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| Name: | Englisch - Interpretation |
| Erstellt von: | Jörg-Michael Grassau |
| Erstellt am: | 12.09.2005 |
| Copyright: | (c) Jochen Lüders; wichtiger Copyright-Hinweis zu den Wortschätzen auf vokabeln.de |
| Inhalt: | Vokabeln, Redewendungen und Beispielsätze zur englischsprachigen Analyse / Besprechung / Interpretation von Kurzgeschichten, Gedichten, Filmen, Cartoons, Werbung usw. Themen: Assessing Texts, Writing a Composition, Action and Plot, Character, Narrator and Narrator Perspective, Stylistic Devices, Metaphors, Short Stories, Reading Poetry, Cartoons, Car Advertisements, Films. |
| Kommentar: |
Quelle: www.jochen-lueders.de. Verwendung mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Jochen Lüders. Genauere Beschreibung der einzelnen Themen: * Assessing Texts: Beurteilung von Texten * Writing a Composition: Redewendungen und connectives für den Aufsatz * Action and Plot: Die wichtigsten Begriffe zur Analyse der Handlung * Character: Die wichtigsten Begriffe zu 'character' und 'characterization' * Narrator and Narrator Perspective: Die wichtigsten Begriffe zur Analyse von Erzähler und Erzählperspektive * Stylistic Devices: Die wichtigsten Stilmittel, geordnet nach Imagery, Sound, Structure und Miscellaneous, mit deutscher Übersetzung, Definitionen, Beispielen und phrases * Metaphors: Besprechung / Interpretation von Metaphern * Short Stories: plot, narrator, point of view etc. * Reading Poetry: Besprechung / Interpretation von Gedichten * Cartoons: Analyse / Interpretation von Cartoons * Car Advertisements: Wortschatz zur Analyse von Autowerbung im Zusammenhang mit der Besprechung von 'Autogeddon' von H. Williams (in English Eleven S. 37-38, bes. Z. 15-24) * Films: Die wichtigsten Fachbegriffe mit englischen Definitionen, deutscher Übersetzung und Beispielen, geordnet nach Shots, Camera Positions, Camera Movements, Focus, Editing, Visual Effects und Miscellaneous |
| Kategorien: | Kapitel (32 Einträge), Attribut (1 Eintrag) |
| Assessing Texts | (35 Vokabeln) |
to assess / evaluate the quality of a text | die Qualität eines Textes beurteilen |
to apply assessment / evaluation criteria | Bewertungskriterien anwenden |
a concise analysis | eine prägnante Analyse |
a wide range of vocabulary | ein umfassender Wortschatz |
precise / vivid language | präzise / anschauliche Sprache |
careless / inaccurate choice of words | nachlässige / ungenaue Wortwahl |
to come to the point | auf den Punkt kommen |
to waffle (BE infml.) | schwafeln |
an appropriate register | eine angemessene Sprachebene |
to attract / engage sb.'s attention | Aufmerksamkeit wecken |
to hold / maintain sb.'s attention | Aufmerksamkeit aufrechterhalten |
the target reader / audience | Zielleser / Zielpublikum |
to link paragraphs | Absätze miteinander verbinden |
a smooth transition | eine elegante Überleitung |
to elaborate on an aspect | einen Aspekt ausführen |
to expand on a point | einen Punkt erläutern |
a well-organized composition | ein gut organisierter Aufsatz |
a logical progression of arguments | eine logische Abfolge von Argumenten |
a coherent text | ein zusammenhängender Text |
(a lack of) coherence | (ein Mangel an) Zusammenhang |
a misleading topic sentence | ein irreführender Themasatz |
to deduct points | Punkte abziehen |
to affect communication | die Kommunikation beeinträchtigen |
a needless repetition | eine unnötige Wiederholung |
a vague reference to sth. | ein unklarer Verweis auf etwas |
to miss the point | nicht verstehen worum es geht |
to omit a major point | einen wichtigen Punkt auslassen |
minor omissions | geringfügige Auslassungen |
to commit a howler | einen groben Fehler machen |
to impede communication | die Kommunikation behindern |
a recurring error | ein sich wiederholender Fehler |
neat handwriting | saubere Handschrift |
illegible handwriting | unleserliche Handschrift |
to scrawl / scribble | schmieren, kritzeln |
a messy layout | ein unordentliches Layout |
| Writing a Composition: Introduction | (7 Vokabeln) |
introduction | Einleitung |
It is often claimed that ... | Es wird oft behauptet, dass ... |
It is a commonplace that ... | Es ist eine Binsenweisheit, dass ... |
... So the question arises whether ... | Deshalb stellt sich die Frage, ob ... |
It is a well-known fact that ... | Es ist allgemein bekannt, dass ... |
It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that ... | Man kann ohne große Übertreibung sagen, dass ... |
