Unfamiliar Text Level 2

imagery

the use of vivid or figurative language to create mental pictures. E.g. "He would stand by any back door on a Sunday afternoon and talk of Van Gogh until the tears ran down his face, and his gaberdine coat flapped in agitation."

metaphor

a comparison between two (apparently) unlike things, without using "like" or "as"; used to attribute the properties of one thing to another. E.g. "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."

simile

a comparison between two (apparently) unlike things, which uses "like" or "as"; used to attribute the properties of one thing to another. E.g. "The house collapsed like an old elephant in the drought, surrounded by so many enemies."

idiom

an expression which can only be understood "as a whole". E.g. "kicked the bucket"; "level playing field."

colloquial language

an informal type of diction that reflects casual, conversational language. E.g. "grubby"; "down she comes."

parallel construction

successive sentences or phrases with the same grammatical structure, used to develop an idea.

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds

satire

a literary form in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly

rhetorical question

a question that is not really a question; a disguised assertion. E.g. "why should the All Blacks always get the last word?"

emotive language

words used deliberately to create an emotional impact; in non-fiction often used to encourage the reader to share the author's opinion on a subject. E.g. "the farcical stare-off at Cardiff."

direct address

speaking directly to the audience. E.g. "Not the Kaikoura you're familiar with."

oxymoron

conjoining contradictory terms. E.g. "defeated joy" (Claudius in his address to the court).

sibilance

a type of alliteration in which the "s" sound is repeated. E.g. "catch his sleep scent / sea salt and grasses."

assonance

repetition of similar vowel sounds. E.g. "I should go with him in the gloom / hoping it might be so."

imperative

a command. E.g. "Go not to Wittenberg."

motif

a recurring element in a text (e.g. image, symbol, phrase)

minor sentence

a meaningful sentence which does not contain a finite verb; it may also lack a subject. E.g. "Tired?"

euphemism

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant. E.g. "He passed away."

diction

a writer's choice of words

tone

the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience

antithesis

the use of parallel structure to juxtapose two contrasting ideas. E.g. "To be, or not to be"; "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage."

extended metaphor

a metaphor that is developed over several lines

double entendre

a statement that has two meanings, one of which is dirty or vulgar. E.g. "Get thee to a nunnery."

pun

a play on the multiple meanings of a word, or on two words that sound alike but have different meanings. E.g. "A little more than kin, and less than kind"; "Not so, my lord, I am too much in the sun"; "Hamlet, where's Polonius?" "At supper."

enjambment

the continuation of meaning, without pause or break, from one line of poetry to the next

hyperbole

a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor. E.g. "I called you a million times"; "we throb with concern for the dolphin and the whale."

stanza

a distinct unit of lines (in a poem)

understatement

the opposite of exaggeration; a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one says less than one means. E.g. "It's possible that Hamlet overthinks the situation."

symbol

something that stands for or represents something else

cliche

an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off. E.g. "Think outside the square"; "fits like a glove."

aphorism

a brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. E.g. "Beauty is not as common in this world as the claims that are made for it"; "A naked intensity of belief is an obscene exposure in ordinary conversation."

rhythm

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry; sometimes rhythm "mirrors" what is being described. E.g. "Rock and sway, / hush and swing."