Imagery and Language

Alliteration

Words in a sentence/passage that begin with the same letter or sound.

Plosive alliteration

Repetition of the B or P sound at the beginning of words.

Sibilance

Repetition of the S or SH sound at the beginning of words.

Metaphor

Comparing one thing to another by saying it is something else e.g. the tree was a mountain.

Simile

Comparing one thing to another using like or as e.g. the was like a mountain.

Personification

Giving an inanimate object human qualities.

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like what they are e.g. bang/crash/drip.

Repetition

Repeating a word or idea more than once.

Adjective

A describing word.

Verb (dynamic/modal)

A doing word.

Noun (abstract/concrete)

A naming word.

Pronoun

I/You/He/She/They etc.

Adverb

Describes a verb, usually ends in –ly.

Connotation

The associated meanings of words e.g. the connotations of red might be love/danger/anger etc.

Colloquial language

Informal or slang language.

Semantic field

A group of words suggesting a theme/topic e.g. a semantic field of war – guns/bullets/army/soldier etc.

Character

Narrative voice

The perspective from which the story is told.

Archetype

A familiar/traditional character used seen in many stories across different cultures e.g. the villain.

Protagonist

The main character, mostly the hero.

Setting

Pathetic fallacy

When the weather reflects the actions/mood of the story.

Structure

Declarative sentence

A statement e.g. The sky is blue.

Imperative sentence

A command e.g. Stop running.

Interrogative sentence

A question.

Explanative sentence

A sentence ending with a “!”.

Linear narrative

Narrative that follows a straight line e.g. beginning – middle – end.

Non-linear narrative

Often starts in the middle of the story and then goes back to the beginning may involve flashbacks

Cyclical narrative

A story that ends where it begins.

Motif

Reoccurring ideas and themes throughout the story.

Asyndetic list

A list without conjunctions or connectives.

Climax

The point of greatest tension in the story.

Foreshadowing

Hints of what is to come in the story.