Stylistic features

English paper 1

Alliteration

The repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, at the beginning of words.

Ambiguity

Having more than one possible meaning.

Anecdote

A usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident.

Assonance

The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words.

Contrast

The juxtaposition of different or opposite ideas.

Connotation

When a word triggers a particular association in the mind.

Consonance

Repetition of similar sounds of consonants in a statement.

Dialogue

A conversation between two or more people in a book, play, or film.

Direct address

A construction where a speaker directly addresses another individual or group.

Figure of Speech

An expression that cannot be taken literally.

Fricatives

Consonants produced by forcing breath through a constricted passage.

Humour

The provocation of laughter or amusement.

Hyperbole

The use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device.

Imagery

Visually descriptive or figurative language.

Inferred meaning

When things are suggested rather than clearly stated.

Irony

A contrast between expectations and reality.

Lists

Consecutive or connected items used for emphasis.

Metaphor

The comparison of one thing to another without using "like" or "as."

Motif

An object or idea that repeats itself.

Narrative viewpoint

The perspective from which the text is written.

Non-Standard English

Any dialect or sociolect of English other than Standard English.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sound.

Opinion as facts

Stating an opinion as if it were true.

Oxymoron

The pairing of two opposing words.

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory.

Personification

Giving human attributes to an idea or object.

Phonology

The study of sounds in language.

Plosives

Speech sounds like t, k, p, d, g, b.

Pun

The humorous use of words with different meanings.

Quotations

Words repeated by someone other than the original author.

Repetition

Repeating words for emphasis.

Satire

The use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to expose vice or folly.

Semantic field

A group of words sharing a similar concept.

Sensational or emotive language

Dramatic language evoking emotions.

Sensual language

Words evoking the five senses.

Sibilance

A specific type of alliteration using soft consonants.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

Standard English

The accepted form of English in a country.

Statistics

Use of quantitative data like percentages.

Symbolism

Using objects to represent abstract ideas.