English Literature and Language Terminology

?
Proper Noun
The names of people or places.
1 of 107
Abstract Noun
Referring to non-physical concepts, such as feelings and states.
2 of 107
Concrete Noun
Referring to physical objects.
3 of 107
Base Adjective/Adverb
The basic form of an adjective/adverb, which modifies another word.
4 of 107
Comparative Adjective/Adverb
A form of adjective/adverb, which is used in comparison through adding the suffix 'er' or adding 'more'.
5 of 107
Superlative Adjective/Adverb
A form of adjective/adverb which refers to something being of the highest quality or degree.
6 of 107
Personal Pronoun
Refers to people, differentiated by number, gender and terms of person (e.g. 1st, 2nd and 3rd person).
7 of 107
Demonstrative Pronoun
A form of pronoun which is used to identify/show properties and states of being.
8 of 107
Indefinite Pronoun
A form of pronoun referring to an object, person or idea, which is non-specific.
9 of 107
Article Determiner
Shows whether something is definite or indefinite.
10 of 107
Possessive Determiner
Shows ownership.
11 of 107
Quantifier Determiner
Shows the (specific or non-specific) quantities of a noun.
12 of 107
Coordinating Conjunction
Links two clauses together, to show that they are dependant on each other.
13 of 107
Subordinating Conjunction
Links equal words, phrases or clauses together.
14 of 107
Material Verb
Describes actions or events.
15 of 107
Relational Verb
Orientates the reader/listener to the place of a person, object or idea.
16 of 107
Mental Verb
Showing internal processes - e.g. Thinking.
17 of 107
Verbal Verb
Showing external forms of communication - through speech.
18 of 107
Modal Verb
Showing certainty.
19 of 107
Syntax
The structure of language.
20 of 107
Morphology
The structure of words.
21 of 107
Phonetics
The sound of words.
22 of 107
Modality
Presents a speaker/writer's opinions, attitudes and commitments towards any state of affairs, including those involving people, objects and events.
23 of 107
Idiolect
The different ways or manners that particular people speak in.
24 of 107
Spatial Deixis
The use of relational verbs to create the sense of place or distance.
25 of 107
Ambiguity
Where one word has more than one meaning.
26 of 107
Antithesis
Contrasting ideas or phrases, balanced against one word or phrase (the exact opposite).
27 of 107
Antonym
A word or phrase which has an opposite meaning to another word or phrase.
28 of 107
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds within words.
29 of 107
Connotation
Associations that some words have with other words or meanings.
30 of 107
Caesura
A break in a line or stanza of poetry, which adds dramatic effect and influences the rhythm of the poem.
31 of 107
Dependant Clause
A simple sentence, which cannot stand or make sense on its own - it needs an independent clause before it.
32 of 107
Discourse
The use of words to exchange thought or ideas through text.
33 of 107
Discourse Event
An act of communication which happens in a specific time and place, which involves writers/speaker and readers/listeners.
34 of 107
Discourse Community
A group of people who have shared interests and belief systems who are likely to respond to the text in a similar way.
35 of 107
Text Producer
The person responsible for creating a piece of text through writing or speaking.
36 of 107
Text Reciever
The person/people interpreting the piece of text.
37 of 107
Multi-purpose Text
A text which clearly has more than one purpose.
38 of 107
Primary Purpose
The main and most easily recognisable purpose of a text.
39 of 107
Secondary Purpose
An additional, more subtle purpose of a text.
40 of 107
Implied Reader
A constructed image of an idealised reader.
41 of 107
Actual Reader
People who engage with the text.
42 of 107
Implied Writer
A constructed image of an idealised writer.
43 of 107
Actual Writer
The real person or people who are responsible for creating the text.
44 of 107
Emphatic Stress
Emphasis placed on a particular word/phrase for a particular effect.
45 of 107
Enjambment
Where the lines in a poem 'run on'.
46 of 107
Form
The style the text is written in.
47 of 107
Fricatives
A consonant sound - such as a 'f' or 'v' sound.
48 of 107
Heterodiegetic Narrative
A narrative which looks in from the outside - not told from the perspective of someone in the 'story'.
49 of 107
Homophone
Where two or more words have the same pronunciation, but with different meanings or origins.
50 of 107
Hypernym
A word with a broad meaning, which hyponyms fit under. (A umbrella word).
51 of 107
Hyponym
A word with a specific meaning, which can be categorised under a hypernym.
52 of 107
Independent Clause
A simple sentence which can stand and make sense on its own.
53 of 107
Lexical Semantics
The analysis of word meanings and the relationships between them.
54 of 107
Manner
The manner in which a piece of text is written in (informal or formal).
55 of 107
Metre
The pattern of stressed and un-stressed syllables in a line of poetry.
56 of 107
Nonessential Relative Clause
A type of clause which adds information to the middle of a sentence using commas. This makes the text more interesting and complex.
57 of 107
Non-Pulmonic Consonants
