Vocabolario Avanzato per il TOEFL - Lingua e Grammatica

the study of the origins and historical developments of words and their meanings

etimologia

the science and study of speech sounds and their production

fonetica

the study of the evolution and structure of language in general or of certain languages

linguistica

(in the grammar of some languages) a group of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives changing in the same way to indicate case, number, and gender

declinazione

(grammar) to show how a verb changes depending on number, person, tense, etc.

coniugato

(grammar) a class of words indicating whether they are feminine, masculine, or neuter

genere

(grammar) related to verbs that express wishes, possibility, or doubt

congiuntivo

(grammar) a letter or a set of letters that are added to the beginning of a word to alter its meaning and make a new word

prefisso

(grammar) a letter or a set of letters that are added to the end of a word to alter its meaning and make a new word

suffisso

(grammar) connected with or functioning as an adjective

aggettivale

connected with or functioning as an adverb

avverbiale

words, phrases, and expressions used by a specific group or profession, which are incomprehensible to others

gergo

the practice of uttering words that convey the opposite meaning as a way to annoy someone or for creating a humorous effect

sarcasmo

a statement that implies or indirectly mentions something or someone else, especially as a literary device

allusione

a comparison between two different things, done to explain the similarities between them

analogia

the use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of the words in a verse or sentence, used as a literary device

allitterazione

to pronounce or utter something in a clear and precise way

articolare

conveying or expressing a positive reply

affermativo

a word or expression that is used instead of a harsh or insulting one in order to be more tactful and polite

eufemismo

a form of humor in which the words that someone says mean the opposite, producing an emphatic effect

ironia

a logically contradictory statement that might actually be true

paradosso

a technique used in speech and writing to exaggerate the extent of something

iperbole

a clever or amusing use of words that takes advantage of the multiple meanings or interpretations that it has

freddura

connected with the art of writing or speaking in an effective or persuasive way

retorica

humor, irony, ridicule, or sarcasm used to expose or criticize the faults and shortcomings of a person, government, etc.

satira

the redundant repetition of an idea using different words in a sentence or phrase

tautologia

(linguistics) the speech pattern that an individual uses at a particular period of life

idioletto

the symbol * used in writing or printing to show that there is more information about something in the footnote or as an indication of importance or omission

asterisco

to use punctuation marks in a text in order to make it more understandable

mettere la punteggiatura in, punteggiare

the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning, often represented by a specific symbol in phonetic notation

fonema

(linguistics) a branch of linguistics that deals with meaning, reference, or truth

semantico

(linguistics) the way in which words and phrases are arranged to form grammatical sentences in a language

sintassi

(grammar) a group of verb forms that indicate if the action or state is conceived as a statement, question, command or in another way

modo

(linguistics) all the words and phrases of a language, including the function words

lessico

the complete set of meaningful units in a language or a branch of knowledge, or words or phrases that a speaker uses

lessico

(grammar) one of two or more words with the same pronunciation that differ in meaning, spelling or origin

omofono

each of two or more words with the same spelling or pronunciation that vary in meaning and origin

omonimo