IB English Paper 1 vocabulary

Allegory

device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.

alliteration

The occurence of the same initial sound in several words in succession.

Allusion

A reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Amplification

Involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over.

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Anaphora

Expression repeated at start of lines.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.

Aphorism

A short statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

Apologue

A moral fable, usually featuring personified animals or inanimate objects which act like people to allow the author to comment on the human condition.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity.

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, estabished partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are desribed.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

Colloquial

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

Connotation

The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.

Diction

Refereing to style, to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness or effectiveness.

Didactic

From the Greek, meaning "teaching." These works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.

Epistrophe

Repeated ending in several clauses.

Euphemism

From the Greek for "good speech," this figure of speech is a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Figurative Language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

Figure of Speech

A device used to produce figurative language.

Generic Conventions

Refers to traditions for each genre.

Genre

Major category into which a literary work fits.

Homily

Literally "sermon", but also any serious talk, speech, or lecture providing moral or spiritual advice.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.

Imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions (to create vivid images).

Infer (Inference)

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.

Invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong or abusive language.

Irony

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant.

Verbal Irony

Words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant.

Situational Irony

Events turn out the opposite of what was expected.

Dramatic Irony

Facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the reader or audience or other characters in work.

Loose Sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units

Metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the one for the other, suggesting some similarity.

Metonomy

From the Greek "changed label", the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. (eg "the White House" for the Presdient)

Mood

Grammatically, the verbal units and a speaker's attitude (indicative, subjunctive, imperative); literaily, the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a word.

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Onomonopia

Natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. (eg buzz, hiss, bang)

Oxymoron

From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," author group apparently contradictory terms to suggest paradox.

Paradox

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

Parallelism

From the Greek for "beside one another," the grammatical or rhetorical framming of words, phrases, sentence or pharaphrs to give structural similarity.

Parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with speicific aim of comic affect and /or ridicule.

Pedantic

An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.

Periodic Sentences

a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.

Personification

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told.

Predicate Adjective

A type of subject compliment, an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb.

Predicate Nominative

A type of subject complement, a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject.

Prose

Genre, including fiction and nonfiction, written in ordinary language.

Rhetoric

From the Greek for "orator," the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuiasively.

Rhetorical Modes

The variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing.

Exposition

The rhetorical mode that explains and analyzes information.

Argumentation

The rhetorical mode that proves validity of an idea.

Description

The rhetorical mode that re-creates, invents, or presents a person, place, event or action.

Narration

The rhetorical mode that tells a story or recounts an event.

Sarcasm

From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," it involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.

Satire

A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and convention for reform or ridicule.

Semantics

The branch of linguistics that studies that meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.

Style

An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices.

Subject Complement

The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it.

Subordinate Clause

Contains a subject and verb but cannot stand alone; does not express complete thought.

Syllogism

From the Greek for "reckoning together," a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (first major, second minor) that inevitably leads to a sound conclusion.

Symbol (Symbolism)

Anything that represents or stands for something else. (natural, conventional, literary)

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part.

Syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses and sentences.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.

Thesis

A statement that, in expository writing, is the sentence or group of sentence that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning or proposition.

Tone

Describes the author's attitude towards his material, the audience or both.

Transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas.

Understatement

The ironic minimalizaing of fact, presents something as less signficant than it is.

Wit

Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights.