Vocabulary

Semantic Field

a group of words/phrases with a common meaning

Denotation

dictionary definition

Connotation

the associated ideas with a word

Synonym

a word with the same meaning

Antonym

a word with the opposite meaning

Collocation/collocates

words which go together (salt and pepper)

Euphemism

a less harsh way of saying things

Dysphemism

a blunt way of saying things

Hypernym

an umbrella term/generic term

Hyponym

a part of a larger collection

Grice’s maxim of quality

what is said must be truthful

Grice’s maxim of quantity

what is said should be the right length

Grice’s maxim of relevance

what is said should be relevant

Grice’s maxim of manner

what is said should be clear

minor/fragment sentence

an incomplete sentence

simple sentence

a main clause on its own

compound sentence

two or more simple sentences joined by a conjunction

complex sentence

a sentence that contains at least one subordinate clause

interrogative

used to ask questions

declarative

used to make a statement

imperative

used to make a command

exclamative

used to make an exclamation

problem and solution (structure)

the text poses a problem and then provides the solution

cause and effect (structure)

the text introduces an issue and the consequences of it

cyclical (structure)

the text ends on the same thread as it started

narrative (structure)

the text tells a story

question and answer (structure)

the text poses a question and then provides an answer

turn taking (speech)

where speakers take turns to speak

adjacency pairs (speech)

pairs of conventional speech

anaphoric reference

looks back at the text

cataphoric reference

looks forwards into the text

graphology

the study of how aesthetics are produced

orthography

the study of writing and the rules attached

common noun

general nouns

proper noun

places and names

concrete noun

can be touched

abstract noun

cannot be touched

collective noun

refers to a group

main verb

the main action of a sentence

verbal verb

communicative actions

material verb

events or actions

dynamic verb

actions which have definitive starts and ends

mental and stative verbs

perceptions, cognitive processes and feelings

transitive verb

have a direct object

intransitive verb

don’t have a direct object

modal verbs

verbs which indicate a level of possibility or obligation

auxiliary verb

verbs which assist the main verb

modal auxiliary verb

verbs which assist the main verb and indicate possibility and obligation

copular verb

linking verb (be, is, was)

base adjective

simplest form

comparative adjective

used to compare

superlative adjective

used to indicate the most extreme form

time adverb

indicates when something occurs

place adverb

indicates where something occurs

manner adverb

indicates how something occurs

frequency adverb

indicates how often something occurs

quantifiers

gives a numerical value

demonstrative determiner

specify what is being referred to

definite determiners

something specific

indefinite determiners

something general

false starts (non fluency features)

the speaker starts to speak but then stops and retries that start

repair (non fluency feature)

the speaker makes a mistake and correct is

back channelling (non fluency feature)

where a speaker passively agrees with what’s being said

Adjective

is a modifier as it changes the meanings of nouns

Adjectives of quality

describe the nature of a noun

Adjectives of quantity

refer to the amount of the noun - determiner

Possessive Adjectives

indicate to whom the following noun belongs to - determiner

Demonstrative adjectives

identify a specific noun - determiner

Interrogative adjectives

ask questions - determiner

Factual adjectives

provide extra facts about the noun

Opinionative adjectives

expresses an opinion about a noun

Coordinate adjectives

list of adjectives separated by commas whose order can be rearranged easily

Non-coordinate adjectives

cannot be rearranged, don't use commas

Comparative and superlative adjectives

allow you to compare things e.g. tall, taller, tallest