Key stage 3 subject terminology AHS

English revision year 9

abstract noun

nouns that refer to a concept or thing that has no physical qualities

adverb

describes the action of a verb

adverbial phrase

a group of words that add extra information about how and when something happens

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds

alllusion

when the writer makes a reference to an event, story or famous thing that the writer expects the reader to know

anaphora

repetition of a word at the beginning of a succession of lines

antithesis

words set up in opposition to each other in nearby lines or clauses

article

used to distinguish between definite (the) and indefinite (a/an) references to nouns

asyndeton

the linking of linguistic units without a conjunction

chiasmus

a crossing of words and phrases, the arrangement of clauses or phrase is swapped

clause

a group of words that forms a full sentence or part of a sentence

collective noun

noun that refers to a group of people, animals or things

comparative

form of adjectives and adverbs used for comparison with the inflection -er or the adverb more

complex sentence

made up of one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses

compound sentence

made up of at least two main clauses joined together by a co-ordinating conjunction

concrete noun

noun that refers to physical things like people, objects, places or substances

conjunction

word class whose function is to join together two parts of a sentence

determiner

word class which specifies the number and definiteness of a noun

ellipsis

omission of part of a sentence which can be understood from the context

epiplexis

often a series of rhetorical questions, seeking to shame, anger, or reproach the audience into seeing the point

epistrophe

the repetition of one or more words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

hypophora

in which the speaker poses a question and then answers the question

intensifier

an adverb that adds emphasis to an adverb or adjective

litotes

a form of understatement in which an idea is expressed ironically by negating its contrary

main clause

independent and makes sense on its own

metaphor

an implicit comparison

modal verb

marks contrasts in attitude such as obligation, possibility and prediction

noun

word class with a naming function

noun phrase

words added to the noun to provide more information to it

oxymoron

a figure of speech where two apparently contradictory terms appear next to each other

pathetic fallacy

a kind of personifaction that gives human emotions to inanimate objects of natuer, weather features reflecting a mood

personal pronoun

used in place of nouns referring to specific people or things

personification

attributing human qualities to non-human things

polysyndeton

where coordinating conjunctions are used several times in close succession

preposition

word class, like in, on, of, that expresses a relationship between two lexical terms

pronoun

word class that can replace a noun phrase

proper noun

a noun naming a distinctive person, place or other unique reference which is marked with a capital letter

rhetorical question

a question used to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer

sibilance

repeated consonant sounds: s, sh, z

simile

an explicit comparison

simple sentence

a sentence made up of one main clause

subordinate clause

cannot stand alone as a complete grammatical sentence, needs another clause to complete its meaning

superlative

form of adjectives and adverbs used for comparison with the inflection -est or the adverb most

tricolon

a climax of three words or phrases

verb

word class that expresses states actions and processes

zoomorphism

a comparison attributing animal characteristics to an object or abstract concept

declarative

mood used to express a statement

exclamative

mood used to express surprise or shock

imperative

mood expressing a directive

interjection

a word expressing emotion that is grammatically seperate from other clause elements

interrogative

mood expressing a question

minor sentence

a sentence or clause that lacks one or more of the clause elements

open question

a question which requires specific additional information in the answer

closed question

a question which can be answered with yes or no

parenthesis

the use of brackets, commas or dashes in written language to mark out optional information in a sentence

phrase

a group of words that has a head word and may have other dependent words

adjective

defines attributes of a noun

auxiliary verb

verbs that precede the lexical verb in a verb phrase

contraction

a shortened from of a word joined to a preceding word

dynamic verb

verb that expresses an action rather than a state

possessive

a word (mine,his) or inflection (mark’s, the boys’) marking possession

stative verb

verb that expresses states of being or processes in which there is no obvious action

vocative

used to refer to people when talking to them i.e. madam, sir

rhetoric

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing

oratory

the art of speaking in public eloquently or effectively

audience

the person for whom a text is produced

purpose

the main reason behind why a text has been created

ethos

emphasises the speaker’s credibility and authority

logos

appeals to an audiences sense of logic or reason

pathos

appeals to an audiences emotions

figure of speech

a literary device in which language is used in an unusual - or “figured” - way

trope

figures of speech that play with the literal meaning of words

scheme

figures of speech that play with the order or pattern of words

syndeton

where a single conjunction exists to emphasise parts of the sentence being joined

compassion

showing kindness to someone you feel sorry for

justice

the principle that people recieve that which they deserve

virtue

someone or something that is morally good

ethos through similarity

ensure your audience identifies with you by using familiar language

ethos through trustworthiness

ensure your audience believes in you by telling stories consistent with your messaage

ethos through authority

ensure you use examples which your audience will appreciate and understand