Basic Senior Language And Literary Terms 2009

BASIC

TERMS TO HELP YOU WITH

ENGLISH

Note: these are very good for 2.6. HOWEVER, they will help you with all of English. File this reference list. It is for use during Years 12 and 13. It is comprehensive but not complete. You may add to it as the year progresses. Sound Devices Term alliteration

Definition/ Example Your Example The repetition of consonant sounds, especially the initial consonant, within a line of poetry or prose, ‘the fair breeze, blew, the white foam flew’. assonance The repetition of vowel sounds without the addition of the same consonant sounds (which would make it rhyme), ‘A stitch in time saves nine’. consonance The deliberate repetition of similar consonant sounds (not just the initial sound) within a line, ‘the knot tightened’. onomatopoeia Where the sounds of a word mimics its meaning, ‘bang’, ‘cuckoo’, ‘whisper’. sibilance Consonance of ‘s’ sounds, ‘the grass rustled in the breeze’.

Imagery When a writer succeeds with words, it is often because a suitable image or picture has been created in our imagination. This imagery may appeal to our intellect as a clever idea, but more often it may have stimulated our sense of taste, smell, sight, hearing or touch. This language is often called figurative, in contrast to literal language. While the literal meaning of a word refers to its dictionary or basic definition, figurative language derives its name from the use of figures of speech. The real test for the English student is not just to be able to recognise figures of speech, but to be able to comment on their effectiveness. TERM allusion

hyperbole

metaphor

oxymoron

DEFINITION / EXAMPLE A reference to a well-known person, place or thing, ‘He smiled, certainly, but it was the smile of the Gestapo’. A deliberate exaggeration for dramatic effect, ‘All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand’. A comparison without using ‘like’ or ‘as’. This is a hidden comparison, ‘The shed is an island of light and warmth’. A contradiction in two words,

YOUR EXAMPLE

eg ‘parting is such sweet sorrow’. personification A form of metaphor in which something non-human is associated with or given human characteristics, ‘Slowly, silently now the moon/walks the night in her silver shawl’. pun A play on words that are similar in sound, but have different meanings, ‘When I am dead, I hope it might be said: His sins were scarlet but his books were read’. simile A comparison of one thing with another, introduced by ‘like’ or ‘as’, ‘In the rain the cows were shiny as rocks in the ebbing tide’.

Parts of Speech Nouns are any word that defines a person, place, or thing. Nouns give names to: Concrete things: Carlos lost his keys. Abstract qualities: She says I lack sensitivity. Feelings: It causes me pain me to hear you say that. Actions: Parking can be difficult in town. People: Steve Brown is our coach. Animals: What kind of bear is that? Places: Wellington College is situated in the city by the Basin Reserve. Proper Nouns have capitals. Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. Singular personal pronouns: I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it Plural personal pronouns: we, us, you, they, them Example: John borrowed a book from Sylvia = He borrowed it from her. Possessive Pronouns are personal pronouns that show ownership or possession. Singular possessive pronouns: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its Plural possessive pronouns: our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs Adjectives are words that are used to modify a noun. Example: green grass (the adjective "green" describes the noun "grass") Verbs convey an action or a state. Every complete sentence has a finiteverb. Present Tense indicates an action in the present: Now the class begins. She walks to class. Past Tense indicates an action that occurred in the past: We wantedto see the show. The little girl blew a bubble. Imperative This is the command form of a verb and is generally followed by an exclamation mark. Sit down and stop making that noise! Auxiliary verbs are verbs that are used to help form verb phrases but cannot do so independently. Adverbsmodify the verb, by telling how, why, when or where the action was done. Many end with ‘ly’, He smiled sweetly, We shall come soon. Conjunctionsjoin words, phrases, and sentences. There are two kinds: co-ordinating: joining together two main clauses in a sentence – and, but, so, then sub-ordinating: joining a dependent clause to the clause on which it is dependent - although, because, unless, before, when, until, as, if, while. Sentence Types Simple sentenceshave only one independent clause. The sentence must be limited to one subject and one predicate. The sentence may contain modifying words or phrases: “The shop closes at 5.30.” “He wants a red sports car.” . Compound sentences are composed of two or more independent clauses, which are joined by a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon. “The shop closes at 5.30 so you had better get a move on.” “He wants a red sports car but he can’t afford it.” Complex sentences use one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses: When he has saved enough money, he will buy a red sports car.”. ("When he..” is a dependent clause, "he will buy ..” is an independent clause.) The compound-complex sentence joins a compound and a complex sentence together. It should contain two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clause: “Although he can’t afford it and his parents don’t approve, he is determined to buy a red sports car.”

General Literary Terms cliche connotation denotation diction euphemism irony objective point of view

sarcasm tone

A well worn phrase (can include foreign phrases) The range of significances and feelings a word implies. eg. ‘home’ denotes the place where one lives, but connotes privacy, intimacy, warmth, love, cosiness. The dictionary definition of a word The particular words chosen by the writer or speaker A roundabout, or less colloquial term used in place of a blunt term for something disagreeable. They are commonly used in reference to death eg ‘to pass away’, bodily functions and sex. A difference between what is asserted and what is actually the case, often for a humourous effect When an author presents a situation or characters without commenting on them Is the way a story is told. There are two main ways: third-person and firstperson. In a third-person narrative, the narrator is someone outside the story who refers to the characters by name, or as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’ In a first-person narrative, the narrator speaks as ‘I’, and is a character in the story. It is, therefore, a limited point of view in comparison to third-person. Is a form of irony where praise is used to disparage or put down. Is the writer or speaker’s attitude to the subject or the reader or listener.

Effect Writers have a purpose in mind when they set out to write something and often they utilise particular literary or syntactical devices in order to make a point, or give it more emphasis. These things create an overall effect. In analysing literature and language at a senior level you are expected to be able to discuss the effect of a device, not merely identify it.