English Advanced HSC Techniques

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

pathetic fallacy

The attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature; for example angry clouds; a cruel wind.

Synesthesia

describing one kind of sensation in terms of another

Imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

epistolary narration

A piece of literature contained in or carried on by letters

Fragmentation

where writers break up their ideas writing, interrupting the flow of the text

dramatic monologue

a poem in which a speaker addresses a silent listener

stream of consciousness

A literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur.

Imagism

A movement in early 20th Century poetry, which regarded the image as the essence of poetry.

Enjambment

A run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the next.

objective correlative

set of objects or events that evoke specific sensual and emotional responses

Parenthetical Aside

Consists of word, phrase, whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence. .(..-...)

Caesura

a strong dramatic pause within a line of verse

Epigraph

the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme

inneundo

an indirect (and usually malicious) implication

Liminality

The critically important marginal or in-between phase of a rite of passage

memento mori device

reminder of ones mortality

metaphysical

highly abstract or theoretical; lacking physical form, e.g identity, tie, space

ephemeral

lasting a very short time

appendage

a part that is joined to something larger

macabre

horrible; grim

Bathos

an anticlimax or let-down in a literary work

inveterate

firmly established, long-standing; habitual; hard to change

anachronism

something out of place in time

Allegory

A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself.

magus

magician or sorcerer

Chiasmus

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form

pussillanimous

contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited

eponymous

a term for the title character of a work of literature

quotidian

everyday; commonplace

hegemonic masculinity

the condition in which men are dominant and privileged, and this dominance and privilege is invisible

dichtomous

divided into two parts

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause

Anastrophe

Inversion of the natural or usual word order (yoda)

anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences

Anthropomorphism

the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.

Antithesis

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds, e.g. how now brown cow

Asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

circumlocution

talking in circles

colloquial

characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation

denouement

The resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction

dramatic irony

when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

Ellipsis

three periods (...) indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation

Emotive language

Deliberate use of language by a writer to instill a feeling or visual.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Ethos

Ethical appeal

homonym

a word spelled exactly like another word, but having a different meaning

Hyperbole

exaggeration

Idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally.

Jargon

vocabulary distinctive to a particular group of people

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Logos

Appeal to logic

metre

The regular use of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry

Motif

A recurring theme, subject or idea

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Oxymoron

conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')

Pathos

Appeal to emotion

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

Polysyndeton

the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural

Hypophora

raising a question then proceeding to answer it

quaestio

a string of questions in rapid succession for sake of emotional emphasis

Salience

the prominence given to particular elements within the composition of an image

Sibilance

A type of alliteration in which the "s" sound is repeated.

Soliloquy

A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage

Symbolism

the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

Aphorism

A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.

deus ex machina

an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.

digression

a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing

malapropism

a word humorously misused

Metonym

a word, name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated