Lang-Lit Glossary of Terms

List of literary features and what they are, sometimes with example

Abstract noun

A name to describe things that have no physical qualities (e.g. love)

Active Voice

A grammatical structure in which the subject is the actor of the sentence (e.g. the dog eats the bone)

Adjective

A word that modifies a noun or pronoun

Adverb

A word that modifies verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions and prepositions

Alliteration

The repetition of the same sound in the initial position in a sequence of words

Allusion

To refer to something indirectly or metaphorically

Alternate rhyme

Rhyme on every other line (abab)

Assonance

A repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds

Asyndetic listing

The omission of coordinating conjunctions in a list

Modal verb

a verb that precedes another verb (e.g. I can go)

Caesura

A mid-line pause

Collective noun

A name that refers to a group of people, animals or things

Concrete noun

A name for every day objects

Complex sentence

A sentence made up of one main and one or more subordinate or dependent clauses

Compound adjective

An adjective made up of two words joined by a hyphen

Compound sentence

A sentence made up of at least two main clauses joined by a co-ordinating conjunction

Co-ordinating conjunction

A word that joins elements of equal rank (and, or, but)

Couplet

A two line verse (often rhyming)

Declarative mood

A mood used to express a statement

Definite article

‘The’

Dependent/subordinate clause

A group of words which add extra information to the independent main clause

Dialogue

Language interaction with two or more participants

Dynamic verb

A verb that expresses an action rather than a state

Ellipsis

The omission of part of a sentence

End-focus

A change in the structure of the sentence to place emphasis on a closing sentence element

Enjambment

Run-on lines (in poetry)

Euphemism

A word that replaces a term seen by society as taboo or unpleasant

Exclamatory mood

A mood that expresses strong emotions

Fillers

Words used when hesitating in speech (e.g. um, er)

Aspirants

Sounds that denote audible breath (e.g. h)

Bilabials

Sounds made with both lips (e.g. m, b)

Fricatives

Sounds where air escapes through a small passage (e.g. f, v)

Hyperbole

Exaggeration used to heighten feeling and intensity

Imperative mood

A mood that expresses a command

Indefinite article

‘A’

Internal rhyme

Rhyme within a line of verse

Interrogative mood

A mood expressing a question

Juxtaposition

Place two or more (opposing) things side by side

Litotes

A deliberate understatement

Metaphor

A description which does not compare one thing with another but actually becomes the other

Nasals

Consonants produced with an open nasal passage (e.g. m, n)

Octet

Eight line verse

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sound

Oxymoron

The use of apparently contradictory words in a phrase (e.g. the silence was loud)

Parallelism

The patterning of pairs of sounds, words or structures to create a sense of balance

Passive voice

A grammatical structure in which the subject and object can change places in order to alter the focus of a sentence (e.g. the bone was eaten by the dog)

Pathetic fallacy

When the environment mirrors emotions

Personification

Non-human things are given personal and human qualities (e.g. the trees danced in the wind)

Plosives

Sounds that release a sudden burst of air (e.g. p, b, t)

Preposition

Shows relationships between nouns or pronouns (e.g. on)

Pronoun

A word that replaces a noun

Proper noun

A name of a distinctive person, place or other unique reference

Quatrain

A four line verse

Repetition

Saying the same thing more than once

Sestet

A six line verse

Sibilants

Consonant sounds articulated with a hissing sound (e.g. s, z)

Simile

A device which directly compares two things using like or as

Simple sentence

An independent main clause

Stative verbs

Verbs that express states of being or processes

Subordnating conjunction

A conjunction used to introduce a subordinate clause (because, while, until)

Superlative

A word that emphasizes the extremes (e.g. best, worst)

Symbolism

A device in which a word or phrase represents something else

Syndetic listing

Using conjunctions to join clauses in a list

Tag question

An interrogative structure attached to the end of a sentence which expects a reply (e.g. isn’t it)

Tone

The style or voice the text is written in

Tricolon

Listing of three items

Turn-taking

The organization of speakers’ contributions to a conversation

Vocatives

The words used to name or refer to people when talking to them