What is a portmanteau word, or a portmanteau? A one-sentence definition is easy enough: a portmanteau word is, in summary, a word that has been formed by blending two existing words together. So, for instance, a motel is from motor + hotel, brunch is from breakfast + lunch, and smog […]
Tag: Short Introductions
What is a Poetic Conceit?
What is a conceit in literature, especially poetry? A conceit can be defined as an elaborate and fanciful metaphor or analogy, or a witty and ingenious comparison between two things which do not naturally belong to each other.
What is Enjambment?
What is enjambment? Or, if you prefer, what is ‘enjambement’, or, if you prefer another, what is a ‘run-on line’? These three terms – enjambment, enjambement, and run-on lines – are all used to refer to the same thing, which is when a poet carries over a sentence from one […]
What is Plagiarism?
By Dr Oliver Tearle What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is, in summary, stealing another person’s work and passing it off as your own. The term ‘plagiarism’ is most commonly used in relation to written works, but writers often borrow words from each other without crediting their source. So the term ‘plagiarism’ […]
What is an Acronym?
What is an acronym? Well, let’s begin with a different question. What do the following have in common: DVD, UN, CND, BBC, GSOH, and TV? If you answered ‘they’re all acronyms’, then read on. For it’s necessary to make a fine but important distinction between bona fide acronyms and other […]