BASIC TERMS TO HELP YOU WITH ENGLISH

Note: these are very good for 2.6. HOWEVER, they will help
you with all of English.
File this reference list. It is for use during Years 12 and 13. It is comprehensive but not complete.
You may add to it as the year progresses.
Sound Devices

Term Definition/ Example Your Example

alliteration The repetition of consonant
sounds, especially the initial
consonant, within a line of
poetry or prose, ‘the fair
breeze, blew, the white foam
flew’.
assonance The repetition of vowel sounds
without the addition of the
same consonant sounds
(which would make it rhyme),
‘A stitch in time saves nine’.
consonance The deliberate repetition of
similar consonant sounds (not
just the initial sound) within a
line, ‘the knot tightened’.
onomatopoeia Where the sounds of a word
mimics its meaning, ‘bang’,
‘cuckoo’, ‘whisper’.
sibilance Consonance of ‘s’ sounds,
‘the grass rustled in the
breeze’.

Imagery
When a writer succeeds with words, it is often because a suitable image or picture has been
created in our imagination. This imagery may appeal to our intellect as a clever idea, but more
often it may have stimulated our sense of taste, smell, sight, hearing or touch. This language is
often called figurative, in contrast to literal language. While the literal meaning of a word refers to
its dictionary or basic definition, figurative language derives its name from the use of figures of
speech.

The real test for the English student is not just to be able to recognise figures of speech, but to be
able to comment on their effectiveness.

TERM DEFINITION / EXAMPLE YOUR EXAMPLE

allusion A reference to a well-known
person, place or thing, ‘He
smiled, certainly, but it was
the smile of the Gestapo’.
hyperbole A deliberate exaggeration for
dramatic effect, ‘All the
perfumes of Arabia will not
sweeten this little hand’.
metaphor A comparison without using
‘like’ or ‘as’. This is a hidden
comparison, ‘The shed is an
island of light and warmth’.
oxymoron A contradiction in two words,
 eg ‘parting is such sweet
sorrow’.
personification A form of metaphor in which
something non-human is
associated with or given
human characteristics,
‘Slowly, silently now the
moon/walks the night in her
silver shawl’.
pun A play on words that are
similar in sound, but have
different meanings, ‘When I
am dead, I hope it might be
said: His sins were scarlet but
his books were read’.
simile A comparison of one thing
with another, introduced by
‘like’ or ‘as’, ‘In the rain the
cows were shiny as rocks in
the ebbing tide’.
Parts of Speech
Nouns are any word that defines a person, place, or thing.
Nouns give names to:
Concrete things: Carlos lost his keys.
Abstract qualities: She says I lack sensitivity.
Feelings: It causes me pain me to hear you say that.
Actions: Parking can be difficult in town.
People: Steve Brown is our coach.
Animals: What kind of bear is that?
Places: Wellington College is situated in the city by the Basin Reserve.
Proper Nouns have capitals.

Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.

Singular personal pronouns: I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it
Plural personal pronouns: we, us, you, they, them
Example: John borrowed a book from Sylvia = He borrowed it from her.
Possessive Pronouns are personal pronouns that show ownership or possession.
Singular possessive pronouns: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its
Plural possessive pronouns: our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs

Adjectives are words that are used to modify a noun.

Example: green grass (the adjective "green" describes the noun "grass")
Verbs convey an action or a state.
Every complete sentence has a finiteverb.
Present Tense indicates an action in the present:
Now the class begins. She walks to class.
Past Tense indicates an action that occurred in the past:
We wantedto see the show. The little girl blew a bubble.
Imperative This is the command form of a verb and is generally followed by an exclamation mark.
Sit down and stop making that noise!

Auxiliary verbs are verbs that are used to help form verb phrases but cannot do so independently.

Adverbsmodify the verb, by telling how, why, when or where the action was done. Many end with
‘ly’,
He smiled sweetly,
We shall come soon.

Conjunctionsjoin words, phrases, and sentences. There are two kinds:

co-ordinating: joining together two main clauses in a sentence – and, but, so, then
sub-ordinating: joining a dependent clause to the clause on which it is dependent - although,
because, unless, before, when, until, as, if, while.

Sentence Types
Simple sentenceshave only one independent clause. The sentence must be limited to one
subject and one predicate. The sentence may contain modifying words or phrases: “The shop
closes at 5.30.” “He wants a red sports car.” .
Compound sentences are composed of two or more independent clauses, which are joined by a
coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.
“The shop closes at 5.30 so you had better get a move on.”
“He wants a red sports car but he can’t afford it.”
Complex sentences use one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses: When he
has saved enough money, he will buy a red sports car.”. ("When he..” is a dependent clause, "he
will buy ..” is an independent clause.)
The compound-complex sentence joins a compound and a complex sentence together. It should
contain two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clause: “Although he can’t
afford it and his parents don’t approve, he is determined to buy a red sports car.”
General Literary Terms

cliche A well worn phrase (can include foreign phrases)

connotation The range of significances and feelings a word implies. eg. ‘home’ denotes the
place where one lives, but connotes privacy, intimacy, warmth, love, cosiness.
denotation The dictionary definition of a word
diction The particular words chosen by the writer or speaker
euphemism A roundabout, or less colloquial term used in place of a blunt term for something
disagreeable. They are commonly used in reference to death eg ‘to pass away’,
bodily functions and sex.
irony A difference between what is asserted and what is actually the case, often for a
humourous effect
objective When an author presents a situation or characters without commenting on them
point of view Is the way a story is told. There are two main ways: third-person and first-
person. In a third-person narrative, the narrator is someone outside the story
who refers to the characters by name, or as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’ In a first-person
narrative, the narrator speaks as ‘I’, and is a character in the story. It is,
therefore, a limited point of view in comparison to third-person.
sarcasm Is a form of irony where praise is used to disparage or put down.
tone Is the writer or speaker’s attitude to the subject or the reader or listener.

Effect
Writers have a purpose in mind when they set out to write something and often they utilise
particular literary or syntactical devices in order to make a point, or give it more emphasis. These
things create an overall effect. In analysing literature and language at a senior level you are
expected to be able to discuss the effect of a device, not merely identify it.