Unseen Poetry Year 9 Language Techniques Oxymoron Word

Unseen Poetry Year 9 Language Techniques Oxymoron Word class Definition Example Verb A verb is a word or set of words that shows action (runs, is going, has been painting); feeling (loves, envies); or state of being (am, are, is, have been, was, seem). . ‘He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. ’ ‘the sun surfacing defiantly’ Adverb An adverb labels how, when or where something happens (and they often end in ‘–ly’). ‘Sirens ripped open the warm silk of sleep’ ‘Then cunningly covering his tracks’ Nouns are names, places and things; they also signify imagined things like ‘a ghost’; and ideas or concepts, such as ‘love’, ‘guilt’ or ‘fate’. Pronoun Words used instead of a noun i. e. ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’, ‘it’. ‘Your words cut into me, sharp as a knife The pain that you cause always goes unseen’ Adjective An adjective is a describing word or phrase that adds qualities to a noun. It normally comes before a noun, or after verbs like ‘am’, ‘is’, ‘was’, ‘appears’ or ‘seems’. ‘With a deep multitude Of colourful distractions. ’ Prepositions are short words and phrases that give information about place, time and manner ‘They dropped into the dust even before the hunter strung his bow. ’ Definition Example When a phrase is put together by two ideas which contradict one another. Describing an inanimate object as having human feelings. A descriptive technique that names a person, thing or action as something else. A descriptive technique that compares one thing with another, usually using 'as' or 'like‘. An adjective/ adverb that indicates the most of something. A word, especially an adverb or adjective, that has little meaning itself but is used to add emphasis to another adjective, verb, or adverb. ‘If in some smothering dreams’ A word that is used to make another adjective, verb or adverb sound lesser. ‘To children ardent for some desperate glory’ Imperative A sentence that is a command. Exclamatory A sentence that expresses a heightened emotion. They end with an exclamation mark When the writer includes several words/ phrases/ ideas, one after the other. When a word/ phrase is noticeably repeated throughout a sentence/ paragraph/ whole text. A technique in which the author appeals to the senses i. e. seeing, hearing, touching. ‘Let faxes butter-curl on dusty shelves. ’ ‘Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!’ Personification Metaphor Simile Superlative Intensifier Minimiser Listing Repetition Imagery Extended Metaphor A metaphor which is continued over several lines or throughout a whole poem ‘Bent double, like old beggars under sacks’ ’Sweetest Love! I do not go For weariness of thee. ’ ‘My friend, you would not tell with such high zest’ Structural Features Definition Opening The first mood/ image of the poem. Cyclical When end of the poem repeats an idea/ character/ setting from the opening. ‘And then I must scrub, and bake, and sweep. ’ Stanza A ‘paragraph’ in a poem. Enjambment A sentence or phrase that runs onto the next line. ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light. ’ Anaphora The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines. Volta A turning point in a poem. Juxtaposition Two ideas/ images placed together for contrasting effect. Speaker The narrator, or person in the poem. Change of mood/ tone When the writer alters the overall feeling of the poem. Refrain A phrase, line or group of lines which is repeated throughout a poem. Ending The final mood/image of the poem. ‘My thoughts hissed and spat on my scalp. My bride’s breath soured, stank in the grey bags of my lungs. ’ But then, unexpectedly, something wonderful happens: Someone, a man or a woman, walks into the room and holds their arms up to the ceiling beside you.