GLOSSARY

of
LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES
http://www.grammar-monster.com/grammar_terms_and_definitions.htm
Alliteration:the first letter of a word is repeated in words that follow; the cold,
crisp, crust of clean, clear ice.
Archaisms: the use of archaic words (or spellings). Archaisms are words that
have gone out of use in modern language. Nowadays, their use is usually for
impact, comic effect, or portraying a sense of the old fashioned. Examples:
This marks the end of an era methinks. There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and
the lip. (old English proverb)
Assonance:the same vowel sound is repeated but the consonants are
different; he passed her a sharp, dark glance, shot a cool, foolish look across
the room.
Clich: A recognisable word, phrase or a concept, once fresh and creative,
that has been used so often that it has lost its impact, e.g. easy as 1, 2, 3
(=very easy)
Colloquialism:language that is used in speech with an informal meaning;
'chill', 'out of this world', 'take a rain check'.
Contractions: Words formed by replacing missing letter(s) with an
apostrophe. (These contractions are formed either by shortening a word or
merging two words into one.) E.g. don't, can't, shouldn't, he's.
Dialect:the version of language spoken by particular people in a particular
area, such as Scots.
Dialogue:conversation between two people; sometimes an imagined
conversation between the narrator and the reader. This is important in drama
and can show conflict through a series of statements and challenges or
intimacy. It can also be found in the conversational style of a poem.
Direct address: when a speaker or writer communicates directly to the
reader or audience. Such language is typified by the second person pronoun
you.
Dissonance:a discordant combinations of sounds; e.g: the clash, spew and
slow pang of grinding waves against the quay.
Ellipsis: (...) three dots used to show that words have been omitted from a
quotation or to create pause for effect. Examples: The brochure states: "The

atmosphere is tranquil ... and you cannot hear the trains." (omitted text) A
credit card stolen in London was used to pay for a Chinese meal five
( hours later ... in Bangkok. (pause for effect) "Yeah? Well, you can
just...
( (unfinished thought)
Emotive language: the deliberate choice of words (in particular adjectives or
adverbs) to elicit emotion. Ideas can be expressed non-emotively. For
example: The men were killed. However, they can also be expressed in a way
that is positive or negative or welcoming or threatening. It all depends on the
words selected. For example: The victims were executed in cold blood.
Enjambment:a device used in poetry where a sentence continues beyond the
end of the line or verse. Often used to maintain a sense of continuation from
one stanza to another.
Euphemism: the use of agreeable or inoffensive words to replace rude or
offensive ones. Examples: He has passed away. (Euphemism for He has
died.) He is between jobs. (Euphemism for He is unemployed.)
Hyperbole:exaggerating something for literary purposes which is not meant
to be taken literally; we gorged on the banquet of beans on toast.
Imagery:similes, metaphors and personification; they all compare something
'real' with something 'imagined'.
Imperative Mood / verbs: the imperative mood is a verb form which makes a
command or a request. The main verb (i.e., the finite verb) in an imperative
sentence will be in the imperative mood.
Irony:the humorous or sarcastic use of words or ideas, implying the opposite
of what they mean. There are 3 known varieties of irony, the first being verbal
and the second is situational. The third is dramatic irony. Examples of verbal
irony: That is just what I needed. (i.e., It isn't.) I am so glad it has started
raining. (i.e., I'm not.) Example of Situational irony (when an event occurs
seemingly in mockery of the circumstances): Mr Paul Jones arrived too late to
chair a town-planning meeting due to the roads being grid locked with traffic.
Jargon: particular words that are used and understood only by people who
are experts or specifically involved in different groups, e.g.: operationalize,
functionality, connectivity (business slang).
Metaphor:a word or phrase used to imply figurative, not literal or 'actual',
resemblance; e.g: he flew into the room.
Monologue:an uninterrupted monologue can show a character's importance

or state of mind. Monologue can be in speech form, delivered in front of other

characters and having great thematic importance, or as a soliloquy where we
see the character laying bare their soul and thinking aloud.
Narrative point of view:
First person narrative: this is where the 'voice' telling the story uses the
word 'I'. This can have an intimate, believable confessional feel.
Second person narrativeThis is where the narrator refers to 'you', talks to
the reader directly. This is often a challenging or conspiratorial mode, inviting
our involvement, agreement or even complicity in their actions.
Third person narrativeThis is where the author uses 'he', 'she', 'they' or 'it'. A
voice refers to actions, events and circumstances dissociated from both the
narrator and the reader. The narrator can be either omniscient (all-knowing) or
can merely function to report events as they take place.
Neologism: new words, invented by social or cultural groups. 'The Simpsons'
provides many examples: Simpsonian (Of or pertaining to 'The Simpsons'),
Scientician (A phony scientist, as coined by Troy McClure).
Onomatopoeia:a word that sounds like the noise it is describing, e.g:
'splash', 'bang', 'pop', 'hiss'.
OxymoronWhere two contradictory terms are used together, generally for
emphasis or poetic effect or to arrive at a unique meaning. Examples:
deafening silence, living dead, open secret, and controlled chaos.
Pathos:language that evokes feelings of pity or sorrow.
Personification:attributing a human quality to a thing or idea, e.g.: the moon
calls me to her darkened world.
Repetition:the repetition of a word or phrase to achieve a particular effect.
Rhetorical questions: mostly used in speeches but occasionally in writing,
these are questions where the reader is not expected to answer. They are
usually questions that make a responder think about a point, or a question
that is so obvious that the composer has asked it to make a point. Examples:
How am I supposed to live without you? Does a fish have lips?
Rhyme:the way that words sound the same at the end of lines in poetry.
Poems often have a fixed rhyme-scheme (for example sonnets, which rhyme
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG). Rhyme is a deliberate choice: why do you think the
poet has chosen it? Does it add control or imitate the ideas in the poem?
Rhythm:a repetitive beat or metre within a poem.
Simile:a phrase which establishes similarity between two things to emphasise
the point being made. This usually involves the words 'like' or 'as'; 'he is as
quick as an arrow in flight', 'as white as snow', 'like a burning star'.