According to the latest statistics ... | Laut der neuesten Statistiken ... |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Structuring Arguments | (8 Vokabeln) |
main part | Hauptteil |
structuring arguments | Argumente strukturieren |
Firstly ... secondly ... finally ... | Erstens ... zweitens ... schließlich ... |
First of all / To begin with I would like to ... | Zunächst einmal |
In addition / Moreover / Besides / Furthermore ... | Darüberhinaus |
Another significant advantage is ... | Ein weitere(r) |
This brings us to the question whether ... | Daraus ergibt sich die Frage, ob |
But above all one must not forget that ... | Aber vor allem |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Personal Opinion | (6 Vokabeln) |
personal opinion | persönliche Meinung |
In my opinion / To my mind you can say that ... | Meiner Meinung nach |
It seems to me that this is not the solution to ... | Es scheint mir, dass |
The way I see it / In my view we should keep in mind that ... | Meiner Ansicht nach |
I am (absolutely) convinced that ... | Ich bin (völlig) überzeugt |
I maintain that ... | Ich bleibe dabei, dass |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Personal Attitude | (6 Vokabeln) |
personal attitude | eigene Einstellung |
Obviously / Doubtlessly it is wrong to say that ... | Offensichtlich / Zweifellos |
Funnily enough / Strangely a lot of people think that ... | Komischer- / Seltsamerweise |
Fortunately / Luckily this is not the only argument against ... | Glücklicherweise |
Unfortunately / Regrettably he fails to acknowledge that ... | Leider |
Frankly / Generally speaking his proposals are stupid. | Offen / Allgemein gesagt |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Comparisons | (5 Vokabeln) |
comparisons | Vergleiche |
Compared with the situation ten years ago ... | Verglichen mit |
In comparison with the US ... | Im Vergleich mit |
There is a fundamental difference between ... and ... | wesentlicher Unterschied |
On the one hand ... on the other hand ... | Auf der einen ... anderen Seite |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Expressing Contrast | (6 Vokabeln) |
expressing contrast | Gegensatz ausdrücken |
We must not forget, however, that ... | jedoch |
All the same / Nevertheless, it is wrong to say that ... | Trotzdem |
In spite of / Despite all those arguments ... | Trotz |
Contrary to / In contrast to / Unlike the writer I think ... | Im Gegensatz zu |
It is true that ... but it is definitely wrong to say that ... | Zwar ... aber |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Giving an Example | (4 Vokabeln) |
giving an example | Beispiel geben |
Let us consider, for instance, ... | zum Beispiel |
... is a striking example of ... | ausgezeichnetes Beispiel für |
This incident serves to illustrate ... | veranschaulicht |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Expressing Doubt | (5 Vokabeln) |
expressing doubt | Zweifel ausdrücken |
It is doubtful / questionable whether ... | Es ist zweifelhaft / fraglich, ob ... |
It remains to be seen whether ... | Es bleibt abzuwarten, ob ... |
I have a few reservations about the book. | ein paar Vorbehalte gegenüber |
It is by no means certain that ... | Es ist keinesfalls sicher, dass ... |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Disagreeing | (8 Vokabeln) |
disagreeing | Widerspruch einlegen |
I find it hard to believe that ... | Ich kann nur schwer glauben, dass |
Her claim lacks credibility. | ist unglaubwürdig |
I remain unconvinced by his statement. | überzeugt mich nicht |
It is completely / totally / absolutely wrong to believe that ... | völlig / ganz und gar |
He is thoroughly / entirely wrong when he claims ... | völlig |
The author is terribly / greatly mistaken when he says that ... | sich gewaltig irren |
His theory is totally inaccurate. | vollkommen falsch |
| Writing a Composition: Main Part: Logical Consequence | (4 Vokabeln) |
logical consequence | logische Folge |
So / Therefore / That is why we cannot simply assume that ... | Deshalb |
From all this it follows that ... | Aus all dem folgt, dass ... |
The logical conclusion from all this is that ... | die logische Schlussfolgerung |
| Writing a Composition: Conclusion | (6 Vokabeln) |
conclusion | Schluss |
To conclude / In conclusion you can safely say that ... | Zusammenfassend |
All in all I therefore reject the view that ... | Alles in allem |
