Glossary

analogy a comparison or similarity

anchor the person who presents the news on a television news broadcast and who co-ordinates the reports coming in from news reporters in the field

anecdote a brief, personal story with a point that directly relates to a larger topic of discussion; a story about a specific single incident that is important or interesting to relate

antagonist the person, group, or force opposing the main character

antecedent the noun that a pronoun refers to or replaces

antecedent action events that occurred before the initial incident

antihero a character who does not exhibit heroic qualities

aperture the opening in a camera through which light passes; also known as the iris

appeal to authority a persuasive technique that associates a product with an individual or organization carrying authority, honour, prestige, or respect

appeal to force the threat of negative consequences if the audience disagrees with the speaker or writer

archaic from long ago and, therefore, no longer in general use

abstract a summary of a longer text

abstract word a word that refers to something that can't be perceived by people's senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch

accent the way words are pronounced in a particular region

action verb a verb that expresses an action

active reading reading while using strategies that increase comprehension and appreciation of a text

adaptation an alteration, adjustment, or change from one form or genre to another

adjective a word that describes a noun or a pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, an adverb, or an adjective

allegory a very simple story written in either prose or poetic form that is meant to teach a lesson about life; a story in which characters, actions, and events exist at a literal level but also signify abstract concepts or political and historical concepts

alliteration the intentional repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words to achieve a pleasing effect 

allusion a reference to a significant figure, event, place, or literary work that the writer expects the reader to recognize

ambiguity a possibility of two or more meanings

archives back issues of newspapers and magazines stored and available on the Internet

atmosphere the prevailing mood or feeling of a piece of literature

audience the person or group addressed by a writer or speaker

aural imagery imagery that appeals to the sense of hearing

ballad a narrative poem originally written to be sung

bandwagon an appeal to people's fear of being left behind or being out-of-date

banner ads small, colourful ads on web pages

bard a poet

bias a tendency to see a subject only one way and to ignore other ways of looking at it

bibliography a list of information sources used by an author

blank verse a traditional form of poetry that consists of unrhymed iambic pentameter lines; unrhymed iambic pentameter that has a regular rhythm

body language the implicit messages sent through facial expressions, gestures, and body movements

brainstorming generating as many ideas as possible without restraint or criticism

call number a code consisting of numbers and letters placed on library materials and used in catalogues to indicate location

caricature a representation of a person that exaggerates the person's physical features

Chorus an actor in Elizabethan drama who recites the prologue to a play and from time to time comments on the action

chronological arranged according to time

cinematic having to do with the cinema (motion pictures)

cinematography the art and technology of motion picture photography, involving the general composition of a scene, lighting, choice of cameras, camera angles, and movements

classical having to do with the art, civilization, or literature of ancient Greece or Rome

clause the part of a sentence having a subject and a predicate; a word grouping that has a subject and predicate (or verb) 

cliché a trite or common expression that has been overused; an overused word or phrase that has lost its originality and power due to overexposure

cliffhanger ending an ending full of suspense, where the result is not known

climax the most exciting point or turning point of a story; the moment in the plot when there is a definite, crucial change in direction and one becomes aware that the story is about to move toward its end

close-up shot a camera shot taken with the camera so close to the subject that the subject's face can be seen but few other details are shown 

coherence in writing, moving logically and clearly from one idea to another; the arrangement of ideas in a clear order so that one idea moves smoothly to the next

collaborative skills the skills used in a group to accomplish the assigned task

colloquial informal, everyday spoken language

colloquial language casual, everyday expressions

comedy a literary work that exposes human folly but, nevertheless, ends happily

comic relief the interruption of a serious work, usually a tragedy, by a short, humorous episode

comma splice a grammatical error that results when two independent clauses are joined with a comma

complete sentence a sentence containing at least the following elements: a subject and a verb; a capital letter at the beginning; a period, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end

complex sentence a sentence that is made up of one independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses

composition the way in which elements are arranged in a photograph or other visual text

compound-complex sentence a sentence that is made up of more than one independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses

compound sentence a sentence that is made up of two simple sentences linked by a co-ordinating conjunction 

concrete word a word that refers to something real that can be perceived by people's senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch

conflict an internal or external struggle of opposing forces 

conjunction a word that joins words or groups of words

conjunctive adverb an adverb that acts as a transitional expression, helping to join ideas

connotation the meanings associated with a word

consensus agreement on an issue or question

content the main idea (or ideas) and details in a message

context the circumstances or conditions in which a text was created

contraction a word created when two words are joined by dropping some letters and using an apostrophe to indicate where the letters have been dropped for example, can't and we're

contrast a device whereby distinctions are made to emphasize important characteristics

conventions widely accepted rules or customs

co-ordinating conjunction one of seven conjunctions and, but, or, for, so, nor, and yet that join words or groups of words of equal importance

copyright date the year that the author or publisher registered ownership of the material; copyright law protects work from being copied and sold by others

critical response a response to a text that focuses on its meaning and the way it has been created