Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

Concerning the different pronunciation used by different social
accent American accent.
groups or in different locations.
The creation of a new word using the initial letter of a series of
acronym NASA, LOL, scuba
words. See also initialism.
A unit of conversation involving two speakers. For example, a
question is followed by and answer. A complaint is followed by Feeding friends?
adjacency pair an excuse or remedy. Conversational feature mimicked by Relax! Use our simple
magazines to create synthetic personalisation. Adjacency pairs recipes.
is an example of turn-taking.
As 'wise' in a 'wise
grandmother', or
multiple
adjectives or multiple
adjectives/heavily
adjectives (synonyms: Words that modify nouns and pronouns, primarily by
modified in 'debonair,
modifier, qualifier, describing a particular quality of the word they are modifying.
suave and handsome'
describing word)
in 'He is extremely
debonair, suave and
handsome'.
When abstract ideas are describe through characters and a Animal Farm is an
allegory
story. allegory.
The repetition of the initial consonant sound in a series of Six Simple Secrets
alliteration
words used to gain a memorable effect. (sibilance)
A brief reference to something outside of the text. It could be Biblical allusion in
allusion an allusion to a person, historical event or another text, for ‘Westminster Bridge’
example. by Wordsworth.
The repetition of the first word in a phrase or sentence for
anaphora Right here. Right now.
effect.
The 'pinning down of meaning' that a caption provides when
anchorage
coupled with an ambiguous image, or vice versa.
I was once attacked
anecdote A personal story.
by a koala …
The character that tries to prevent the protagonist successfully
antagonist
fulfilling their quest.
M&Ms are
anthropomorphism Describing an object or animal behaving in a human way. anthropomorphised in
adverts.
Not that I loved
The use of opposites, often in a balanced sentence or pair of
antithesis Caesar less, but that I
sentences.
loved Rome more.'

Do or not do. There is

aphorism A short saying that offers a wise insight.
not try.

Les McBurney, the

aptronym Giving a character a name that reflects their occupation.
firefighter

Carl Jung suggested that there are twelve characters that are
archetype
universal – such as the archetypical hero or the jester.
aspirational vocabulary Language aimed at a creating a desired object or lifestyle in Get the perfect
and imagery the reader. body/partner/job etc.
aspirational brand A highly expensive brand that is desirable for its exclusivity.
The premise is that the visuals in an advert will create
associations for the viewer. These associations can be feelings,
association ideas, places, or nostalgia. For example, using an image of
children playing in mud in an advert for anti-bacterial hand
sanitiser.

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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

‘I don’t know how you
The repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming
assonance do the voodoo that
within phrases or sentences.
you do’
Asyndeton is when the writer leaves out conjunctions (such as
and, or, but, for) in a group of words or phrases so that the
asyndeton
meaning of the phrase or sentence is emphasised. See also
epistrophe.
The advertising world revolves around the principle of
attractive colours attraction. Colours can have different connotations in different
contexts.
The precise group who are expected to be the readers of a
text. Segmented demographically (based on factors such as
audience
age, race or gender) or psychographically (based on factors
such as beliefs, values or interests).
Compare the
Texts can have varying levels of authority from friendly
authority / formality formality of a
informal advice to more strict formal levels. An overly
WhatsApp message
authoritarian tone can be unappealing in informal contexts,
and letter from the
although it can have an air of credibility. See also register.
bank.
Archaic words are those we no longer regularly use and whose
morrow, anon,
archaic meaning may be difficult for a contemporary reader to
betwixt
understand.
When one speaker is interrupted by another. This is usually to I see.
backchannel encourage the flow of the conversation by using an utterance OK.
such as ‘mm’ or ‘uh-huh’. Yeah.
The bandwagon effect is a psychological phenomenon
whereby people do something primarily because other people
bandwagon effect
are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they may
ignore or override.
Brand is the ‘name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature
brand that identifies one seller's product distinct from those of other Nike – ‘Just Do It!’
sellers.’
The line above an article, which gives the author’s name and
byline
sometimes their job and location (known as the dateline).
caesura A pause in a line of poetry marked by punctuation.
Othello’s catharsis
An emotional release which brings about renewal. Usually in a comes when he
catharsis
tragedy. realises he has been
manipulated by Iago.
Tiger Woods, Roger
A form of brand or advertising campaign that involves a well- Federer and Thierry
celebrity endorsement
known person using their fame to help promote a product. Henry have all
endorsed Gillette.
I am not longer
A rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced accepting the things I
chiasmus against each other by the reversal of their structures in order cannot change. I am
to produce an artistic effect. changing the things I
cannot accept.
An overused phrase which has lost its impact. It is a sign of a dead ringer
cliché
lack of originality. game of two halves
climax The moment of highest tension in a story.
Lexis used more frequently in casual speech than in writing,
colloquial, colloquialism Sick!
such as slang.
The way an advert will use colour to convey its persuasive
colour psychology
message.

