Literary Features

• Nouns - Sub-class


  • Proper
  • Abstract
  • Concrete
• Verbs - Sub-class


  • Material
  • Relational
  • Mental
• Adjectives and adverbs - Sub-class


  • Verbal
  • Base
  • Comparative
  • Superlative
• Pronouns - Sub-class


  • Personal
  • Demonstrative
  • Indefinite
• Determiners


  • Articles
  • Possessives
  • Quantifiers
• Conjunctions


  • Co-ordinating
  • Sub-ordinating
• Nouns - Proper


  Refer to names of people or places
• Nouns - Abstract


  Refer to states, feelings and concepts that do not have a physical existence
• Nouns - Concrete


  Refer to objects that have a physical existence
• Verbs - Material


  Show actions or events
• Verbs - Relational


  Identify properties or show states of being
• Verbs - Mental


  Show internal processes such as thinking
• Adjectives and adverbs - Verbal


  Show external processes of communicating through speech
• Adjectives and adverbs - Base


  The basic form of an adjective or adverb, modifying another word
• Adjectives and adverbs - Comparative


  A form used to compare two instances either adding 'er' or using 'more
• Adjectives and adverbs - Superlative


  A form used to compare more than two instances, identifying a best example
• Pronouns - Personal


  Refer to people and are differentiated in terms of person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular or plural) and gender (male or female)
• Pronouns - Demonstrative


  Orientate the reader or listener towards a person, object or idea, either nearby or further away
• Pronouns - Indefinite


  Refer to a person, object or idea that is non-specific
• Determiners - Articles


  Show that something is definite or indefinite
• Determiners - Possessives


  Show ownership
• Determiners - Quantifiers


  Show either specific or non-specific quantities of a noun
• Conjunctions - Co-ordinating


  Link words or larger structures such as phrases and clauses together where they are equal
• Conjunctions - Sub-ordinating

  Link clauses together to show one is dependent on another
• Accent


  How words are pronounced
• Address


  How people refer to or 'address each other. (Examples include 'mum/madam/mother.)
• Adjacency pairs


  Exchanges between different speakers that are connected and that have expected responses (a question, for example, expects an answer)
• Agenda


  The topic or subject of conversation
• Back Channel features


  Words, phrases and non-verbal utterances used by a listener (e.g. I see', 'oh', 'uh huh', 'really) which indicate they agree or want to hear more
• Backtracking


  Interruption of the sequence of an utterance to include information that should have been included earlier
• Contraction


  A reduced form often marked by an apostrophe (in writing) e.g. can't, he'll. might've
• Deixis/deictics


  Devices which make sure that a listener knows what, where and to whom an utterance refers. Examples include: 'this', 'that, there
• Dialect


  Elements of speech other than sound (grammar and vocabulary) that are distinctive to a regional or social use of language
• Discourse markers


  Words and phrases that signal the relationship and connections between utterances. Examples include: first', 'now', 'on the other hand
• Elision


  The omission or slurring [eliding] of one or more sounds or syllables -e.g. 'gonna
• Ellipsis


  The omission of part of a grammatical structure- e.g. "You okay?
• False start


  When a speaker begins an utterance, then either repeats or reformulates it
• Filler


  Used to gain thinking time (sometimes called 'voiced pause'). Examples include: 'er', 'um', well
• Hedges


  Vague words or phrases that are used to soften the force of how something is said. Examples include: 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'sort of
• Idiolect


  Features that make up a personal language profile/individual style of speaking