Irony
Expressing something by using words that mean the opposite (humorous or sarcastic)
Analogy
explaining something in terms of something else
Personificatioon
Giving an inanimate object human characteristics. This builds mood.
Simile
Comparing two objects as they have something in common (e.g. as white as snow)
Alliteration
The same letter at the beginning of a two or more of words close together. Usually used to stress something
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sound (e.g. cold, told, bold)
Parataxis
Use of very short, sharp sentences
Metaphor
Comparison of two things where one thing is said to be another. Powerful imagery tool, to make you imagine something.
Imagery
Using language to convey an atmosphere
Onomatoepia
When spoken, a word which sounds the same as its meaning
Hyperbole
Exaggerating something so much that it cannot be taken literally
Cliche
A phrase used so much it becomes meaningless.
Colloquial
Informal language
Emotive Language
Words that have strong emotional intensity.
Enjambment
A line ending in which the sense continues, with no punctuation, into the following line or stanza.
Imperative
A verb used to express a wish, command or advice.
Juxtapose
Place two things together to show a link or emphasize a contrast between them.
List
A series of items separated by commas. Usually used to speed up the text and create a sense excitement.
Narcissistic
Excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness.
Oxymoron
opposite words that are put straight next to each other: 'bittersweet'. Shows the extent to which these conflicting emotions are intertwined
Repitition
A word said more than once. Usually used to stress it.
Rhetorical Question
A question that does not require an answer, designed to make people think.
Persona
Telling a poem from a first person perspective that is not the author's perspective.
Sensory Language
touch, taste, smell, sights (colour, light, shape), sounds are used to create a vivid picture of the scene - to [increase whatever effect/theme the writer is trying to get across]
Semantic Field/ Lexical Field
a group of words referring to the same topic, e.g. 'flames', 'damnation' and 'hell'. This is most worth commenting on where there's an interesting contrast
Sibilant
Effect depends on context, and the meanings of the words around it. e.g. The sibilant sounds in 'softly, sweetly, sickly' creates a soft, gentle mood, which turns sinister on 'sickly' as the sounds flow across the line. The unusual shift in mood within th
Plosive
sounds create an abrupt, sharp, sometimes shocking effect.
Antithesis
two words or ideas that are the exact opposite: heaven/hell, light/dark, despair/hope.
Superlative
words like 'biggest' 'smartest' 'fastest' 'most'
Possessive Pronoun
1st, 2nd or 3rd person depending- my, mine, our, your, his, hers, theirs
Imperative Sentence mood
when a sentence is issuing a command
Interrogative Sentence mood
when a sentence is asking a question
Allusion
to refer indirectly or metaphorically
didactic
words that re bossy, declared in a teacherly way
Foreshadowing
laying little hints and clues of what might happen later on in the text
descending cadence
the words, tone and speed in the sentence drift down - denotes sadness or depression
rising cadence
the words, tone and speed in the sentence rise up- denotes excitement or aggression
paradox
a statement or expression so surprisingly self contradictory that it challenges our thinking
ambiguity
open to different interpretations
dichotomy
when an idea is split into two absolutely opposing parts