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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

A sentence with one main clause and at least one subordinate
You need L'Oreal
clause. A complex sentence always has a subordinating
complex sentence because you're worth
conjunction such as: because, since, after, although, or when
it.
or a relative pronoun such as: that, who, or which.
A main clause joined to another main clause with a
compound sentence coordinating conjunction – FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or ,
yet, so).
The terms ‘strong-
willed’ or ‘pig-headed’
both have the same
literal meaning
(stubborn). However,
strong-willed
connotes admiration
connotation (often A cultural or emotional association that some word or phrase
for the level of
polysemous) carries.
someone's will (a
positive connotation),
while pig- headed
connotes frustration
in dealing with
someone (a negative
connotation).
A person who acquires goods and services for his or her own
consumer
personal needs.
A social and economic order that encourages the purchase of
consumer society
goods and services in ever-greater amounts.
Fashion, sport, music
content The subjects or topics covered.
etc.
How cultural and historical conditions can affect language and
how these conditions are a product of language. The ways
culture and identity influence reception.
context The context of production refer to the contextual factors which
affect the making of the text.
The context of reception refers to the contextual factors which
affect how a text is read or received.
Can be used to achieve informality. Spesh' for special,
contractions
'awks' for awkward
‘You want to go to the
conversational Characterising conversation. A conversational tone of voice.
cinema, right?’
The text of a news story, advertisement, etc., as distinguished
copy
from related visual material.
Teasers on front covers. A powerful picture is rarely enough
coverlines
for magazine covers today.
crosshead The bolded/large text in an article that breaks up a long story.
We use the word currency in the evaluation of website. When
currency
was it last updated? Is the information current?
Used to describe words that have fallen out of fashion but that 1960s - groovy
dated we still know what they mean. Slang terms often become 1970s - far out
dated and distinguish one generation from the next. 1980s - rad
declaratives A statement that makes a statement or assertion. I love horses.
For example, the
word snake in the
The explicit meanings of a word or expression, as distinguished
dictionary means
denotation from the ideas or meanings associated with it or suggested by
venomous reptile,
it.
whilst it has
connotations of evil.
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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

Falling action. The moment when the problem starts to be
denouement
resolved in a story.
‘Ay up me duck’
A variety of language that varies depending on location of
dialect means hello in
social group.
Nottingham.
The use of talk in literature. Used for various purposes such as
to develop character, advance the plot, explore a theme,
dialogue establish conflict or reiterate a motif. Writers will sometimes
use features of speech in their literature to mimic natural
speech, thus creating verisimilitude.
The writer has used
Words. See also lexis. When analysing a text, there needs to be specialised diction
diction
an adjective before the word diction. associated with
medicine.
The use of the second person you to suggest a closeness
between the producers of the text and the readers. Often uses
direct address The Army needs you.
in non-literary texts to fake closeness to a mass audience. See
also: synthetic personalisation.
In linguistics, discourse is the unit of language beyond the Official discourse.
discourse sentence. It can also mean a type of written or spoken Magazine discourse.
communication. Youth discourse.
If you can say ‘That’s
A word or phrase with two meaning, one of which is usually what she said’ after a
double entendre
saucy or mildly offensive. See also pun and euphemism. comment, it’s a
double entendre.
Words left out for economy, often determiners like 'the'. Often
creates a sense of urgency and immediacy. It can also be a
ellipsis Man shot by dog!
term for a dramatic pause that might...heighten the reader's
anticipation of what is to follow.
’going to' often
The omission of one or more letters. Informal language that
becomes sounds in a
elision can be used to create an informal relationship and relaxed
word or phrase.
tone.
'gonna'
Epistrophe is similar to anaphora, but in this case, the Where now?
epistrophe repeated word or phrase appears at the end of successive Who now?
statements. When now?
Substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one
‘to pass away’ is a
thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt. They can be a polite
euphemism euphemism for ‘to
way of avoiding embarrassment by indirectly referring to
die’
topics which are taboo in society.
Used to express surprise, alarm or strong opinion. They can be
used to convey emotion, heighten involvement and give the
exclamative Gotcha!
reader a sense of immediacy. Can be used to sensationalist
effect that compels many idle readers!
Setting the scene. Establishing the location, the background of
the characters and the diegesis of the story. The character of
exposition
Basil Exposition in Austin Powers is used to explain key plot
points.
Makes you twice as
fast and stronger!
Use of exaggeration to impress, using a vocabulary of excess
extreme claims (This also uses a
often to emphasise fun or entertainment value.
comparative: stronger
than what?)
falling action See denouement.
A chapter or scene that interrupts the chronological narrative
flashforward/back
either jumping forward or back in the story.
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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