To sum up I am seriously opposed to the writer's position that ... | Zusammenfassend |
In brief I cannot accept the suggestion that ... | Kurz gesagt |
Weighing the pros and cons one comes to the conclusion that ... | Wenn man das Für und Wider abwägt ... |
| Action and Plot | (18 Vokabeln) |
action (Everything that happens in a fictional story. There are two different kinds of action.) | Handlung |
external action (What the characters do in the "real", physical world.) | äußere Handlung |
internal action (What takes place in a character's mind, i.e. his thoughts, feelings, memories, associations etc.) | innere Handlung |
plot (An author's selection and arrangement of events in a fictional text. Discussions of plot include not just what happens, but also how and why things happen the way they do. Normally the plot develops in the following stages: exposition, rising action, climax/turning point, falling action and ending.) | Handlung / Handlungsstruktur |
exposition (It introduces the main character(s), the theme and the setting.) | Exposition |
setting (place, time and general social background of a story. For example a story may be set in 19th century England among poor workers.) | Schauplatz |
in medias res (A Latin term used to describe the common strategy of beginning a story in the middle of the action. We enter the story at some exciting moment and learn only later about the events that led to this situation.) | in medias res |
rising action (The intial conflict intensifies and suspense increases.) | steigende Handlung |
climax (The moment when the conflict is most intense.) | Höhepunkt |
turning point (A change in the conflict or suspense. Climax and turning point are often hard to distinguish.) | Wende |
falling action (The conflict becomes less intense and suspense is reduced) | fallende Handlung |
dénouement (from French "unknotting") (The conflict is solved. A typical example is the happy ending (not: happy end) of many love stories and fairy tales ("And they lived happily ever after.")) | Auflösung |
open ending (The conflict is not solved and the reader is left wondering what might happen next.) | offenes Ende |
surprise ending (The reader's expectations are not fulfilled, instead the story takes an unexpected turn.) | überraschendes Ende |
suspense (A feeling of excitement when the reader does not know the outcome of a conflict.) | Spannung |
comic relief (A humorous scene or event that reduces suspense in an otherwise serious or tragic situation. For example a character suddenly sneezes (niesen) during a burial (Begräbnis).) | comic relief |
flashback (An episode which interrupts the chronological order of a text in order to go back in time and show what happened earlier. A flashback may be used to tell for example the tragic childhood of the protagonist and thus explain his present problems.) | Rückblende |
foreshadowing / anticipation (The technique of hinting at (andeuten) later events so that the reader is prepared for them or can even anticipate them. In many cases already the exposition foreshadows / anticipates the outcome of the story.) | Vorausdeutung |
| Character | (9 Vokabeln) |
characters (The "people" in a fictional text. Do not use the words person or people.) | Person, Figur |
protagonist also: main / major character (The central character who engages the reader's interest.) | Protagonist |
antagonist (The character that stands directly opposed to the protagonist and causes the conflict of the story.) | Antagonist |
round character (A character who is similar to real individuals, has several traits and behaves in a way that is similar to real life. He often displays the inconsistencies and internal conflicts found in most real people. He usually changes in the course of a story.) | komplexe Figur |
flat character (A character who has only one or two qualities or traits.) | eindimensionale Figur |
stock characters (Stereotypes such as the "dumb blonde" or the "mean stepmother".) | Stereotypen |
characterization (The way in which an author presents his or her characters.) | Charakterisierung |
explicit / direct characterization (The reader is told directly about a character's personality by the narrator, another character or the character him- or herself. Examples: Narrator: Tom was a kind man. Another character: Mrs Miller told her friend that Tom was a kind man. Character himself: (Tom to a friend) "You needn't worry, I'm kind and helpful.") | explizite Charakterisierung |
