English Language OCR Techniques

Techniques

Free Verse = Not using traditional rhyme schemes or metrical arrangements

Allegory = A story containing a hidden message

Anachronism = Something placed in a historical time where it does not belong. E.g. = A knight wearing a wristwatch

Anacrusis = When the first unstressed syllable is dropped. E.g. = Happy Birthday to You

Anadiplosis = When word(s) at the end of clause are repeated at the start of the next. E.g. = Fear leads to Hate. Hate leads to Violence.

Anapestic foot = Two unstressed syllables follow by a stressed syllable (x x /)

Anapestic trimeter = A line of verse composed of three anapestic feet (x x / | x x l | x x l)

Anaphora = The repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines. E.g. = It was the best, it was the worst..

Run-on line = Alternative name for enjambment

Antanaclasis = The repetition of a word or phrase, in two different senses. E.g. =  I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man.

Aphesis = The loss of an unstressed vowel at the beginning of a word. E.g. = t’was

Aphorism = A short statement about a general truth. E.g. = Better safe than sorry.

Apocope = The omission of letter(s) at the end of a word. E.g. = info becomes information

Aporia = An expression of insincere doubt. E.g. = What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Apostrophe = When the speaker addresses either an absent person or a non-human object, idea or being.

Archetype = A stereotype of a thing. E.g. = Tragic hero

Aside = Insight into a character’s thinking, not heard by other characters.

Assonance = Relatively close juxtaposition of vowel sounds.

Asyndetic vs Polysyndetic list = Asyndetic: Without conjunctions,  Polysyndetic: With conjunctions.

Auditory imagery = Imagery engaging sense of sound.

Benign = Gentle and kindly.

Blank verse = Un-rhymed poetry, especially using iambic pentameter. Often written like the natural rhythm of speech.

Burlesque = Satire that uses caricatures.

Cacophony = A mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds.

Caesura = A pause near the middle of a line.

Caricature = When striking characteristics are exaggerated to create a comic effect.

Catharsis = The process of releasing, and providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Chiasmus = Something repeated in reverse order. E.g. = She has all my love; my heart belongs to her

Cinquain = Five-line stanza

Cliché = An expression that has lost its impact due to excessive use. E.g. = Time heals all wounds.

Closed form = Consistency in elements such as rhyme, line length and meter.

Colloquial language = Casual and conversational language. E.g. = Y’all gonna wanna see this.

Connotation = The attitudes and feelings associated with a word.

Consonance =  The repetition of 2+ consonant sounds.

Couplet = Two-line stanza (lines typically rhyming and same length).

Dactylic foot = A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (/ x x)

Deixis (deictic words) = Words that are context-bound to time, place or person.

Denotation = The definition of a word in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Diatribe = An impassioned rant or angry speech of denunciation. E.g. = He was talking about who she could have been.

Dichotomy = A division between two entirely different things. E.g. = War and Peace.

Didacticism = When the main purpose is to teach the reader an (often moral) lesson.

Dimeter = A line composed of two feet. E.g. = "Workers earn. Bosses burn."

Direct address = When someone is addressed by their name / phrase that specifically refers to them.

Discursive space = The area within which something is discussed.

Dissonance = Lack of harmony.

Double entendre = Open to two interpretations.

Dramatic monologue = A poem in the form of a speech or narrative in which an imagined speaker addresses a silent listener.

Dramatic prolepsis = Future events are hinted at or revealed before they occur in the storyline.

Dysphemism = Opposite of euphemism - more derogatory. E.g. = Calling someone a snitch for speaking up.

Elegy = A poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the dead.

Elisions = Unstressed syllables omitted for the sake of meter. E.g. = o'er (over), ne'er (never)

Ellipsis = The omission of word(s) to allow the reader to fill in the gaps.

End-stopped line = Ending with punctuation.

Enjambment = The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Epigram = A short, witty saying expressing an idea in a clever way. E.g. = The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Epigraph = Brief quotation used to introduce a piece of writing.

Episodic = Consisting of a series of separate parts / events. E.g. = first time you heard a certain song, the day you started school, your last birthday, etc.

Epistrophe = The repetition of a word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or lines to create finality. E.g. = I want a life of peace, I need a moment of peace, I deserve some peace.