‘the phenomenon of linguistic highlighting, whereby some
features of the language of a text stand out in some way’
Linguist M.A.K. Halliday (Explorations in the Functions of
Language, 1973)
foregrounding
Parallelism is an example of foregrounding.
The writer creates a pattern that would not usually exit in
everyday speech for effect. In this way, the writer limits their
freedom of choice and forces restrictions onto their writing.
Hints given by the writer about upcoming events or character
foreshadowing
developments in a story.
In images of people, they can either be looking directly at the
audience – direct gaze, or slightly off to one side – three-
quarters gaze. Using direct gaze creates a close relationship
with the audience. Three-quarters gaze is used to connote that
gaze the audience is getting a glimpse into another person’s life.

The concept of gaze also links to Laura Mulvey’s work on the

male gaze.
A vague but emotional phrase that usually means very little
but appeals to valued concepts or beliefs. Politics is full of Make America Great
glittering generality
glittering generalities that lack specificity and accountability. Again.
See also weasel words.
Formal articles often
use Times New
Graphology is the study of handwriting and although it is
Roman, whilst
generally considered pseudoscience, it can be useful in helping
graphology attempts to be
to infer a text's image and attitudes from the style of fonts
humorous might use a
used. See also typography.
more joyful font like
Jokerman.
The heading usually at the top of a newspaper article or
magazine article that summarises the main idea. Usually in the
Man stuck in jam on
headline present tense and can include omitted words for brevity. Can
motorway.
be sensational, factual, exclamative, interrogative, use a quote
or a pun.
It seems like you
Used in conversation to soften the impact of an uncomfortable
hedge might have something
message. Also used in academic writing to express uncertainty.
on your shirt.
Words spelled the same but with different meanings and Wind (weather) and
homograph
pronounced differently. wind (a handle).
A word pronounced the same as another but differing in
homophones Heir and air.
meaning, whether spelled the same way or not.
To create interest in by flamboyant or dramatic methods, or
hype
questionable claims, methods.
The dark side of the
hyperbaton Inversion of the expected order of words. Also called inversion.
Force are they.
I told you what
hyperbole Over exaggeration. hyperbole is a million
times.
Do I want to sound
pompous by asking
hypophora Asking and answering your own questions. and answering my
own questions? Yes I
do.
The imaginary audience who would, ideally, understand every
ideal-reader
word and allusion, and who would completely understand the