implicit / indirect characterization (The reader is expected to draw conclusions about a character by studying his appearance, behaviour, choice of words, opinions, way of talking etc. Examples: Appearance: She was shabbily dressed in faded, torn pants and wrinkled gray shirt. (Conclusion: She is poor.) Behaviour: He quickly ducked and raised his hands to cover his face as the older man approached him. (Conclusion: He is a coward.) Words: "I simply don't know what to do," Sam complained. (Conclusion: Sam is weak and indecisive).) | implizite Charakterisierung |
| Narrator and Narrative Perspective | (12 Vokabeln) |
narrator (The "voice" that tells a story. Unless it is an autobiography, the narrator is not identical with the author/writer.) | Erzähler |
point of view (The perspective from which characters, events, etc. are presented in a fictional text. The chosen point of view has a strong effect on the reader; for example, we tend to respond (reagieren) more sympathetically to a character whose mind we "enter", as we experience for ourselves what the character goes through. In the course of many stories the point of view changes to make reading more interesting.) | Erzählperspektive |
first person narrator / limited point of view (The narrator is a character in the story and uses the first person singular ("I"). This narrator may be either the protagonist (Hauptperson) or a minor character, who is just a kind of observer (neutraler Beobachter). As first person narration presents the action through the eyes of only one character, the narrator has a limited point of view. The reader tends to identify with the narrator.) | Ich-Erzähler |
interior monologue (A particular form of first person narration which presents a character's thoughts, associations and memories. Interior monologues often do not follow chronological order, since, when people think, their thoughts jump from one subject to another.) | innerer Monolog |
third person narrator / limited point of view (The narrator stands outside the story and uses the third person ("he", "she" or "they") to refer to the characters but presents the events mainly from the perspective of only one character, i.e. he "limits" himself to the perspective of this character.) | personaler Erzähler / personales Erzählverhalten |
reported thought ( Thoughts, memories, associations, etc., are presented as reported speech (third person, past tense) but without common phrases like "she thought", "he wondered", "she asked herself" etc. This technique creates the illusion of intimate access to a character's mind.) | erlebte Rede |
stream of consciousness (An attempt to convey the continuous, often unstructured or even chaotic flow of thoughts and emotions in the human mind. Typical characteristics of this technique are incomplete sentences, sudden jumps or even complete lack of any traditional syntactical structure and punctuation.) | Bewusstseinstrom |
omniscient narrator [from Latin omnis: everything, scire: to know], third person narrator / unlimited point of view (The narrator can (at least theoretically) look into the minds of all characters and tell us about their thoughts and feelings. He can look into the past, tell about the present and also anticipate the future.) | allwissender Erzähler |
intrusive narrator ( The narrator makes e.g. comments on the story, may reflect about the process of writing and may try to influence the reader. He sort of "intrudes" (stören, eindringen) on the reader and the reading process.) | auktorialer Erzähler / auktoriales Erzählverhalten |
mode of presentation (The way a writer narrates events. The author can either tell the readers about events and their significance or show the reader what is happening. Most stories use a combination of both techniques.) | Art der Darstellung |
panoramic presentation (The narrator tells the story as a condensed (verdichtet) series of events, summarizing in a few sentences what happened over a longer period of time (= telling).) | berichtende Erzählung |
scenic presentation (An event is presented in detail as it occurred, i.e. a scene is described (= showing).) | szenische Erzählung |
| Stylistic Devices: Imagery | (5 Vokabeln) |
simile (an explicit comparison between two things which are basically quite different using words such as like or as.) She walks like an angel. / I wandered lonely as a cloud. (Wordsworth) | Vergleich |
