Language Terms for NCEA Level 2 and 3
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. cake
boy
smoke
hangi
spider
sky
Abstract nouns – for ideas, concepts and qualities
e.g
love ambition
power
truth sleep mana
Proper nouns – for names of people, places and things
e.g. Auckland
Sally
Coca-Cola
Collective nouns – that describe groups of people or things
e.g. pair
team
dozen
army
herd
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
They always go with a noun or pronoun.
e.g. on
under
in
down
across
during
place.
Conjunctions - these join words and clauses (parts of sentences).
co-ordinating conjunctions:
and but
or
subordinating conjunctions:
although so because if unless etc
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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=cat finite verb = sat
(The subject is “who does the action”.)
They can be:
Declarative – make a statement
Interrogative – ask a question
Imperative – give a command
Exclamatory – express strong feelings
e.g.
e.g.
e.g.
e.g.
I can hear you.
Are you happy?
Stop that.
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
ordinating conjunction or a semi-colon (;).
e.g. She goes to school here and she is a top student.
co-
*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.
Prose
this is any piece of writing (e.g. a newspaper article, short story,
novel, speech, drama text) that is NOT poetry.
Poetry
is traditionally arranged in lines, and has a regular rhythm.
Imagery
creating 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.
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Metaphor
- a direct comparison.
Rather than saying
something else, it says it is.
e.g. Life is a rollercoaster. Her gaze was icy.
something is “like”
Personification
is a metaphor where an object/idea is given human qualities.
e.g. Tree, let your arms fall
SOUND DEVICES
Repetition
A word or phrase that is repeated to increase its effect
e.g. Break break break / On thy cold, grey stones, O sea
Onomatopoeia
words whose meaning is suggested in their sound.
e.g. hiss
boom
whirr
sizzle
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
Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds in words near to each other.
e.g. The students drowsed and droned
In
the
teacher’s
ponderous
monotone.
Consonance
repeated consonant sounds in words (with a different vowel sound
between)
e.g. Each hung bell’s bow swung… finds tongue to fling
Sibilance
the 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.
Rhyme
When 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)
Acronym
a word formed from the initial letters of other words, e.g. ANZAC.
Allegory
Where a character or incident stands for something else. E.g. Orwell’s
Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian revolution.
Analogy
an extended comparison.
The relationships between European languages are often described as a
family tree, which many languages descended from the ancestral language
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Anecdote
when you use a story from your life to illustrate a point
Antithesis
an arrangement of opposite words to emphasise contrast and provide
balance.
e.g. For many are called, but few are chosen..
Allusion
reference 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 …)
Archaism
an old-fashioned word or phrase
e.g. ‘Hallowed by thy name’ means ‘May your name be honoured’
Cliché
An over-used word, phrase or idea. E,g ‘She’s over the moon’
Euphemism A 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 language words that stir up emotions in the reader/audience
This Christmas, millions of children will be starving in Africa
Neologism a newly made up word, often from blending two existing words. Bootylicious,
Rogernomics
Hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration for effect, e,g I have tons of homework
Irony
using word/tone to convey the opposite of what is actually said.
Often used for humour, satire or build dramatic tension.
Imperative
a command or order. E.g Write your name.
Inversion
when subject and verb are inverted, e.g. Little did I dream
Innuendo
suggestion through using connotative words
Stand up!
Jargon
the technical language associated with a subject
e.g. cricket jargon = bouncer
maiden over silly-mid-on
Oxymoron
figure of speech where contradictory terms are combined
e.g. ‘O brawling love, O Loving hate’, A wise fool
Paradox
a statement which seems contradictory or absurd, but is true
e.g
It’s a wise man who knows his own son.
Parallelism illustrates 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
Parallel structure 2+ sentences of a similar structure,
e.g. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation…
I have a dream today,,, I have a dream that the state of Alabama…
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Pun
an 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
Slogan
a distinctive and memorable phrase. E.g. Nike: Just do it.
Stereotype a fixed or over-simplified idea of a person
e.g. dumb blondes, Smart people wearing glasses etc..
Symbolism a symbol is used to represent an idea, e.g. a dove is a symbol of peace.
OTHER LITERARY TERMS TO KNOW
Figurative language
is non-literal or imaginative meaning of a word, rather than its
actual meaning.
e.g I was bored stiff
Denotation the 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.
Synonym
words that have the same/similar meaning
e.g. slender/skinny/thin
Antonym
words that are opposite in meaning
e.g. hot – cold, dead – alive, love -hate
Tone
this 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 speech
the original speaker’s exact words are given in quote marks, e.g “I
don’t know what to do,” said Sarah.
Indirect speech
the 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 English
The English used in the newspaper, for formal documents,
public speaking, business letters.
Colloquial language
This 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
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Slang
Informal 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’
TYPES OF NARRATION
These terms describe the ‘point of view’ given in a poem or piece of prose.
Omniscient ‘All knowing’, also called ‘Eye of God’. The narrator knows all the thoughts of
all the characters.
First Person uses the ‘I’ voice for the narrator. Reader has access to the thoughts and
motives of one character.
e.g. I buried my face in my hands. This was the last straw !
Second person
uses ‘you’ to put the reader in the place of a main character, e.g You
bury your face in your hands and think…
Third person / Limited third person – only the thoughts/motives of ONE character are
known
e.g. Marge buried her face in her hands. This was the last straw. Maggie
came over and looked up at her mother with sad eyes.
Omniscient third person – story is told by a narrator who may know the
thoughts/motives of all the characters.
e.g. Marge buried her face in her hands. This was the last straw. Maggie
came over. Poor mummy, she thought.
Fallible
When the story is told by someone who may not be reliable because of their
age, bias or lack of understanding.
e.g Mummy looks mad again, thought Maggie. I must have done something
wrong!
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