English Language OCR Techniques

These are my techniques for OCR English Language

Free Verse

Not using traditional rhyme schemes or metrical arrangements.

Allegory

A story containing a hidden message.

Anachronism

Something placed in a historical time where it does not belong, e.g., a knight wearing a wristwatch.

Anacrusis

When the first unstressed syllable is dropped, e.g., 'Happy Birthday to You'.

Anadiplosis

When word(s) at the end of a clause are repeated at the start of the next, e.g., 'Fear leads to Hate. Hate leads to Violence.'

Anapestic foot

Two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable (x x /).

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Run-on line

Alternative name for enjambment.

Antanaclasis

The repetition of a word or phrase in two different senses, e.g., 'I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man.'

Aphesis

The loss of an unstressed vowel at the beginning of a word, e.g., 't’was'.

Aphorism

A short statement about a general truth, e.g., 'Better safe than sorry.'

Apocope

The omission of letter(s) at the end of a word, e.g., 'info' becomes 'information'.

Aporia

An expression of insincere doubt, e.g., 'What’s in a name?'

Apostrophe

When the speaker addresses an absent person or a non-human object, idea, or being.

Archetype

A stereotype of a thing, e.g., 'Tragic hero'.

Aside

Insight into a character’s thinking, not heard by other characters.

Assonance

Relatively close juxtaposition of vowel sounds.

Asyndetic list

A list without conjunctions.

Polysyndetic list

A list with conjunctions.

Auditory imagery

Imagery engaging the sense of sound.

Benign

Gentle and kindly.

Blank verse

Unrhymed poetry, especially using iambic pentameter.

Burlesque

Satire that uses caricatures.

Cacophony

A mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds.

Caesura

A pause near the middle of a line.

Caricature

When striking characteristics are exaggerated to create a comic effect.

Catharsis

The process of releasing, and providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Chiasmus

Something repeated in reverse order, e.g., 'She has all my love; my heart belongs to her.'

Cinquain

Five-line stanza.

Cliché

An expression that has lost its impact due to excessive use, e.g., 'Time heals all wounds.'

Closed form

Consistency in elements such as rhyme, line length, and meter.

Colloquial language

Casual and conversational language, e.g., 'Y’all gonna wanna see this.'

Connotation

The attitudes and feelings associated with a word.

Consonance

The repetition of 2+ consonant sounds.

Couplet

Two-line stanza, typically rhyming and of the same length.

Dactylic foot

A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (/ x x).

Deixis

Words that are context-bound to time, place, or person.

Denotation

The definition of a word in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Diatribe

An impassioned rant or angry speech of denunciation.

Dichotomy

A division between two entirely different things, e.g., 'War and Peace'.

Didacticism

When the main purpose is to teach the reader an often moral lesson.

Dimeter

A line composed of two feet.

Direct address

When someone is addressed by their name or phrase that specifically refers to them.

Discursive space

The area within which something is discussed.

Dissonance

Lack of harmony.

Double entendre

Open to two interpretations.

Dramatic monologue

A poem in the form of a speech where an imagined speaker addresses a silent listener.

Dramatic prolepsis

Future events are hinted at or revealed before they occur in the storyline.

Dysphemism

Opposite of euphemism; more derogatory.

Elegy

A poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the dead.

Elisions

Unstressed syllables omitted for meter.

Ellipsis

The omission of word(s) to allow the reader to fill in the gaps.

End-stopped line

Ending with punctuation.

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Epigram

A short, witty saying expressing an idea in a clever way.

Epigraph

Brief quotation used to introduce a piece of writing.

Episodic

Consisting of a series of separate parts or events.

Epistrophe

The repetition of a word at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Epitaph

Words written in memory of a person who has died.

Epithalamium

A song or poem celebrating a marriage.

Epithet

Expresses a quality regarded as a characteristic of the thing.

Ethos

Convincing through the credibility of the persuader.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered too harsh.

Figurative Language

Language that communicates beyond the literal meaning of the words.

Foil

A character with contrasting qualities to another, to highlight these traits.

Form

The physical structure of the poem.

Frame narrative

A story within a story.

Fricative Alliteration

Repetition of f, ph, and v sounds.

Gustatory imagery

Imagery engaging the sense of taste.

Hamartia

A fatal moral flaw in the protagonist leading to their downfall.

Hedging Language

Uncertainty or ambiguity.

Hendiadys

The expression of a single idea by two words connected with 'and'.

Heptameter

A line composed of seven feet.

Heroic couplet

A pair of rhyming iambic pentameters.

Hexameter

A line composed of six feet.

Hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence.

Hyperbaton

When the natural order of words is changed.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Hyponym

A word with a more specific meaning than a superordinate term.

Hypophora

When a question is asked and immediately answered by the same person.

Iambic foot

An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (x /).

Iambic pentameter

10 syllables per line, starting unstressed then stressed, repeating 5 times.

Isocolon

Successive sentences of equal length.

Jargon

Technical vocabulary associated with a particular activity.

Kairos

The right place and the right time.

Kenning

Two-word phrase that replaces a common noun.

Kinaesthetic imagery

Imagery engaging sense of movement or physical tension.

Laconic

Concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious.

Litote

A figure of speech in which a negative statement is used to affirm a positive sentiment.

Logos

Convincing through logic/reason.

Masochism

Deriving sexual gratification from inflicting pain and humiliation on oneself.

Matricide

Killing one’s mother.

Metafiction

A self-conscious literary style in which characters are aware they are part of a work of fiction.

Metatextuality

When a text makes critical commentary on itself or another text.

Meter

The rhythm in a line of poetry.

Metonymy

Uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated.

Minor sentence

An incomplete sentence that still makes sense.

Mise en scene

Scenery or setting of an event.

Monometer

A line composed of one foot.

Narrative poem

A poem that tells a story or describes a series of events.