Slang: includes informal (or casual) words that are made up and used by
cultural groups: E.g.: G'day, Mate - Australian slang for good morning; Wicked
air, bro - Skateboarding slang for getting high in the air.
Symbolism:often objects, colours, sounds and places work as symbols. They
can sometimes give us a good insight into the themes. So, snakes are often
symbols of temptation or evil, white usually symbolises innocence and a
ringing bell can be a symbol for impending doom.
Tone:the writer's tone or voice or atmosphere or feeling that pervades the
text, such as sadness, gloom, celebration, joy, anxiety, dissatisfaction, regret
or anger. Different elements of writing can help to create this; long sentences
or verses, with assonance (repeated vowel sounds), tend to create a sad,
melancholic mood. Short words and alliterative lines can create an upbeat,
pacy atmosphere.
Word choice:sometimes called 'register' or diction, this is the common
thread in an author's choice of language. Authors may use words commonly
associated with religion, words describing sensory experience such as touch,
smell or colour or 'mood' words that reflect a character's state of mind.
Appendix 1:
Parts of Speech (also known as word classes.):
Adjective, Adverb, Conjunction, Interjection, Noun, Preposition, Pronoun, Verb
In a sentence, every word or phrase can be classified as one of these parts of
speech depending on its function in the sentence. Remember, in English, a
word which performs a particular function in one sentence might perform a
different function in another. Let's take the word well for example.
;
;
;
;
;

You need to dig a well. (noun)

You look well. (adjective)
You dance well. (adverb)
Well, I agree. (interjection)
My eyes will well up. (verb)

The 8 Parts of Speech

Adjective:
modifies a noun or a pronoun
Examples: happy, red, enormous
Example in a sentence:
That is an enormous fish.
(The adjective enormous modifies the noun fish.)
Adverb:
modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb
Examples: happily, loosely, often
Example in a sentence:
The walked smartly to the counter.
(The adverb smartly modifies the verb walked.)
Conjunction joins words, phrases, and clauses
Examples: and, but, or

Example in a sentence:
A large bass still eluded Mark and Lee.
(The conjunction and joins the nouns Mark and Lee.)
Interjection: expresses emotion
Examples: indeed, well, oops
Example in a sentence:
Ouch, that hurt.
(The interjection Ouch expresses pain.)
Noun: names a person, place, or thing
Examples: man, city, dancing
Example in a sentence:
Take me to your leader.
(The noun leader names a person.)
Preposition: shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other
words in a sentence
Examples: at, in, near, on, with
Example in a sentence:
Sarah sang with Jeremy.
(The preposition with shows the relationship between Jeremy, sang, and
Sarah.)
Pronoun:
replaces a noun
Examples: I, me, you, he, she, we, us, they
Example in a sentence:
Joanne is smart. She is also funny.
(The pronoun She replaces the noun Joanne.)
Verb: identifies an action or state of being
Examples: work, play, think, guess, write, exist, be
Example in a sentence:
Tony works down the pit now. He was
unemployed. (The verb works expresses an action. The verb was expresses
a state of being.)
Appendix 2:

Sentence Structures: there are 5 basic types.

1) Minor sentence: a fragmented or incomplete sentence that still conveys

meaning. There are several types of minor sentences. These include
exclamations and interjections (for example, "Wow" and "What the hell"),
aphoristic expressions ("Like father, like son"), answers to questions ("Not
right now") and self-identification ("Mary here").
2) Simple Sentence: has just one independent clause. For example:
A country can be judged by the quality of its proverbs. (German Proverb)
3) Compound Sentence: has at least two independent clauses. For example:
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men
have mediocrity thrust upon them. (This example has three independent
clauses.).
4) Complex Sentence: has an independent clause and at least one dependent
clause. For example: Diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggie" until you
can find a rock. (Will Rogers, 1879-1935)

5) Compound-Complex Sentence: has at least two independent clauses and

at least one dependent clause. For example: I stopped believing in Santa
Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he
asked for my autograph. (Shirley Temple)