Flashcards
Devices for inferring meaning
Cards in this deck (16)
- 1PunThe use of words to exploit double-meanings for humorous effects
- 2Rhetorical questionA figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked to make a point rather than to elicit an answer.
- 3PersonificationGiving human characteristics to something
- 4ToneAn indicator of attitude, emotion or thoughts
- 5Dramatic ironyIn drama, the device of giving the spectator an item of information that at least one of the characters in the narrative is unaware of
- 6OxymoronFigure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory ideas
- 7ClichéExpression or idea that is no longer effective because of overuse
- 8Schema/ schematic knowledgeThese are the mental structures we use to organise and simplify our knowledge of the world around us. We use our schematic knowledge to infer meaning from texts.
- 9AllusionBrief references to a well-known figures or events, often (in English) from literature, history, Greek myth, or the Bible
- 10HyperboleDeliberate exaggeration for effect
- 11ImageryDescriptive language that evokes sensory experience
- 12IronyWhen a statement is apparently straight forward but there are undercurrents that offer a different significance
- 13ParadoxPerson or thing made up of contradictory elements
- 14MetaphorA linguistic device where the writer describes a thing or person as if it actually were something else, e.g. “My tongue was flame / And my kisses burned.” (Carol Ann Duffy)
- 15Pathetic FallacyWhen the weather or natural world reflect the mood of the writing
- 16SimileA linguistic device where one person / thing is compared with another using ‘like’ or ‘as’ (e.g. She sang like a bird. He was as pale as a sheet.)
Information
- Description
- These flashcards show some literary devices authors use to enable readers to infer meaning.
- Created by
- Claire Collins
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- Created by Claire Collins · Jul 23, 2015
- Copied by Claire Collins · May 27, 2016
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