English Glossary

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Adjective
a word used to describe a noun, a descriptive word
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Adverb
a word used to describe or modify a verb
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Alliteration
when words which are close to each other in a passage, verse or prose begin with the same letter
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Allusion
a classical, literary or contemporary reference to a different text
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Ambiguity
when something has a double or unclear meaning
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Archaic
a word no longer in ordinary use: 'thee', 'thou'
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Archaism
an archaic word which is used deliberately by a more modern author
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Assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds within words placed close together in a passage, verse or prose
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Atmosphere
the overall impression of the piece created by its content, mood and tone
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Ballad
traditional narrative folk poem, passed by word of mouth
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Colloquial
everyday, informal language
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Couplet
a pair of lines of verse (mostly same length). if they rhyme: rhyming couplet
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Dialogue
any form of conversation or direct speech
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Direct Speech
words are shown to be 'spoken' by a character by being enclosed in speech marks
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Empathy
when you out yourself in someone else's place and imagine what it would be like for them, not same as sympathy!
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End-Stopped
when lines of poetry have a natural break at the end of the line, can be indicated by punctuation
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Enjambment
when a sentence runs on from one line of poetry to the next
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Euphemism
the substitution of a mild or less negative word for a harsh or blunt word or phrase
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Free Verse
verse which has neither regular rhyme scheme, line length, nor rhythm
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Genre
type of literary work
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Hyperbole
when something is exaggerated to enormous proportions
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Imagery
word pictures created by the writer for a particular effect
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Indirect Speech
reported speech: someone describes what someone else has said
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Irony
when a word or phrase us used but the writer actually means something different, can involve humour or sarcasm
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Metaphor
when something is portrayed as something else
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Narrator
person who tells the story. objective narrator: someone who tells the story in an unbiased way and we trust. not all narrators are objective!
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Noun
a word which names a person, place or thing
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Onomatopoeia
words which sound like the sound they describe
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Pathos
language which produces feelings of pity or sorrow
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Personification
when an object or idea is attributed with human or animate qualities
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Quatrain
a stanza or verse which is four lines which usually rhymes each other alternatively
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References
alluding or referring to a particular area or knowledge/ type of language
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Repetition
when a sound, word, phrase or line is repeated for effect
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Rhetorical
a question which does not require an answer
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Rhyme-Scheme
the arrangement of rhyme words in a piece of verse
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Rhythm (metre)
the movement and stress placed on different words/ syllables within a piece of text
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Satire
a form of entertainment that uses ridicule or irony for comic/ critical effect
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Simile
a direct comparison between one thing and another
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Slang
everyday, informal language sometimes rude
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Sonnet
a 14-line poem with a pattered rhyme scheme. Petrarchan sonnets consist of an octet (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). Shakespearean sonnets of three quatrains and a couplet
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Stanza
verse, a poetic unit for four or more lines
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Symbol
something which has deeper meaning beyond its everyday appearance
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Tense
the form of the verb that indicates when the action being described took place
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Tone
the kind of voice a piece of work might sound like
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Verb
a word that describes an action
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Verse
a unit of verse, like stanza
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

a word used to describe or modify a verb

Back

Adverb

Card 3

Front

when words which are close to each other in a passage, verse or prose begin with the same letter

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

a classical, literary or contemporary reference to a different text

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

when something has a double or unclear meaning

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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