An Exploration of Key Terms in Text Analysis

Literary Terms When analysing texts (both poetry and prose) at both GCSE and IB level, it is very useful to have an in depth understanding of the following terms in order to be able to discuss the writer’s technique effectively. Examples are in bold. LITERARY TERM DEFINITION Use of adjectives (descriptive Imagery words) to create a picture in the readers mind. A figure of speech in which a word or a phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not Metaphor literally applicable. “I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression” A figure of speech involving the Simile comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind and is generally used to place emphasis on a description. “He was as brave as a lion” The attribution of human Personification characteristics or a personal nature to something nonhuman. Using the environment and Pathetic fallacy weather to create feeling and tone for the passage/story. A figure of speech by which an idea produces a seemingly Oxymoron self-contradictory effect “Cruel kindness” Tripling A group of three words. Similarity of structure in a series Parallelism or pair of related words and/or phrases. “Live in your world, play in ours” Tone The quality or character of a text Obvious and intentional Hyperbole exaggeration to emphasise a point. The commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word Alliteration group with the same letter. “Apt alliteration’s artful aid” Hard-sounding words. Basic plosives in English are: t, k, Plosive p, d, g and b “Cut” A consonant produced by the Fricative forcing of breath through a constricted passage. Basic fricatives in English are: f, d, s “Saw, say, sane” Using the sound of “S” Sibilance repeatedly. “Smooth, silky skin” The repetition of the sound of a vowel in non-rhyming stressed Assonance syllables near to each other “S, sh” Formation of a word from the sound associated with what is Onomatopoeia named. “Crack, boom, bang” An act or instance of placing Juxtaposition words/phrases close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. Technical words or expressions used by a group/profession that Jargon may be difficult for others to understand. A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or Paradox absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. A contrast or opposition between two things, or a person or thing that is the direct opposite of Antithesis something else. “Compassion is the antithesis of selfishness” The arrangement of Syntax words/phrases to create sentences in English. Words and phrases not used in Archaisms modern times. When two lines in a poem rhyme Rhyming couplets together. Half rhyme A near or imperfect rhyme. Poetry that does not have rhyme Free verse or a regular meter The continuation of a sentence Enjambment without pause beyond the end of a line or stanza (in a poem). An expression that calls something to mind without Allusion explicitly mentioning it, a reference. A word or phrase that has one or more meaning or Ambiguity uncertainty/inexactness in meaning of language. An idea or concept that a word invokes in addition to its literal Connotation meaning. “Red = anger” The literal meaning of a word/phrase in contrast to any Denotation feelings or ideas that the word/phrase suggests Any interruption, break or pause Caesura near the middle of a line in a poem. Narrative persona Style of writing. A rhetorical pause at the end of End-stops each line in a poem. When a story is told by an Omniscient narrator all-knowing narrator. Narrative structure How a story is told When a story is limited to one Limited narrator character/persons point of view