NCEA Level 2 English Unfamiliar Text

Alliteration

Repeated consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of a word or stressed syllable.

Assonance

Repeated vowel sounds in words.

Archaism

A word, spelling or construction that is old fashioned.

Cliche

Overused expression; any phrase not fresh and original.

Emotive Language

Words which have an emotional association, stirring up emotions within an audience.

Euphemism

A mild and indirect word that is used to replace a harsh or embarrassing word.

Figurative Language

Non-literal or imaginative meaning of the word rather than its actual meaning.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration

Imperative

A command or order.

Rhetorical Question

Question asked for effect.

Jargon

Specialised language used in an occupation or interest group

Metaphor

Comparison made directly without 'like' or 'as' between two things that are not usually associated.

Satire

Any text which criticises people or ideas by laughing at their stupidity.

Onomatopoeia

Sound of the word resembles the meaning of the word.

Oxymoron

Two words placed side by side that appear to contradict each other.

Personification

Kind of metaphor in which a non-human object/idea is given human characteristics.

Pun

Play on words, often to create humour.

Repetition

Repeats whole word or phrase or line to increase the effect, part of which is based on the sound of the meaning.

Simile

Comparison between two things using the words 'like' or 'as'.

Slang

Vocabulary used by a group of people that is unique to them.

Slogan

Distinctive and easily remembered phrase, often used in advertisements.

Stereotype

Fixed or over simplified idea of a person.

Tone

Author's attitude towards the subject matter.

Idiom

The use of phrases that cannot be translated literally into another language but which are understood by the native speaker.

Acronym

A new word created by the initial letters of the phrase.

Synonym

A word of similar meaning.

Antithesis

The deliberate juxtaposition of opposite ideas in parallel words, phrases or grammatical structures.

Symbol

An object or word used to represent a wider quality or concept.

Allusion

An indirect reference to event or text that is assumed to be well known to both the writer and reader.

Effect

Answers should be focused less on techniques and more on ...

Analysis

First part of answer

Interpretation

Second part of answer

Evaluation

Third part of answer

Personal understanding

Fourth part of answer

Personal appreciation

Last part of answer

Irony

The method of expression in which the ordinary meaning of the word is more or less the opposite of what the author intends.

Narrative Voice

First person, second person, third person.

Tense

Past, present, future

Denotation

Literal meaning of a word

Connotation

Implied or suggested meaning of a word.

Syntax

The arrangement of words in sentences, the correct use of parts of speech, the classification of sentences according to their clause structure.

Apostrophe

A direct address to a person or personified idea

Caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually indicated by a punctuation mark

Symbolism

A word or phrase signifying a sign or mark representing something else.

Enjambment

When the meaning of a line of poetry is completed on the next line

End-stopped line

The lines of a stanza that have a grammatical pause at the end of each line

Sibilance

The repetition of the consonant s or z to give a hissing sound.

Rhyme

The repetition of sounds at the end of lines or within a line.

Rhythm

The use of syllables to adjust the speed of which something is read.

Extended metaphor

The comparison between two things is continued beyond the first point of comparison

Vocabulary (poetry)

(Poetry) Simple, complex, emotive, colloquial, slang, compound words, contractions

Punctuation (poetry)

(Poetry) Open punctuation, sentence structure, caesura, enjambment, end-stopped line

Punctuation (prose)

(Prose) Use of . , ? !, colon, semicolon, parentheses, dash, hyphen, quotation marks

Form

(Poetry) Stanzas, free verse, sonnet, ballad

Patterns

Repetition of words, phrasing, rhymes (poetry), sentence structure

Construction

(Prose) Minor, simple, compound, complex, compound-complex, short and long sentences

Figurative language

Imagery, simile, metaphor, personification, emotive, euphemism, pun, cliche, symbol, rhetorical question, antithesis, apostrophe, oxymoron, hyperbole

Sound effects

Alliteration, sibilance, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme

Vocabulary (prose)

(Prose) Simple, complex, jargon, colloquial, slang, compound words, contractions

Parts of speech

Noun, pronoun, adjective, adverb, verb, voice, conjunction, preposition, interjection

Abstract noun

Name of something you cannot see, touch or measure

Adjective

Describes a noun

Adverb

Gives information about a verb

Collective noun

Name of a group of objects, people or creatures

Colloquial language

Language that is used in casual conversation

Comparative adjective

Form of adjective that compares things

Conjunction

Word that links two or more sentences into a single sentence

Preposition

Tells us the position or place of something in relation to something else

Proper noun

Name of person, place etc.

Pronoun

Used in place of a noun

Slang

Very informal language that is usually vivid, playful and short-lived.

Pathetic fallacy

When the weather reflects the mood of the piece