Consonants which aren't produced using air pressure from the lungs.
58 of 107
Onomatopoeia
Words which sound like the things they are describing.
59 of 107
Paralellism
A form of repetition, involving the repetition of larger structures in the text.
60 of 107
Personification
Giving a non-human thing, human qualities.
61 of 107
Phonological Features
Features which focus on the sounds of words.
62 of 107
Phrase
One or a group of words which add information to a dependant or independent clause.
63 of 107
Polysemy
The coexistence of many possible meanings for one word or phrase.
64 of 107
Pragmatics
The underlying meaning behind a piece of text.
65 of 107
Prefix
Added before the base or stem of a word.
66 of 107
Pun
A play on words.
67 of 107
Pulmonic Consonants
Consonants that are produced with air pressure from the lungs.
68 of 107
Repetition and Listing
Where certain words are repeated in order to create a specific effect in the text.
69 of 107
Rhetorical Questions
Questions in the text which provoke thought in the reader, but aren't designed to be answered.
70 of 107
Rhythm
How the poem flows, due to the syllables, rhyme or other linguistic techniques.
71 of 107
Semantics
The study of the meaning of words.
72 of 107
Structure
The way that the text is structured and laid out.
73 of 107
Structural Ambiguity
Where a word or sentence has more than one possible structures, which allows for different interpretation. Also known as Syntactic or Grammatical Ambiguity.
74 of 107
Subordinate Clause
Can stand on their own as cliff hangers, or can be added to an independent clause to create a complex sentence.
75 of 107
Subordinating Conjunctions
Links two dependent clauses together, to show their dependency on one another.
76 of 107
Suffixes
Suffixes are after the base or stem of a word, to show the class of the word.
77 of 107
Syllable Stress
The stress or pronunciation of particular syllables in a word which alters the rhythm of the text.
78 of 107
Synonym
A word or phrase which has a similar meaning to another word or phrase.
79 of 107
Allegory
A story/tale which demonstrates religious or philosophical beliefs.
80 of 107
Blank Verse
Poetry which has been written in lines of un-rhymed iambic pentameter.
81 of 107
Genre
The type of kind of text.
82 of 107
Narrative
The events in the text, which are relayed to the reader/listener through a narrator.
83 of 107
Narrator
The person who tells the narrative.
84 of 107
Persona
The character in the poem or story, who is narrating it, or has a main part in it.
85 of 107
Satire
The mocking and exposure of wickedness and folly.
86 of 107
Viewpoint
The opinions and beliefs of the author, or of other people, portrayed through the personas/characters in the text.
87 of 107
Anthropomorphism
Giving human characteristics to animals.
88 of 107
Archaic Lexis
Old fashioned or ancient language and language choices within a text.
89 of 107
Cliché
An overused and highly predictable saying or phrase.
90 of 107
Euphemism
A word or phrase which disguises an ugly/taboo truth.
91 of 107
Hyperbole
Excessive exaggeration.
92 of 107
Metaphor
Describing something as something else as a way of comparison.
93 of 107
Simile
Describing something as being similar to or 'like' something else by way of comparison.
94 of 107
Oxymoron
Two contradictory and opposite words placed next to each other for special effect.
95 of 107
Pathetic Fallacy
Where the weather/surroundings reflects the mood of the persona/character.
96 of 107
Semantic Field
A group of words which are associated with the meanings and uses of a particular subject/object/event/person.
97 of 107
Symbolism
Where other objects or people are used to represent something, to create ambiguity or another subtler meaning.
98 of 107
Taboo Language
Words which are avoided due to rudeness, unpleasant connotations or being unpleasant.
99 of 107
Point of View
The opinions and viewpoints of a character, or the narrator.
100 of 107
Narration
The teeling of the story/tale.
101 of 107
Reliability
How reliable something/a person/a narrator is.This depends on whether they are biased and their view point on the events.
102 of 107
Narrative Structure
The structure and structural features of a narrative which give it a particular style.
103 of 107
Theme
A subject of discussion in a piece of text, or a reccuring subject in a piece of text.
104 of 107
Motif
A reccuring idea or subject in a piece of text.
105 of 107
Characterisation
A character or a description of distinct features of a character.
106 of 107
Deixis
A word or meaning that is dependant upon the context it is used in.
107 of 107

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Referring to non-physical concepts, such as feelings and states.

Back

Abstract Noun

Card 3

Front

Referring to physical objects.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

The basic form of an adjective/adverb, which modifies another word.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

A form of adjective/adverb, which is used in comparison through adding the suffix 'er' or adding 'more'.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar English Language & Literature resources:

See all English Language & Literature resources »See all Terminology resources »