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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

experience a text producer presents, and then responds
emotionally as the writer wished. Hence, the relationship
contains a degree of collusion and inclusion. Ideal-readers will
be able to infer views or beliefs from allusions or suggestions
made by the text producer.
Aspirational images
can include anything
associated with or
Images that a text produces that allow the reader to imagine
symbolising rebellion,
ideal-reader images themselves as embodying. These images will often be
beauty, wealth, health
aspirational.
and happiness and
will often be
specifically targeted.
The body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an
individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group feminist ideology,
ideology and hence constitutes the reader's view of the world or society liberal ideology,
at large. Often persuasive texts use presuppositions that imply Marxist ideology
shared values and establish close relationships.
A group of words whose meaning cannot be predicted from It was raining cats and
idiomatic phrases the meanings of the constituent words. Often understood by dogs. It was raining
specific communities such as native speakers. heavily.
immediacy A sense and effect of a close and direct relationship.
Give orders or make requests. Commands. Often text
Buy it now! Get stress
imperative producers, in issuing commands, attempt to create a sense of
off your back.
urgency that stirs the reader into action or an imagined action.
A hypothetical reader that a work is addressed to, whose
implied reader
thoughts and attitudes may differ from an actual reader's.
Text producers can use the third person pronoun 'we' Together we can fight
inclusive language
inclusively in an attempt to construct its identity. poverty.
The process of reasoning used to ensure a message is not
inference explicit. If uncritical inference can contain prejudice. (See also
presuppositions.)
A type of acronym, but there the first letter do not spell a new
initialism UN, BBC, DBS
word.
An adjective or complement to certain auxiliaries that is
regularly derived from the verb in many languages and refers
-ing participles A burning candle.
to participation in the action or state of the verb; a verbal form
used as an adjective.
Question from of a sentence (see also imperative, declarative
interrogative Feeding friends?
and exclamative)
The connections between and among media, text and The Army want to join
intertextuality
audience involving diverse traditions and ideas. YOU!
Verbal irony is the use of words to mean something different
That’s great. Thanks
from what a person actually says
for the parking ticket.
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience is aware of
irony
something that the characters in the story are not aware of.
Situational irony involves a discrepancy between what is Being hit by and
ambulance.
expected to happen and what actually happens.
Lexis is linguistic
jargon Technical lexis understood by specialists in a field.
jargon.
juxtaposition Two things place next to each other to highlight a contrast.
Where one speaker starts to talk before the other has finished.
latched talk A frequent feature of talk in life. Mirrored by writers to create
realistic dialogue.
The visual arrangement and relationship of the parts of a text. Culturally, Western
layout
Texts often give careful consideration to text and visual image societies read from
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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

positions, underlining, emboldening and variety of font sizes, left to right and hence
styles and prominent colours. See also structural features. the upper left hand
corner is often visually
privileged. Much of
effects achieved by
layout must be
inferred. Beware:
avoid overstating the
importance of layout;
mention the obvious
but focus on language
and images.
Vocabulary choices, words and phrases. A text producer might
employ careful lexical choices with which the reader can relate Formal or informal
i.e. a shared lexis. Texts can have field-specific lexis that lexicons, academic
lexis appeals to a particular target audience e.g. chord, plectrum lexicons. Lexis from a
might appeal to guitarists. Some prefer to use the word youth discourse e.g.
diction. In both cases, an adjective is necessary. You explore a 'sick'.
writer’s use of specialised lexis or diction, for example.
Linguistic deviation
can be phonological
e.g writing in an
When a writer chooses to be creative or inventive, they accent, or lexical e.g
deviate from the standards of natural or everyday language. ‘Jabberwocky’ and the
‘anyone who wishes to investigate the significance and value use of neologisms,
linguistic deviation
of a work of art must concentrate on the element of interest grammatical e.g the
and surprise’ use of multiple
G.N. Leech ‘A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry’ negation in Chaucer,
or semantics e.g the
use of metaphor.
There are others too.
Copy in an advert.
linguistic features Any element of a text that uses text to create meaning. Headline in an article.
Literary devices.
The IB defines four literary forms: prose; poetry, drama and
literary
literary non-fiction.
Beckham is not bad
litotes Understatement.
looking.
Non-literary texts are often written for a mass audience and
Readers of any mass
mass audience use synthetic personalisation to make it seem as if they are
media
addressing an individual.
masthead The newspaper’s title displayed on the front page. The Times
metaphor A direct comparison. Life is a rollercoaster.
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
1. iambic meter (unstressed/stressed)
2. trochaic meter (stressed/unstressed)
meter
3. spondaic meter, (stressed/stressed)
4. anapestic meter (unstressed/unstressed/ stressed)
5. dactylic meter (stressed/unstressed/unstressed)
Using the word
Using something closely associated with a thing to mean that
metonymy ‘crown’ to mean the
thing. See also synecdoche.
queen.
minimising Playing down negatives difficulties
Often lacks a finite verb to signal tense (in other words it use
minor sentence
an infinitive), can use 'ing' participles see also ellipsis

