Higher English Critical Terminology

Simile

A comparison of two things, using the word 'like' or 'as'.

Alliteration

Words which start with the same letter, being placed next to each other.

Personification

A description which makes an object sound like a person.

Onomatopoeia

Words which actually make the sound of the thing they are trying to describe.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration.

Pathetic fallacy

Use of the weather to reflect the mood of the story.

Inverted commas

Punctuation marks which show that the writer is being ironic/ sarcastic.

Minor sentence

A sentence which has no verb.

Colon

A punctuation mark which introduces a list or an explanation.

Inverted word order

The subject of the sentence doesn't come at the start as it usually does.

Semi-colon

A punctuation mark that links two closely related ideas OR separates items in a list.

Parenthesis

Using brackets or two dashes to add in extra information.

Climax-sentence

A sentence which has a few ideas, with the most important coming last.

Climax-story

The big finale of a story- the point which has been built up o all through.

Turning point

One clear point in a story where everything changes.

Soliloquy

A dramatic speech only for the audience, as we hear the character's thoughts.

Paradox

Something which seems to be a contradiction but actually does contain truth.

Euphemism

A polite way of phrasing something unpleasant.

Catalyst

A character in a play or novel who causes many things to change.

Irony

Sarcasm OR a type of twist of fate.

Oxymoron

Two words with opposite or contradictory meanings placed together for effect.

Metaphor

A description of something that makes it sound like something else.