metaphor (a comparison between two things which are basically quite different without using like or as. While a simile only says that one thing is like another, a metaphor says that one thing is another. (adj. metaphorical)) All the world's a stage / And all the men and women merely players ... (Shakespeare) | Metapher |
personification (a kind of metaphor in which animals, plants, inanimate (leblos) objects or abstract ideas are represented as if they were human beings and possessed human qualities.) Justice is blind. Necessity is the mother of invention (Not macht erfinderisch). | Verkörperung |
synecdoche (lat. pars pro toto) (a kind of metaphor in which a part of something is used to signify the whole.) Lend me your ears (= give me your attention) | Synekdoche |
symbol (something concrete (like a person, object, image, word or event) that stands for something abstract or invisible.) The Cross is the symbol of Christianity. The dove (Taube) symbolizes peace/is symbolic of peace. | Symbol |
| Stylistic Devices: Sound | (13 Vokabeln) |
alliteration (the repetition of the same consonant sound in neighbouring words, usually at the beginning of words.) Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. | Alliteration |
assonance (the repetition of internal vowel sounds in neighbouring words that do not end the same.) sweet dreams / fertile - birth | Assonanz |
consonance (the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of neighbouring words which have different vowel sounds.) strength - earth – birth / home - same | Konsonanz |
metre (a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables within a line of a poem.) | Metrum |
iambic metre (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one (– '–):) The way a crow (Krähe) / Shook down on me / The dust of snow / From a hemlock tree (Frost) | Jambus |
trochaic metre (a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one ('– –):) Tiger, Tiger, burning bright / In the forest of the night. (William Blake) | Trochäus |
anapestic metre (two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable (– – '–):) Oh he flies through the air / With the greatest of ease. | Anapäst |
dactylic metre (a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones ('– – –):) Just for a handful of silver he left us / Just for a riband (Band) to stick in his coat. | Daktylus |
onomatopoeia (the use of words which imitate the sound they refer to. (adj. onomatopoeic)) the stuttering (stottern) rifles' rapid rattle / The cuckoo whizzed past the buzzing bees. | Lautmalerei |
rhyme (the use of words which end with the same sounds, usually at the end of lines.) Tiger! Tiger! burning bright / In the forests of the night. | Reim |
internal rhyme (rhyme within a line.) letters of joy from girl and boy | Binnenreim |
impure rhyme (inaccurate (ungenau) repetition of sounds.) hill - full; man - mean; sky - fine; seem - weak | unreiner Reim |
eye-rhyme (rhyme that does not depend on sound but on spelling. In older poems one has to consider that words were (maybe) pronounced differently from today.) flow - how, beat - great, over - discover. | Augenreim |
| Stylistic Devices: Structure | (7 Vokabeln) |
parallelism (the deliberate (absichtlich) repetition of similar or identical words, phrases or constructions in neighbouring lines, sentences or paragraphs.) | Parallelismus |
anaphora (a form of parallelism where a word or several words are repeated at the beginning of successive (aufeinander folgend) lines, sentences or paragraphs.) In every cry of every man / In every infant's cry of fear / In every voice, in every ban. (Blake London) | Anapher |
inversion (a change of the ususal word order (subject-verb-object).) A lady with a dulcimer (Hackbrett) / In a vision once I saw. | Inversion |
chiasmus (a reversal in the order of words so that the second half of a sentence balances the first half in inverted (umgekehrt) word order.) Love's fire heats water, water cools not love. (Shakespeare) | Chiasmus, Kreuzstellung |
climax (a figure of speech in which a series of words or expressions rises step by step, beginning with the least important and ending with the most important (= climactic order). The term may also be used to refer only to the last item in the series.) Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed (schlucken), and some few to be chewed (kauen) and digested (verdauen). | Steigerung, Höhepunkt, Klimax |