7
Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

The modal auxiliaries
in English include can,
could, may, must,
need, ought, shall,
In grammar (of a verb form or auxiliary verb) expressing a
should, will, and
modality distinction of mood, such as that between possibility, actuality,
would. The modal
doubt and obligation.
auxiliary 'can' is
emphatic: 'You can
have a flat tummy by
summer!'
The big red ball' has a
noun, 'ball', and pre-
modification of a
determiner 'the' and
adjectives 'big red'.
modified nouns A noun with some description of it before or after.
You can also have
post- modification
which is description
after the noun, e.g.
'the big red ball in the
garden.'
Mood is the atmosphere of a piece of writing and the
mood
emotions it arouses in a reader.
A recurring motif is used to develop or explain a theme in The recurring motif of
motif
literature. blood in ‘Macbeth’.
Texts that create meaning through a combination of different
multi-modal modes of communication such as images and text. For
example adverts and websites are multimodal texts.
How a story is told. For example, who is telling the story? In
narrative
what order is it being told?
First person – the story is told through the eyes of a character.
Third person limited – the story focuses on one character
(sometimes more) and what happens to them. Harry Potter
narrative perspective
novels just focus on what happens to Harry.
Third person omniscient – the story focuses on a number of
characters and their feelings.
The voice that tells the story. It is not the voice of the author.
narrator
Usually.
A new word. It may need to be invented because the concept
had not previously existed e.g doxxing. Or it could be a
neologism blending of existing words e.g crowdsourcing. This is referred
to as a portmanteau. Or a transferred word borrowed from
another language e.g pork comes from the French porc.
We walked for
charity. We raised
money for the
Leukaemia
nominalisation / Turns verbs (actions or events) into nouns (things, concepts or
Foundation.
transitivity people). Active and Passive - agent?
The charity walk
raised money for the
Leukaemia
Foundation.
Nominative determinism is similar to the use of an aptronym Tiffany Case, the
nominative
but implies the character becomes like the name they have diamond smuggler in
determinism
been given. Diamonds are Forever

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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

Texts such as advertisements, speeches, cartons, manifestos
non-literary and screenplays. Unless studied as a body of work! In which
case, these could be literary texts.
Essentially the name of a person, place, emotion or thing. Can
noun
be countable or uncountable.
A phrase which has a noun (or indefinite pronoun) as its head Current economic
noun phrase
word. weakness.
onomatopoeia A word which imitates a sound. Ping!
An example of semantic literary deviance. The putting original copies
oxymoron together of two words that have contrasting meaning to ‘loving hate’
create an effect. deafening silence
Imitating another writer or genre, especially for comedic The Onion News
parody
effect. Network
pastiche Imitating another writer or genre as an homage to the original. Bride and Prejudice
The tree stretched
pathetic fallacy Giving human qualities to nature. A type of personification. and yawned in the
wind.
Those biscuits are
personification Giving an idea or animal human qualities.
calling my name.
Dr Jane Jones uses
According to Aristotle, appealing to logos (logic), pathos
persuasive appeal Colgate toothpaste.
(emotion) and ethos (credibility) strengthens your argument.
(Appeal to ethos)
How the events of a story are interlinked, one causing the
plot
next.
When poets break the rules of poetry because they can.
Because they are poets. Sometimes called artistic licence. This
poetic licence
can occur when a writer changes historical fact to suit their
needs.
A men's magazine
Text producers position readers and subsequently shape the
might position the
reading process and reader's expectations. The example
ideal-reader as
positioning (reader) illustrates how a magazine can also construct a cultural and
heterosexual and
consumer identity and promote a capitalist agenda (see
obsessed with women
ideology).
and cars.
For example, The Nike
Swoosh, Hyatt Hotel is
Memories and fantasies evoked by the advertising stimulus.
associated with luxury
On brand attitude for advertisements that require little effort
and comfort; BMW is
positive associations to process. Positive associations between customers and their
associated with
brand name helps to distract the public from the negative
sophistication, fun
aspects of their product.
driving, and superior
engineering.
You don't have to feel
Taken-for-granted assumptions that text producers often
down every time you
make to imply they 'know' their readers and with which the
get on the scales.
presuppositions reader is invited to identify. In the act of identifying with the
Check out these ways
presupposition the reader is constructing himself as a member
to beat the blues...'
of a community.

