English Literature A1 poetry glossary: DICTION

alliteration

the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words, if its spotted YOU MUST DISCUSS ITS FUNCTION

anaphora

involves the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses or sections

antithesis

figure of speech in which words and phrases with opposite meanings are balanced against each other

Archaic words

the use of old/antiquated words in poetry, gives a heightened feeling, distanced from everyday reality

assonance

the repetition of the same vowel sounds in two or more proximate words

chiasmus

consists of two parallel phrases in which corresponding words or phrases are placed in the opposite order “fair is foul and foul is fair”

connotation

the suggestive meaning of a word, the associations it brings up

diction

the choice and use of words in the poem. are the words modern, formal/colloquial? irony? ambiguity?

onomatopoeia

a figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds

oxymoron

the combination of two terms ordinarily seen as opposites e.g. “terribly good”