IB English Language Literature

Semantic field

A lexical set of semantically related items

Tricolon

Three parallel words

Hypophora

Speaker poses a question and answers it themselves

Allegory

Work that conveys a hidden meaning usually moral, spiritual, or political

Alliteration

Same sound repeats in a group of words in close succesion

Allusion

Unexpected reference to someone or something outside the text

Anadiplosis

Group of words at the end of a sentence are repeated at the beginning of the subsequent sentence

Analogy

Comparison that aims to explain an idea or thing

Anaphora

Words repeat at the start of successive clauses

Antanaclasis

Word or phrase repeated in a sentence but with different meanings each time

Anthropomorphism

Non-human things possessing human characteristics

Antimetabole

Where a phrase is repeated but with the order of words reversed

Antithesis

Juxtaposing of two opposing ideas within a parallel grammatical structure

Aphorism

A saying that concisely expresses a moral principle or observation about the world

Aporia

Rhetoric device where the speaker expresses doubt, either real or feigned

Apostrophe

Speaker directly addresses someone or something that is not present or can not respond

Asyndeton

Omitting of coordinating conjunctions such as or, and, but

Bildungsroman

Focuses on a character's growth from start to finish

Cliche

Lacking in substance or originality due to overuse

Climax (figure of speech)

Successive words or phrases are arranged in ascending order of importance

Colloquialism

Use of informal words or phrases

Connotation

Array of emotions suggested by a word in addition to its definition

Deus ex machina

Unsolvable conflict is abruptly resolved by the unexpected presence of character, event, action, etc.

Dynamic character

Character that undergoes substantial internal change due to plot developments

Epigraph

A short quotation or phrase placed at the beginning of another work

Epistrophe

Words repeated at the end of successive phrases

Epizeuxis

Words repeated in immediate succession

Ethos

Appeal to authority

Pathos

Appeal to emotion

Logos

Appeal to logic

Extended metaphor

Metaphor that unfolds across multiple lines or paragraphs

Flat character

One dimensional character lacking in complexities

Foreshadowing

Hinting at future plot developments

Hamartia

Tragic flaw or error that leads to the character's downfall

Hubris

Excessive pride or overconfidence

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for the sake of emphasis

Imagery

Descriptive writing appealing to the senses (visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory, gustatory)

Irony

How things seem to be is very different from how things are

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side to highlight differences

Kenning

Two combined words to form a poetic expression

Litotes

Understatement in which a sentiment is expressed ironically

Metaphor

Comparing two different things by saying one thing is the other subtly or explicitly

Metonymy

Referring to an object using something closely related to it

Motif

Recurring element or collection of related symbols

Onomatopoeia

Words evoking actual sounds of the objects they represent

Oxymoron

Two contradictory terms or ideas are paired to make a point or reveal deeper truth

Paradox

Phrase that seems to contradict itself but upon further examination contains some level of truth

Parallelism

Two or more sentences have the same grammatical structure to draw comparison

Parody

Work that mimics the style of another for comic effect

Pathetic fallacy

Attributing human emotions to non-human things

Personification

Non-human things described as having human attributes

Freytag's pyramid

Classic plot progression (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement)

Polyptoton

Repetition of words derived from the same root

Pun

Play on words

Red herring

Intentional or coincidental misleading through distracting pieces of evidence

Rhetorical question

Question is asked for a reason other than to get an answer

Round character

Complex and multi-faceted characters

Satire

The use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticise something or someone

Simile

Making a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as"

Soliloquy

Character speaks their innermost thoughts to themselves

Static character

Character that does not undergo any change throughout the text

Stream of consciousness

Capturing the natural flow of a character's extended thought process

Syllogism

Three part logical argument used to reach a conclusion

Symbolism

Use of one thing to represent another

Synecdoche

Part of one thing use to refer to the whole

Understatement

Expressing something less strongly than what would be expected

Verbal irony

Literal meaning of what someone says is different from or opposite to what they actually mean

Benefit and need

Success of advertisement depends on appealing to the desire of the viewer

Visual narratives

Images created with the intent to tell a story

Slogan

Short, catchy, and memorable phrases in association to the advert

Typography

Line length, spacing, font, size, etc.

Testimonials

Satisfied quotations from customers, sometimes celebrities.

Advertising claims

Weasel words, scientific claims, vague language, bandwagon claims etc.

Direct address

Establishing a strong connection to the reader

Card stacking

Ignoring parts of argument that don't fit the agenda

Modality

Small but important words such as must, need, should, might, etc.

Logical fallacy

Deceptive or false arguments that seem stronger than they are due to psychological persuasion

False dilemma fallacy

"We can either do - or -, there is no other option"

Hasty generalization

Drawing expansive conclusions based on inadequate evidence

Correlation / causation

If two things seem to be correlated doesn't necessarily mean one thing caused the other

Gutters

White space between comic panels

Spatial mechanics

Use of space within each frame

Artistic style

Graphic weight and saturation along with key elements of the art

Emanata

Dots, lines, exclamation marks, or onomatopoeia to depict action, emotion, or sound

Cartoonification

The level of transforming an image or character into a cartoon-like representation, emphasizing exaggerated features and simplified forms.

Caricature

Simplifying or exaggerating people in art for effect

Box outs

Magazine elements to hold separate information from the main text

Buzz words

Popular words

Pull quotes

Attention-grabbing visual elements consisting of a quote taken from the text

Confirmation bias

Cherry picking facts and evidence

Anchoring bias

Heavy dependency on a singular source of information

Panel

A single frame in a comic that conveys a moment or scene.

Splash

A large and open frame in a comic that conveys a moment or scene.

Negative Space

An absence of drawn or visual objects.

Camera Angle

Angle and perspective from which a scene is viewed in visual storytelling.

Punch line

Final line of a joke.

Anecdote

A short, amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person, often used to illustrate a point in writing or conversation.

Enumeration

The listing of details or items, often used to emphasize a point or create a vivid image in writing.

Copy (advertisement)

The written text that appears in an advertisement

Call-to-action

A statement designed to encourage an immediate response or action from the audience.