Auckland Girls Grammar English Department
Language Terms for NCEA Level 1
For NCEA Level 1, you need to be able to recognise, use and explain the effects of a number of language features.
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PARTS OF SPEECH
Noun – a noun names things, people or ideas. They can be:
Common nouns - for things you can see, touch, taste, smell or point to
e.g. cakeboysmokehangispidersky
Abstract nouns – for ideas, concepts and qualities
e.gloveambitionpowertruthsleepmana
Proper nouns – for names of people, places and things
e.g. AucklandSallyCoca-Cola
Collective nouns – that describe groups of people or things
e.g. pairteam dozenarmyherd
gerunds (verbal nouns) – verbs ending in –ing, which act as nouns
e.g. Reading is fun.
Pronoun – a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun
e.g. Ana plays softball on Tuesdays. She is the best on the team.
Most commonly, you will be asked to identify personal pronouns. For example, I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we, us, they, them.
First person refers to the speaker(s) – I, me, we, us
Second person refers to person(s) being addressed – you
Third person refers to what is being spoken about – he, him, she, her, it, them, they
Adjectives – these modify nouns, adding something to their meaning.
e.g. A funny story, Samoan language, ten pencils, a tall girl.
Comparative adjectives:shorter, older, more beautiful
Superlative adjectives:shortest, oldest, most beautiful
Verbs – a verb is a word (or a group of words) that tells you what a person/thing is doing or being.
E.g. sing be dream think breathe.
Finite Verbs have a tense: present, past or future.
e.g. I talk, she is talking, they talked, they have talked, she will talk.
Adverbs – An adverb is a word which “adds” to a verb. Just think: add-verb!
It tells us how, where, when or why something is done.
Often they end in –ly, (She dances gracefully ) but not always!
e.g. Grandma visits us often
I have looked everywhere.
Adverbs also qualify adjectives and other adverbs.
e.g. We felt extremely tired.
Prepositions - these show the relationship between things, often in terms of place. They always go with a noun or pronoun.
e.g. onunderindownacrossduring
Conjunctions - these join words and clauses (parts of sentences).
co-ordinating conjunctions: and butor
subordinatingconjunctions:although so because if unless etc
Articles – these tell us which thing is being talked about.
Definite article = The, indefinite article = an, a.
SENTENCES
A sentence starts with a capital letter, and ends with a full stop. It must have a subject and a finite verb.
E.g.The cat sat on the mat.
Subject=catfinite verb = sat
(The subject is “who does the action”.)
They can be:
Declarative – make a statemente.g. I can hear you.
Interrogative – ask a questione.g. Are you happy?
Imperative – give a commande.g. Stop that.
Exclamatory – express strong feelingse.g. What a pity!
Simple sentence – a simple sentence has a subject and a finite verb.
e.g. She goes to school here.
Compound sentence – has two or more simple sentences joined by a co-ordinating conjunction or a semi-colon (;).
e.g. She goes to school here and she is a top student.
*Complex sentence - has a main clause and 1+ subordinate clauses and is joined by a subordinating conjunction.
e.g. She goes to school here so she can show you around.
The subordinate clause ‘so she can show you around’ cannot stand alone. It is dependent on the main clause.
Minor sentence – is a group of words that does not have a finite verb; they do not form a grammatically correct sentence, but can be understood.
e.g. The best car on the lot. (no finite verb)
*Incomplete sentence – has parts missing and cannot be understood.
e.g. “Are you going to…”
POETIC or LITERARY DEVICES
These are found in poetry and prose.
Prosethis is any piece of writing (e.g. a newspaper article, short story, novel, speech, drama text) that is NOT poetry.
Poetryis traditionally arranged in lines, and has a regular rhythm.
Imagerycreating pictures in the mind. They can be literal, e.g.
The winter sky turned the colour of steel
Or use figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification).
Simile- two unlike things are compared, using ‘like’ or ‘as’
e.g. She walks in beauty, like the night.
Metaphor- a direct comparison. Rather than saying something is “like” something else, it says it is.
e.g. Life is a rollercoaster. Her gaze was icy.
Personificationis a metaphor where an object/idea is given human qualities.
e.g. Tree, let your arms fall
SOUND DEVICES
RepetitionA word or phrase that is repeated to increase its effect
e.g. Break break break / On thy cold, grey stones, O sea
Onomatopoeiawords whose meaning is suggested in their sound.
e.g. hiss boomwhirrsizzle
Alliteration- this is the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words to achieve a particular effect. It can often add to rhythm.
e.g. the stuttering rifle’s rapid rattle
Assonancethe repetition of vowel sounds in words near to each other.
e.g. The students drowsed and droned
In the teacher’s ponderous monotone.
