English Terminology

Compound sentence

Compound sentences contain two or more pieces of information and the pieces are linked by connectives e.g. My friend gave me a lift because it was raining

Direct address

Addressing the reader directly through use of the 2 nd person - 'You must admit....'

Simple sentence

A simple sentence consists of one clause that has a subject and a verb. A simple sentence puts across one simple idea

Simile

A comparison between two things using like or as. He was as quick as a fox.

1 st person plural pronoun

We

Extended metaphor

A metaphor that is continued throughout a paragraph, stanza or passage - might be signalled through metaphorical verbs etc,

Adverbial phrase

Adverbial phrase is the term for two or more words which play the role of an adverb e.g. I will sit in silence

Syndetic listing

A list structure which contains conjunctions e.g. eggs and milk and butter and fish and...

Rhetorical question

A question which is posed but an answer is not expected

Complex sentence

A complex sentence is used to put across more detailed ideas. A complex sentence contains one main clause that can make sense on its own, and one or more minor clauses that are linked to it. E.g When I arrived, the big dog barked.

Imagery

Creating pictures in the reader's mind through the way that something is described

Adjective

A word describing an attribute of a noun e.g. sweet, red, soft

Imperatives

The command form of the verb e.g. Sit down, Stand up

2 nd person pronoun

You

Syntax

Word order

Adverbial clause

When the multi-word adverb contains a subject and a verb (like in this example), it is an adverbial clause as opposed to an adverbial phrase e.g. I will sit like a monk meditates.

Superlatives

Fastest, Biggest, Strongest

Direct speech

Speech conveyed to the reader with speech marks e.g. we hear 'directly' what each character says

Comparatives

Faster, Bigger, Stronger

Reported speech

We can report what somebody says without needing to use speech marks. For example, "I want to be a hero!" announced Ruskin. becomes Ruskin announced that he wanted to be a hero.

Preposition

A preposition precedes a noun (or a pronoun) to show the noun's (or the pronoun's) relationship to another word in the sentence e.g. under, from, through, beneath

Statistics

Use of facts and figures

Declarative

A sentence type: statement

Exclamatory phrase

Usually an interjection or expression of surprise/strong feeling e.g. Excuse me!!

3 rd person plural pronoun

They

Emotive language

Language which has been deliberately chosen to evoke a strongly emotional response in the reader

1 st person possessive

pronoun

My

Epistrophe

Deliberate repetition at the end of a series of clauses or sentences

Gustatory imagery

The writer appeals to the reader's sense of taste through their description

Anaphora

Deliberate repetition at the beginning of a series of clauses or sentences

Noun phrase

A noun phrase is a phrase that plays the role of a noun e.g. The ringing bells....

Tactile imagery

The writer appeals to the reader's sense of touch through their description

Hypophora

Posing a question and answering it e.g. not a rhetorical question where reader is left to wonder about conclusion

Asyndetic listing

A list structure which does not use conjunctions e.g. eggs, milk, butter, cheese, fish,

Auditory imagery

The writer appeals to the reader's sense of sound through their description

Minor sentence

Lacks grammatical elements of a normal sentence - could be a single word or phrase. 'Yes, indeed.'

Conjunction

Conjunctions join words or groups of words together. The most common ones are and, or, and but.

Metaphor

A comparison between two things saying one thing is another e.g. He had a heart of stone.

Interrogative

A sentence that asks a question

Adjectival phrase

An adjective phrase (or adjectival phrase) is a phrase that tells us something about the noun it is modifying. E.g. The extremely tired lioness is losing patience with her overly enthusiastic cub