Essential Vocabulary for the GRE - Language & Literary Devices

Here you will learn some English words about language, such as "locative", "neuter", "irony", etc. that are needed for the GRE exam.

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Essential Vocabulary for the GRE
dialect [noun]

the spoken form of a language specific to a certain region or people which is slightly different from the standard form in words and grammar

Ex:
syntax [noun]

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

Ex: Linguists study syntax to uncover the underlying principles that dictate how different languages form sentences .

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

Ex: The Old English language had a complex system of declension , with different forms for nouns depending on case , number , and gender .

(grammar) a change in the structure of a word, usually adding a suffix, according to its grammatical function

Ex: Noun inflections in Russian indicate case , number , and gender .

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

Ex: In Spanish class , we learned how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense .

a change in normal word order, especially putting a verb before its subject

Ex: Inversion can add dramatic effect , as seen in " Never have I seen such beauty . "

(grammar) a particular form of a pronoun, adjective, or noun that acts as the direct object of a verb or preposition, used in some languages such as Greek or Latin

Ex:
vocative [noun]

(in the grammar of some languages) the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective that is used when addressing a particular person or thing

Ex:
genitive [adjective]

relating to a grammatical case that is used to indicate possession, origin, or a close association

Ex:

‌(of verbs) a form or mood that represents possibility, doubt, or wishes

Ex: The subjunctive can change the tone of a sentence , making it more formal or polite .
ablative [noun]

(grammar) a specific form of a pronoun, adjective, or noun that is used to show by what means or by whom an action is done or to indicate the source of the action, found in some languages such as Latin or Sanskrit

Ex: Translating the phrase required careful consideration of the ablative to convey the correct meaning .
locative [noun]

(grammar) a specific form of a pronoun, adjective, or noun that shows the place of an action or where a person or thing is

Ex:
predicative [adjective]

(grammar) describing an adjective or noun following a linking verb and completing the meaning of the copula

Ex: In Spanish , the predicative adjective agrees with the subject in gender and number .

a grammatical case used for the subject of a sentence or clause

Ex: In Latin , " puella " ( girl ) is in the nominative when it is the subject of the sentence .
attributive [adjective]

(grammar)(of a noun or adjective) joined directly to a noun and modifying it, without a linking verb

Ex:

(grammar) the mood of a verb that states a fact

Ex:

(grammar) a function word that is used to form a question

Ex: Forming interrogatives correctly is important for effective communication .
neuter [noun]

(grammar) a gender of words that are neither masculine nor feminine

Ex: The linguist discussed the concept of neuter in grammatical gender .
affix [noun]

(grammar) a letter or group of letters added to the end or beginning of a word to change its meaning

Ex: Learning affixes helps in understanding the etymology of words .

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

Ex:
irony [noun]

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

Ex: His speech was filled with irony , making fun of the company ’s so-called " success . "
allusion [noun]

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

Ex: In his speech , he made an allusion to the Trojan War , drawing a parallel between their struggle and that of ancient heroes .
satire [noun]

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

Ex: The cartoonist 's satire of political leaders sparked public debate .

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

Ex: The phrase ' passed away ' is a common euphemism for ' died , ' used to soften the harsh reality of death .
analogy [noun]

(linguistics) a process by which a new word or inflection is formed according to existing rules and regulations

Ex: Many children use analogy to form new words by mimicking the sounds of existing ones .
coherent [adjective]

(of a person) able to express thoughts or ideas in a clear and consistent manner

Ex: She is a coherent speaker , always presenting her ideas in an organized way .

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

Ex: The dictionary includes information on the etymology of words to provide linguistic context .
inarticulate [adjective]

(of people) unable to express oneself clearly or easily

Ex:

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

Ex: In linguistics , a tautology is the redundant repetition of an idea , where the same concept is expressed multiple times in different words .

(linguistics) a branch of linguistics that deals with the sentences and the contexts in which they are used

Ex: Pragmatics explains why the same words can have different meanings in different contexts .

the science and study of speech sounds and their production

Ex:
phoneme [noun]

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

Ex: Phonemes are abstract units that are realized as various allophones in different phonetic contexts .
morpheme [noun]

(linguistics) the smallest meaningful unit of a language that does not necessarily stand alone and cannot be divided

Ex: Understanding morphemes helps linguists analyze how words are formed and how they convey meaning .
lexeme [noun]

(linguistics) a basic linguistic unit that is meaningful and underlies a set of words which are related through inflection

Ex: Linguists study lexemes to understand how words are related morphologically and semantically within a language .

a variant pronunciation of a phoneme, which can occur due to phonetic differences in specific contexts or environments within a language

Ex: Linguists analyze the distribution of allophones within a language to understand its phonological rules and patterns .
ellipsis [noun]

(grammar) the act of omitting a word or words from a sentence, when the meaning is complete and the omission is understood from the context

Ex: Ellipses are commonly used in academic writing to condense quotations without altering meaning .
homonym [noun]

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

Ex: " Bank " is a homonym because it can mean both a financial institution and the side of a river .

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

Ex: Mistaking homophones like " bare " and " bear " can lead to amusing misunderstandings in conversation .

(phonetics) a gliding speech sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable

Ex: The Spanish language includes several diphthongs that blend vowels smoothly .