Epitaph = Words written in memory of a person who has died, especially as an inscription on a tombstone.

Epithalamium = A song or poem celebrating a marriage.

Epithet = Expresses a quality regarded as a characteristic of the thing. E.g. = Dog as man's best friend.

Ethos = Convincing through the credibility of the persuader. E.g. = If his years as a soldier taught him anything, it's that caution is the best policy in this sort of situation.

Euphemism = A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant. E.g. = running a tad behind instead of being late

Figurative Language = Language that communicates beyond the literal meaning of the words.

Foil = A character with contrasting qualities to another, to highlight these traits.

Form  = The physical structure of the poem.

Frame narrative = A story within a story.

Fricative Alliteration = Repetition of f, ph, and v sounds.

Gustatory imagery = Imagery engaging sense of taste.

Hamartia = A fatal moral flaw in the protagonist of a tragedy, leading to their downfall.

Hedging Language = Uncertainty or ambiguity.

Hendiadys = The expression of a single idea by two words connected with and, when one could be used to modify the other. E.g. = nice and warm, nicely warm

Heptameter = A line composed of seven feet.

Heroic couplet = A pair of rhyming iambic pentameters. E.g. = Good night! Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.

Hexameter = A line composed of six feet.

Hubris = Excessive pride or self-confidence. E.g. = A random boxer who shouts "I'm the greatest!".

Hyperbaton = When the natural order of words is changed. E.g. = This I must see.

Hyperbole = Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Hyponym = A word with a more specific meaning than a superordinate term applicable to it. E.g. = spoon instead of cutlery

Hypophora = When a question is asked and immediately answered by the same person asking it. E.g. = So, how many people are calling for a change? Almost all of them.

Iambic foot = An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (x /).

Iambic pentameter = 10 syllables per line, start unstressed then stressed, repeat 5 times. E.g. = Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Or  That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold.

Isocolon = Successive sentences of equal length.

Jargon = Technical vocabulary associated with a particular activity that are difficult for others to understand.

Kairos = The right place and the right time.

Kenning  = Two-word phrase that replaces a common noun (old English). E.g. = Oar-steed instead of ship.

Kinaesthetic imagery = Imagery engaging sense of movement or physical tension. E.g. = Running fingers on soft, silk fabric.

Laconic = Concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

Litote = A figure of speech in which a negative statement is used to affirm a positive sentiment. E.g. = not bad

Logos = Convincing through logic / reason.

Masochism = Deriving sexual gratification from inflicting pain and humiliation on oneself.

Matricide = Killing one’s mother.

Metafiction = A self-conscious literary style in which the characters are aware that they are part of a work of fiction.

Metatextuality = When a text makes critical commentary on itself or on another text.

Meter = The rhythm (or pattern of beats) in a line of poetry.

Metonymy = Uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. E.g. = The pen / writing, is mightier than the sword / violence.

Minor sentence = An incomplete sentence that still makes sense. E.g. = When are you leaving? Three.

Mise en scene = Scenery / setting / surroundings of an event.

Monometer = A line composed of one foot.

Narrative poem = A poem that tells a story or describes a series of events, originally sung by a strolling minstrel.

Objectification = Someone is degraded to the status of an object.

Octet = Eight-line stanza.

Olfactory imagery = Imagery engaging sense of smell.

Onomatopoeia = Words whose sounds imitate their meanings.

Organic imagery = Imagery engaging internal sensations (e.g. hunger, nausea).

Oxymoron = Apparently contradictory terms appearing in conjunction. E.g. = Cruel kindness or bittersweet

Paradox = A statement that seems self-contradictory but in reality, expresses a possible truth.

Parataxis = Consecutive clauses, without conjunctions, to indicate coordination. E.g. = I came, I saw, I conquered

Parenthetical clause = A clause that provides additional, not essential information. E.g. = She does, of course, know her way home.

Parody = An imitation of the style of a particular writer/artist/genre with exaggeration for comic effect.

Pathetic fallacy = The attribution of human EMOTIONS to something non-human. E.g. = The sun was smiling down upon him.

Pathos = Convincing through evoking emotions that make the audience feel the way the author wants them to feel. E.g. = groping, tripping, staggering

Patricide = Killing one's father.

Pejorative language = Expresses disapproval or a negative connotation.

Pentameter = A line composed of five feet.

