Rhet quiz 1-100

Acronym

A word formed from the initial letters of two or more successive words (e.g. UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).

Active voice

Where the subject of a verb is performing the action involved (e.g. She won the race).

Adjective

A word that modifies a noun.

Adjunct

An optional or less-important part of a clause or sentence (e.g. on the floor in the sentence I dropped the glass on the floor).

Adverb

A word that modifies a verb.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same letter or sounds at the beginning of adjacent or closely related words.

Allusion

Reference to another text, often indirectly.

Analogy

A comparison of two things which have some element of similarity. The similarity is often used to help clarify an issue or idea.

Anaphora

Deliberate repetition of words for rhetorical effect.

Anaphoric reference

Where a word refers back to an earlier part of a text for its meaning.

Antonym

A word with the opposite meaning to another word.

Archaism

A word which is no longer in everyday use, or has lost a particular meaning in current usage.

Aspect

A form of the verb which explains its relation to time, indicating whether an action is completed or incomplete.

Audience

The readers and/or listeners of a text.

Author

The producer of a text.

Autobiography

The story of the writer's life told from his or her point of view.

Biography

An account of someone's life told by a third person narrator.

Cataphoric reference

Where a word refers to a later part of a text for its meaning.

Clause

Part of a sentence, containing (at least) a subject and a verb phrase.

Cohesion

Strategies used by a writer or speaker to ensure that a text is structured with features that will allow it to be followed by a reader or listener.

Colloquial

The casual conversation of everyday language.

Compounding

Forming a word from two or more units that are themselves words.

Conjunction

A linking word in a sentence, often to join two clauses.

Connotation

The range of associated meanings brought to mind by a particular word.

Context

The situation in which a text is produced, including social, cultural, and political background.

Contraction

The omission of letters to make things less formal.

Coordination

Connecting two or more independent clauses through the use of coordinating conjunctions.

Deixis

Language whose meaning is determined in part by contextual factors.

Denotation

The primary meaning of a word, not including its connotations.

Derivation

Creating a new word from an existing word, often with the addition of a prefix or suffix.

Dialectical structure

A three-part argument, moving from thesis to antithesis and finally to a synthesis.

Dialogue

Interchange between two or more speakers.

Direct speech

The use of the exact words spoken by a speaker/character.

Discourse

Any spoken or written language that is longer than a single sentence.

Discourse markers

Words or phrases which mark boundaries between topics.

Discursive

A style in which facts and opinions are explored to develop an argument.

Ellipsis

The intentional omission of a word, sentence, or section of text for reasons of economy or effect.

Emotive

Arousing intense feelings or emotions.

Epiphora

The repetition of the same letter or sounds at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Eponym

The name of something that is also the name of someone credited with inventing or discovering it.

Etymology

A study of the history of a word and its earlier forms and meanings.

Euphemism

A mild, indirect vague term used instead of one considered harsh or offensive.

Exophoric reference

Where a word refers to something outside a text for its meaning.

Figurative language

Language which expands upon the basic or literal meaning of a word or phrase.

First person narrative

Where a character in a story narrates the events they are experiencing.

Foregrounding

Using grammatical or syntactic devices to draw attention to a particular idea in a text.

Form

The specific type of whatever category is being considered.

Formality

The extent to which spoken or written texts conform to standard conventions or employ more personal language strategies.

Genre

A subdivision of textual form determined by the text’s content.

Grammar

Rules for the organisation of meaning in a language.

Head word

The main word in a phrase.

Idiom

Phrases understood in a language but which do not directly translate.

In medias res

Beginning a narrative in the middle of the events without any build-up or initial explanation.

Inference

The act of deducing implied meanings.

Infinitive

The basic, dictionary form of a verb.

Intensifier

A word used to add force to other phrases.

Intertextuality

Where a text produces additional meaning by referring to another text.

Irony

When the intended meaning of a text differs from its literal interpretation.

Jargon

Words and phrases known primarily by a group of people.

Lexical field

A set of words grouped by meaning around a specific subject.

Lexis

The complete vocabulary of a language.

Metalanguage

Language used to describe or comment on language.

Modality

The attitude a speaker or writer takes to the idea being expressed.

Mode

The format through which ideas or content are communicated to an audience.

Modifier

A word or phrase that qualifies or describes.

Monologue

Discourse entirely spoken or written by one person.

Mood

A grammatical feature expressing modality.

Multimodal

Consisting of more than one mode.

Narrative

A spoken or written account of connected events.

Narrative structure

The way in which a story is constructed.

Narrative voice

The voice of the person telling the story.

Netspeak

The language of the internet.

Noun

A word that identifies people, places, or things.

Noun phrase

A word (or group of words) which names a person, place or thing.

Object

The thing or person acted upon by the subject.

Omniscient narrator

Where the narrator knows all the thoughts, actions and feelings of the characters.

Passive voice

Where the subject receives the action of a verb.

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things.

Perspective

Point of view.

Phrase

A group of words that do not constitute a complete sentence.

Point of view

A writer or speaker's choices about how to present information.

Pragmatics

A branch of linguistics concerned with how meaning can alter according to the context.

Prefix

A group of letters added to the front of a word to give a new meaning.

Preposition

A word governing a noun to demonstrate a relationship between it and other elements.

Pronoun

A word used to substitute for a noun already mentioned.

Prose

Ordinary language, without a rhyming pattern or rhythmic structure.

Protagonist

The main character in a literary work.

Purpose

A writer or speaker’s main aim when producing a text.

Register

The variety of language used in a particular situation.

Rhetoric

Devices/language used to persuade or convince.

Rhetorical Question

A question posed for emphasis or dramatic effect.

Second person narrative

When the reader is addressed directly.

Semantic

Related to the meaning of words.

Semantic field

A group of words that relate to a shared area of meaning.

Sentence

A set of words that is grammatically complete.

Sentence Structure

How a sentence is composed from different building blocks.

Setting

The time, place and atmosphere in which the action of a piece of writing takes place.

Simile

A figure of speech which makes a comparison between two different things.

Situation

The location, time, and circumstances within or around a text.

Slang

Informal words or expressions.