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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 (e.g. in the following text, the underlined words refer anaphorically to 'David': I recognised David immediately, even though I had not seen him, my oldest friend, in years.)
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, particularly indicating whether an action is completed (e.g. the perfect - had walked) or incomplete (e.g. as in the progressive - was walking or perfect progressive - had been walking). Compare with Tense.
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 (e.g. in the following text, the underlined words refer cataphorically to 'Sarah': Although I had not seen her in years, I recognised my old friend Sarah immediately.)
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 (e.g. whiteboard from white and board).
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, beyond its essential meaning (or denotation).
Context
The situation in which a text is produced, including aspects such as social, cultural, 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, such as who is using it, when, where and to whom (e.g. this, that, now, you, tomorrow).
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 (e.g. unwilling derives from will with the prefix un- and the suffix -ing).
Dialectical structure
A three-part argument, moving from thesis (an initial argument) to antithesis (the counterargument) and finally to a synthesis that combines the two.
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 one topic and another, where a writer or speaker wishes to change the subject.
Discursive
A style in which facts and opinions are put forward and explored in order 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, typically as a consequence of a writer or speaker's expectations as to the knowledge already possessed by the text's intended audience.
Figurative language
Language which expands upon the basic or literal meaning of a word or phrase (e.g. simile or metaphor).
First person narrative
Where a character in a story narrates the events that they are experiencing. Recognised by the use of I, we, us, our.
Foregrounding
Using grammatical or syntactic devices to draw attention to a particular idea in a text.
Form
Generally, the specific type of whatever category is being considered (e.g. textual form, verb form, grammatical form). Used on its own, the word 'form' often refers to textual form. The division of texts into specific forms (e.g. speech, dialogue, poem, novel, website) involves categorising texts according to how their structural elements combine to create a unified and recognisable whole. Different forms of text can usually be subdivided into genres (e.g. persuasive speech, romantic novel, cooperative dialogue), depending on their content.
Formality
The extent to which spoken or written texts either conform to standard conventions or employ more personal language strategies.
Genre
A subdivision of textual form determined by the text's content (e.g. fantasy novel, tragic play, ballad, online review, television commercial, formal report).
Grammar
Has a wide meaning, but generally relates to rules for the organisation of meaning in a language.
Head word
The main word in a phrase (e.g. the noun boy in the noun phrase the happy boy).
Idiom
Phrases generally understood in a language but which do not directly translate (e.g. I caught the train by the skin of my teeth = I only just caught the train in time).
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 when not associated with a tense.
Intensifier
A word, often an adverb or adjective, which has little meaning by itself but is used to add force to other phrases (e.g. really, very).
Intertextuality
Where a text produces additional meaning by referring in some way to another text.
Irony
When the intended meaning of a text or utterance differs radically from its literal interpretation.
Jargon
Words and phrases known primarily by a group of people - often within a particular profession - which enable them to exchange complex information efficiently.
Lexical field
A set of words grouped by meaning around a specific subject- law or medicine, for example.
Lexis
The complete vocabulary of a language.
Metalanguage
Language which is used to describe or comment on language (e.g. This translates as... or I meant to say...).
Modality
The modality of an utterance refers to the attitude a speaker or writer takes to the idea being expressed (e.g. certainty, possibility, obligation, ability).
Mode
The format through which ideas or content are communicated to an audience.
Modifier
A word or phrase that qualifies or describes (usually an adverb/adverbial phrase or adjective/adjective phrase).
Monologue
Discourse entirely spoken or written by one person.
Mood
A grammatical feature through which a speaker or writer can express modality, usually involving modal verbs such as can, ought or might.
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 working together) which names a person, place or thing.
Object
In grammar, the object is the thing or person acted upon by the subject.
Omniscient narrator
Where the narrator in a story 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.
