammatically. |
| Sibilance | The repetion of the consonant 's' or 'z'; to give a hissing sound. The effect of this is to slow the reader as 's' and 'z' are more difficult to say. This, in turn, emphasizes the idea and can also create an onomatopoeic effect, e.g. Suggesting snake movement and sound 'slippery, slithering, sliding snake'. |
| Rhyme | The ends of words have the same sound. Usually at the ends of lines in poetry, but may be internal (within a line).It is designed to; add pleasing sound effects, provide a disciplined structure, highlight particular words/phrases, follow an established pattern. |
| Rhythm | A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Is usually used to emphasize subject matter or theme, e.g. "This is the night mail crossing the border / Bringing the cheque and postal order" - here the beat/sound of the train is imitated. |
| Extended Metaphor | The comparison between two things is continued beyond the first point of comparison. This extends and deepens a description. |
| Simile | Comparing two ideas by drawing similarities using 'as' or 'like.' Used to emphasize specific characteristics or features of the subject; adds vivid, descriptive details. It enlivens descriptions by helping us to see these people/animals/things in a new light - in a way we may have never seen them or thought about them before. |
| Alliteration | The repetition on consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed closely together to create a sound echo. Is used to; add humour or power, create a mood or feeling, help the flow or movement of language (some is hard like 'b' and 'd', while others are soft, calming like 'l' or 'f') and emphasise important points. |
| Metaphor | Directly comparing two things by saying one is the other. This creates a strong comparison and highlights the similarities between the two ideas in an almost exagerated manner, and highlights certain qualities. |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds in words of close proximity. The trick is not to think of it as the same letter, but the same sound. This draws attention to the phrase and makes it more memorable. Can also create an onomatopoeic effect. It allows the poem to flow more quickly or slow down. Note: it is not rhyme! The true form of this is where consonants following the vowels are different. |
| Repetition | Repeating the same word (or derivatives of the same word) throughout a piece of writing. It emphasizes the idea and makes it more memorable, e.g. "Veni, vidi, vici. I came, I saw, I conquered."(-Julius Caesar) Can also be used to link ideas together or create a structure in the writing. |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to inhuman, inanimate objects. In addition to the above, it makes inanimate objects seem lively and lifelike while it also contributes to our sense of oneness with these inanimate objects. |
| Onomatopoeia | Words which, when said, sound like the thing they are describing, e.g. 'POP' sounds like the noise a balloon makes when it bursts. This helps us hear the actual sound being named and therefore we understand it properly or it transports us to the place of the sound. |
| Pun | A clever play on words which are similar in sound but different in meaning. The double meaning is used to convey humour. Provokes amusement and therefore a tendency for the reader to feel good about the company / product and possibly to buy the product. If used by a character, shows that that character is rather clever and witty. |
| Cliché | Trite and worn out phrases that communicate and image easily, and don't need too much thinking about, e.g. "Its raining cats and dogs!" |
| Colloquial Language | Language that is used in casual conversation; it is even more ungrammatical, fractured and full of cliché than informal language. |
| Slang | Very informal language that is usually vivid playful and short-lived. Can be inappropriate. |
| Jargon | Used by a particular group, profession or culture. Often, other people do not understand the words and so it can seem like pretentious or meaningless language. |
| Parallel construction | Using the same word class order twice (in same or two sentences). Provides rhythm while it expands the detail of the description and creates balance. |
| Triple construction | Repeating three times a group of words which have the same pattern of word classes. Each group may or may not start with the same word/s, e.g. "Then leaf subsides to leaf, So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day..." Same as for parallelism, but the triplet provides closure or finality along with that sense of balance. |
| Choice of words (vocabulary) | Using more unusual or specialized or technical words, e.g. "The wind moaned, a low-pitched, unutterably eerie threnody [sad song]." Sometimes, more unusual words provide more specific meaning than common ones. Specialized or technical words make it seem like the writer/speaker really knows the topic. |
| Use of direct or indirect speech | "'Come over here!' Jack yelled, then proceeded to tell us all how he'd won the Melbourne Cup pool in his office." Makes the character come alive. We can 'hear' the way s/he speaks - the actual vocab, grammar and tones. |
| Hyperbole | Deliberate exaggeration, e.g. "I've told you thousands of times to clean up your bedroom." Used for emphasis to get a point across. Also illustrates something of the mood of the speaker/writer. |
| Litotes | Deliberate understatement, e.g.(pouring with rain) 'It's a little glum outside today.' Shows just how strong the emotion is and illustrates something of the character of the speaker/writer. |
| Use of multiple adjectives or adverbs | The adjectives give more information about the noun and the adverbs about the verb. "The air was full of driving, needle-pointed ice spicules..." Builds up a very full picture of the object/animal/person or the activity so that it becomes very clear in the reader's mind - the reader feels s/he can picture it or see it happening very precisely. |
| Rhetorical question | A question that does not expect an answer from the reader or audience. To get the readers' / audience's attention and make them think about the answer before giving it. |
| Imperitive | This is the verb used alone (without a noun or pronoun), e.g. "Stop!" Can be used with adverbs or other word classes. Used to catch people's attention, whether it's another character in a narrative or the audience listening to a speaker. We are socially conditioned to obey commands so the advertiser or speaker may get some affirmative response. |
| Neologism | New word - an invented word , e.g. nylon, radar, Thermos. Newness / novelty / difference from "ordinary" words makes it stand out - make the reader/viewer remember them |
| Listing | Shows the extent of or emphasizes the topic/object/event being discussed/described; shows the author's wide knowledge of the topic, e.g. "We give him access to the biomechanics, conditioning, nutrition, physiology and psychology; he needs to be the best." |
| Emotive Language | Choice of words which have specifically intended emotional effects or are intended to evoke an emotional response in the reader, e.g "There was a clammy self-congratulating illiteracy of the heart drooling from every word." The attitude and emotions of the author are transferred or made clear to the reader. |
| Use of numbers / statistics | This gives the impression that the speaker/writer is authoritative and knowledgeable. |
| Quotation | Direct use of another's words (spoken or written), e.g. "Churchill famously said, 'We will fight them on the beaches....'" It will add some of the authority of the original author to the current speaker/writer. |
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