Personal pronouns are often used in advertising and media to

simulate a relationship or address the reader directly. See also L'Oreal - because
pronoun
synthetic personalisation, direct address and inclusive you're worth it.
language.
protagonist The leading character in a story. Not necessarily a hero.
See Young and
The segmentation of the audience into their personality traits,
psychographics Rubicam’s Cross
beliefs or values.
Cultural Consumer
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Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

Categorisation divides
consumers into seven
categories e.g The
Explorer
A quote from an article that is enlarged and appears within the
pull quote
text.
A play on words that relies on multiple meanings – usually What do you call a pig
pun based on homophones (words that sound the same but have with three eyes? A
different meanings). piiig.
inform, instruct,
The reason a text exists. This might not also be explicit (see persuade, argue,
purpose
ideology). advise, describe,
entertain
The protagonist is on a quest. This can be literal, such as a
quest search for the Ark of the Covenant, or metaphorical, a search
for inner peace or true love.
The degree of formality used in a text. See slang, colloquial,
register
jargon, Standard- English.
A type of linguistic deviation. Used to draw the audience’s
repetition attention to something. Often used in drama to reinforce
themes and motifs to the audience.
The way in which a particular social group, ideology, location,
representation
topic is portrayed in a text.
rhetoric The art of persuasion.
A question that does not need an answer because the answer How do you eat
rhetorical questions
is either obvious or assumes the audience agree with the text. yours?
Words with similar final sounds. End rhymes occur at the end
of a line of poetry. Internal rhymes occur within the lines of
rhyme poetry. Slant/near/partial/imperfect/half rhymes are words Beanz Meanz Heinz
that nearly rhyme. Eye rhymes are words that look the same
but don’t have the same sound.
rhythm A pattern in words which creates a beat.
The accumulation of problems and complications that an
rising action
protagonist faces before the climax of a story.
The rule of thirds involves mentally dividing up your image
using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines, as shown below.
rule of thirds
You then position the important elements in your scene along
those lines, or at the points where they meet.
The use of humour to ridicule, usually the establishment,
satire politicians, the corrupt. Writers of satire see it as a duty to Political cartoons
expose elements of society that they believe are a threat.
Scare quotes can signal that something is wrong or unusual
To some he was
with an expression, often with ironic effect. They signal
scare quotes considered ‘the
uncertainty. Often used incorrectly with accompanying air
enemy’.
quote gesture.
A group of words that are linked semantically. Writers will The semantic field of
sometimes use semantic fields to create imagery. Sports war includes
semantic field
commentators often use the semantic field of war e.g. Sala weapons, solider,
fired the ball into the net. veteran, manoeuvres.
The presentation of a news story designed to provoke shock or Killer sharks circle HK
sensationalism
fear in the reader. Accuracy and dignity are foregone. beaches.
In an article, this is a panel or box on a page containing
sidebar graphics or other information about an article. It is eye-
catching and breaks the story up into different elements.

