Text Features Definition – Language Features, Visual Terms, Film Terms & Imaginative Writing

Resource Description

Textual features: language features

Alliteration: when the poet uses the same consonant letter at the beginning of a number of words placed close together e.g. dark plastic skeleton dangling near my French doors.
Apostrophe: addressing an inanimate object or a dead person as if they were alive e.g. ‘Death be not proud though some have called thee mighty’(Donne, J in Favourite verse (1999) Hurford, C (Ed), Parragon, Bath. p.450)
Assonance: when the poet repeats the same vowel sound in a number of words placed closely together. e.g. Billy’s pen hit the desk and it ricocheted into the window.
Consonance:  repeating the consonant anywhere in a number of words e.g. Deadly destruction of the world.
Hyperbole:  dramatic exaggeration e.g. I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
Imagery graphic pictures created by colourful language features e.g. Algae lie still and bloated on the top.
Imperative Voice: forceful verbs, ordering someone to do something e.g. Open your mind to injustice.
Irony: saying one thing but meaning another e.g. War doesn’t hurt anyone.
Metaphor: when one object through comparison becomes the other object. When a poet continues the comparison over a verse or a number of lines it becomes an extended metaphor e.g. Lord Farquard is an evil monster.
Onomatopoeia: this is when a poet wants the responder to hear the sounds in the poem, so a word is used that echoes the sound the poet wishes to create e.g. The dragon bellowed and shrieked in anger.
Oxymoron: two contradictory words placed together to make a dramatic point e.g. Shakespeare’s Othello stated that he wept cruel tears (Shakespeare, W)

Pathetic Fallacy: using nature to reflect human feelings e.g. Brent’s ribs were painful and he winced in pain when he turned to look at the bruised and angry storm clouds building in the East.

Person 1st: I; 2nd: you; 3rd: he or she or they. The second person you when addressed to the responder can be forceful and persuasive. The first person can invite empathy.
Personification: when a composer transforms a non human object into a human by giving the object human qualities e.g. He was in love with the curvaceous lines of his red 3.6 litre turbo Porsche.
Repetition: repeating key words. Sibilants repetition of the ‘s’ sound. It can sound soft, relaxing or gentle or even sinister and cold. It all depends on the choice of words and images e.g. sweet scent of mint and basil.
Similes: a comparison between two objects using “like” or “as” e.g When the dragon saw Donkey, she acted like a lovesick teenager.
Symbolism: when the composer uses an image to represent something else, such as winter which could symbolise death, or a dark shadow which could symbolise danger e.g. The shadows of the tall, dark trees were creeping closer to the child. (the underlined words could symbolise impending evil)
Tone: the feelings of the composer. These feelings are conveyed through word choice and imagery e.g. I move into an amazing world. (The tone is one of awe, appreciation and wonder.)
Word choice: the composer’s choice of words affects the tone, the mood and the response of the reader. The words could be sensual (appeal to senses), emotive (emotional and stirring), humorous, descriptive, blunt, harsh etc. The following words are persuasive, direct and warm e.g. Move into its world and feel its magic.