Sibilancethe repeated ‘sss’ (hissing) sounds [s, sh, zh, c].
e.g. Ships that pass in the night, and speak to each other in passing, / Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness.
RhymeWhen words have a similar sound within 2+ lines of verse
Can be end rhyme – where the rhyme is at the end of lines
Can be internal rhyme – which occurs within a line
Enjambment is used to describe the running of the sense/structure from one line of verse to the next.
e.g. That’s my last Duchess on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now.
LANGUAGE FEATURES OFTEN FOUND IN PROSE (incl SPEECHES)
Acronyma word formed from the initial letters of other words, e.g.ANZAC.
Analogyan extended comparison.
The relationships between European languages are often described as a family tree, which many languages descended from the ancestral language
Anecdotewhen you use a story from your life to illustrate a point
Antithesisan arrangement of opposite words to emphasise contrast and provide balance.
e.g. For many are called, but few are chosen..
Allusionreference to famous quotations (e.g from films, literature).
e.g. May the sauce be with you (from a Watties Tomato sauce ad is an allusion to ‘Star Wars’- May the Force …)
ClichéAn over-used word, phrase or idea. E,g‘She’s over the moon’
EuphemismA description in mild/polite terms to replace a more embarrassing/harsh word , e.g. instead of saying ‘fat’
My mother is a fuller-figured woman
Emotive languagewords that stir up emotions in the reader/audience
This Christmas, millions of children will be starving in Africa
Neologisma newly made up word, often from blending two existing words. Bootylicious, Rogernomics
Hyperboledeliberate exaggeration for effect, e,g I have tons of homework
Ironyusing word/tone to convey the opposite of what is actually said.
Often used for humour, satire or build dramatic tension.
Imperativea command or order. E.g Write your name.Stand up!
Inversionwhen subject and verb are inverted, e.g. Little did I dream
Innuendosuggestion through using connotative words
Jargonthe technical language associated with a subject e.g. cricket jargon = bouncer maiden over silly-mid-on
Oxymoronfigure of speech where contradictory terms are combined
e.g. ‘O brawling love, O Loving hate’, A wise fool
Paradoxa statement which seems contradictory or absurd, but is true
e.g It’s a wise man who knows his own son.
Parallelismillustrates ideas through use of similar statements in a structurally similar way. Can have different words slotted into the same positions.
e.g. The bigger the are, the harder they fall
Punan expression where two meanings are suggested by the same word, or similar sounding words. Often used for humour.
e.g. If you drink and drive, you’re a bloody idiot.
Rhetorical question – is a question asked where the answer is obvious or implied. The effect is to involve the audience and create an emotional appeal.
e.g. If you were him, what would you have done
Slogana distinctive and memorable phrase. E.g. Nike: Just do it.
Stereotypea fixed or over-simplified idea of a person
e.g. dumb blondes, Smart people wearing glasses etc..
Symbolisma symbol is used to represent an idea, e.g. a dove is a symbol of peace.
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OTHER LITERARY TERMS TO KNOW
Figurative languageis non-literal or imaginative meaning of a word, rather than its actual meaning.e.g I was bored stiff
Denotationthe literal meaning of a word. E,g. A pig = an ominovorous animal
Connotation – the associations a word has in our minds. E.g. A pig has connotations of dirty, smelly, disgusting, or rude.
Synonymwords that have the same/similar meaning
e.g. slender/skinny/thin
Antonymwords that are opposite in meaning
e.g. hot – cold, dead – alive, love -hate
Tonethis is the ‘tone of voice’ the author uses to create a mood in a poem. It could be gloomy, serious, comic, friendly, warm, etc.
Direct speechthe original speaker’s exact words are given in quote marks, e.g “I don’t know what to do,” said Sarah.
Indirect speechthe meaning of the speakers words is given but the exact words are not quoted directly. E.g. Sarah said she didn’t know what to do.
REGISTER or LEVELS OF FORMALITY
Standard EnglishThe English used in the newspaper, for formal documents, public speaking, business letters.
Colloquial languageThis is used in ordinary conversations or personal letters. Often use idiomatic phrases and can break grammatical rules. e.g. sort of cute guy by the way Whatever! wagging
SlangInformal words used but considered “below” standard English. Used by groups, e.g. teenagers. It constantly changes and is quickly out of date.
e.g. munted Shot!‘Emo’
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