10
Glossary – Literature and Language

Term Definition Example

An indirect comparison using like or as. An example of ‘Tribe flies high like a
simile
linguistic deviation. dove’
simple sentences A sentence with one main clause. Must have a verb.
This is an information panel on the front page of a newspaper
skyline that tells the reader about other stories in the paper to tempt
them inside.
A short, memorable phrase designed to sell a product or rally
slogan Got milk?
team spirit: often uses alliteration, repetition and rhyme.
A speech delivered in a play by a character to the audience or
soliloquy themselves in which they explore their thoughts. They may not ‘To be, or not to be …’
always be being honest to the audience or themselves.
Standard English, sometime called The Queen’s English in the
UK, is form that is generally accepted as correct. However,
standard and non-
there are many varieties of English that are non-standard and
standard English
add to the richness of the language. Example include patois,
slang, regional dialectal variations in grammar.
In an article, the block of text that introduces the story,
standfirst
normally in a style different to the body text and headline.
Picture story that can exist on its own or on a front page
standalone
leading to a story inside a newspaper.
stanza A grouped set of lines in a poem.
An attempt to convey the continuous, often unstructured or
even chaotic flow of thoughts and emotions in the human
stream of
mind. Typical characteristics of this technique are incomplete
consciousness
sentences, sudden jumps or even complete lack of any
traditional syntactical structure and punctuation.
Stereotypes are negative (usually) representations of people
that rely on preconceived ideas about the group that person is
perceived as belonging to. It is assumed that an individual
shares personal characteristics with other members of that
group e.g. blondes are all stupid, accountants are all boring.
stereotype
Although using stereotypes saves a lot of explanation within a
text, it can be a very lazy method of characterisation.
Stereotypes may be considered dangerous, as they encourage
audiences to think large groups of people are all the same, and
often have the same negative characteristics
Elements of a non-fiction texts such as the visual path, the
structural features balance between copy and image, the use of rule of thirds,
font style and size, colour.
How a text is organised. In a poem, this could be the number
structure
and length of stanzas and the length of lines.
an adjective which indicates the highest degree in quality or biggest, best,
superlatives
amount. strongest
‘Suspension of disbelief’ is a term coined in 1817 by Samuel
Taylor Coleridge. He believed that, if a writer was able to fill his
suspension of disbelief work with a ‘human interest and a semblance of truth’, then
the readers would willingly suspend or delay their judgment in
relation to the doubtfulness of a narrative.
A dove symbolises
symbolism the use of symbols to signify an idea.
peace.
Referring to a new car
synecdoche Using a part to describe a whole. See also metonymy.
as ‘nice wheels’.
We shall fight them
Using a repeated sentence structure for emphasis or
syntactic parallelism on the beaches, we
patterning. A type of linguistic deviation.
shall fight them on
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Term Definition Example

the landing grounds,
we shall fights them in
the fields and in the
streets' (Churchill)
syntax The grammatical structure of sentences.
A technique used to establish a relationship with the reader
(i.e. the synthesised reader), that often creates the impression Includes devices such
synthetic that the writer knows the reader personally and is someone as direct address,
personalisation who shares the same views/attitudes/values/beliefs etc. Often imperatives and terms
a two-way conversation is simulated to involve the reader and of address.
to cause them to interact. See Norman Fairclough for more.
The target audience
for this advert are
The intended audience for the text. Can be segmented older teenage girls
target audience /
demographically or psychographically. ‘Everyone’ is not a who ambitious and
market
target audience! adventurous and are
interested in a career
in the army.
The word or phrase used to address another person. The term
term of address of address use can indicate something about the relationship
between the speakers.
The big ideas which are explored in a text. Themes are usually
theme
universal such as love, death or oppression.
tmesis The insertion of one word inside another. Abso-flipping-lutely!
Tone is the author’s attitude toward a subject. While
tone journalistic writing theoretically has a tone of distance and
objectivity, all other writing can have various tones.
List of three things or ideas. Also known as a tricolon or He came, he saw, he
triadic structure
pattern of three. conquered.
The use of fonts to create meaning. The combination of the
fonts used is called font pairing and it can make or break a
design. The colour of the words and letters need to be in
typography balance with the background so that everything complements
each other. Some typographic techniques include
manipulating the letters to resemble shapes or placing a
texture inside the letters.

verb An action or state of being.

The creation of truth in fiction. The theory of verisimilitude
comes from a Platonic and Aristotelian dramatic theory called
verisimilitude ‘mimesis.’ According to this theory, a work of art should
convince the audience by imitating and representing nature,
and having a basis in reality.
A term used in the analysis of multi-modal texts. Visual
visual hierarchy hierarchy is a method of organising design elements in order
of importance.
A photo of an athlete
with a gold medal
visual narrative The story behind a still image. uses a visual narrative
to suggest success
and determination.
Print adverts often use a Z shaped visual path to guide the
visual path
audience through their message.
Words or phrases that lack specificity but are meant to sound
I am sorry if you are
weasel words full of authority and conviction. Examples include glittering
upset.
generalities and non-apology apologies.

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Term Definition Example

13