Persona poem = Where the poet speaks through an assumed voice.

Pious = Deeply Religious.

Plosive Alliteration = Repetition of p, b, and d sounds.

Polyptoton = Repetition of words from the same root word. E.g. = Please please me.

Possessive determiner = A determiner indicating possession. E.g. = My, your, her, their.

Pragmatic = Practical and realistic.

Prosodics = Relating to the rhythm and intonation. E.g. = tone, pauses, italics, emphasis, pitch

Proverbial = Relating to a proverb / idiom.

Pun = Play on words.

Qualifying [x] = Narrows down a statement to make it more precise.

Qualifying phrase = Words that narrow down the meaning. E.g. = I will attend the meeting, if I finish my work on time.

Quatrain = Four-line stanza.

Refrain = A verse or line that repeats in different stanzas.

Repetend = A recurring phrase, not necessarily as formally arranged as a refrain.

Sadism = Deriving sexual gratification from inflicting pain and humiliation on others.

Sadomasochistic = Deriving sexual gratification from sadism and masochism.

Satire = The use of humour / exaggeration to criticise people's vices.

Semantic Field = A group of words connected by a shared meaning.

Septet = Seven-line stanza.

Sexain = Six-line stanza.

Sibilance = When a hissing sound is created through the repetition of s sounds.

Simple declarative sentence = A one clause statement, creating a pause (contrast). E.g. = It's a nice day.

Slant rhyme = non-perfect rhyme. E.g. = Wake and wait.

Somnambulist = Sleepwalker

Sonnet = A poem of fourteen lines, regular rhyme and meter.

Spondaic foot = Two stressed syllables (/ /).

Stanza = A group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse.

Stichomythia = Dialogue in which two characters speak alternate lines of verse.

Stream of Consciousness = A character's interior monologue.

Superlative = The highest degree of something. E.g. = The kindest.

Synaesthesia = When you experience one of your senses through another.

Syncope = Shortening of a word by replacing letters with an apostrophe. E.g. = over becomes o'er

Synecdoche = When a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part. E.g. = She likes to wear bling.

Tactile imagery = Imagery engaging sense of touch.

Tautology = The unneeded repetition of the same thing in different words. E.g. = They returned back to home.

Tercet = Three-line stanza

Tetrameter = A line composed of four feet.

Tmesis = A phrase divided into two parts, with word(s) interpolated in-between. E.g. = Un-freaking-believable.

Tone = Attitude of a writer towards a subject or an audience

Tricolon = A group of three words parallel in their length, rhythm, and / or structure. E.g. = falling, choking, drowning

Trimeter = A line composed of three feet.

Triple ending = Three unstressed syllables at the end in an otherwise iambic line. E.g. = "The river flows so wonderfully (stressed-unstressed-unstressed-unstressed)."

Trochaic Monometer = Adam / Had'em.

Trochaic Tetrameter = “Double double, | toil and trouble | fire burn | and cauldron bubble.”

Trochaic Foot = A stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (/ x).

Usurper = Someone who takes a position of power by force.

Verisimilitude = The appearance of being true or real. E.g. = Writing about storm clouds? A storm should follow later.

Visual Imagery = Imagery engaging sense of sight.

Voice = The characteristic speech and thought patterns of the narrator.

What are the common form types? = Ballad, Eulogy, Sonnet

What are the five basic rhythms in English poetry? = Anapests, Dactyls, Iambs, Trochees, Spondees

What are the three-syllable meters in poetry? = Anapestic (x x /), Dactylic (/ x x).

What are the tone types in English? = Cynical, Declarative, Didactic, Exclamatory, Imperative, Interrogative, Nostalgic, Satirical.

What are the two-syllable meters in poetry? = Iambic (x /), Spondaic (/ /), Trochaic (/ x)

What determines the meter of a line of poetry? = The number of feet in the line.

What is a foot in poetry? = A single unit of rhythm.

What is special about dactylic hexameter? = It contains six dactyls, but the final dactyl is often replaced with a trochee.

What, in relation to the narrator, can you talk about in a Section A? = Narrative perspective.

Zeugma = When a word applies to two others in different ways. E.g. = She broke his car and heart.

Zoomorphism = When animal attributes are imposed upon non-animal objects. E.g. = Barking up the wrong tree.