anticlimax (the sudden fall from an idea of importance or dignity (Würde) to something unimportant or ridiculous in comparison, especially at the end of a series.) The bomb completely destroyed the cathedral, several dozen houses and my dustbin. | Antiklimax |
enumeration (the listing of words or phrases. It can stress a certain aspect e.g. by giving a number of similar or synonymous adjectives to describe something.) Today many workers find their labor mechanical, boring, imprisoning, stultifying (lähmend), repetitive, dreary and heartbreaking. | Aufzählung |
| Stylistic Devices: Miscellaneous | (15 Vokabeln) |
allusion (a brief reference to a person, place, thing, event or idea in history or literature. Allusions require common reading and cultural experiences shared by the writer and the reader. (v. to allude to sth., n. an allusion to sth.)) The old man and the computer (allusion to The Old man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway) | Anspielung |
ambiguity (the deliberate use of a word or phrase that has two or more relevant meanings. Ambiguity is the basis for a lot of wordplay. (adj. ambiguous)) | Ambiguität, Zwei-/Mehrdeutigkeit |
enjambment (also: run-on line) (In poetry, when one line ends without a pause and continues into the next line for its meaning.) | Enjambement |
euphemism (hiding the real nature of something unpleasant by using a mild or indirect term for it. (adj. euphemistic)) "He has passed away." instead of "He has died." / "the underprivileged" instead of "the poor" | Euphemismus |
hyperbole also: overstatement (deliberate (absichtlich) exaggeration. Its purpose is to emphasize something or to produce a humorous effect.) I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. | Hyperbel |
understatement (the opposite of hyperbole; the deliberate presentation of something as being much less important, valuable etc. than it really is.) "These figures are a bit disappointing" instead of "... are disastrous (katastrophal)." / "He was quite upset" instead of "He went into a terrible rage". | Untertreibung |
irony (saying the opposite of what you actually mean. Do not use "ironic" in the vague sense of "funny/humorous". Sarcasm (Sarkasmus) is a strong form of verbal irony used to hurt someone through mockery (Spott, Hohn) or disapproval (Ablehnung). (adj. sarcastic)) Teacher: "You are absolutely the best class I've ever had." Actual meaning: "the worst class" | Ironie |
satire (a kind of text which criticizes certain conditions, events or people by making them appear ridiculous. Satirical texts often make use of exaggeration, irony and sarcasm. (n. satirist, adj. satirical, v. to satirize satirisch darstellen)) | Satire |
sarcasm (bitter and aggressive humour used to express mockery (Spott, Hohn) or disapproval (Ablehnung). (adj. sarcastic)) | Sarkasmus |
paradox (a statement that seems to be self-contradictory (widersprüchlich) or opposed to common sense. On closer examination it mostly reveals some truth. (adj. paradoxical)) The child is father of the man. (Wordsworth) / It is awfully hard work doing nothing. (Oscar Wilde) | Paradoxon |
oxymoron (a condensed (komprimiert) form of paradox in which two contradictory words (mostly adjective and noun) are used together.) sweet sorrow / wise fool / bittersweet / "O hateful love! O loving hate!" (Romeo and Juliet) | Oxymoron |
pun (a play on words that have the same (or a similar) sound but different meanings. There are a lot of puns in English because of its many homophones, i.e. words with the same sound as another. Homophones lose their ambiguity as soon as they are written.) At the drunkard's funeral, four of his friends carried the bier. (bier Totenbahre vs. beer Bier) | Wortspiel |
homonym (A word with the same form as another but with a different meaning) Is life worth living? – "It depends on the liver" (liver = sb. who lives vs. liver Leber) | Homonym |
rhetorical question (a question to which the answer is obvious and therefore not expected. In reality rhetorical questions are a kind of statement.) Don't we all love peace and hate war? / Shouldn't we try to be friendlier towards each other? | rhetorische Frage |
telling name (a name that conveys certain character traits.) Darth Vader (dark + death, invader) / Lord Voldemort ("flight of death") / Willy Loman (low man) | sprechender Name |
| Metaphors | (22 Vokabeln) |
At first glance one could think ... | auf den ersten Blick |
On the literal level ... | wörtliche Ebene |
Normally the word "..." denotes x but here ... | wörtlich bedeuten |
X evokes associations of ... | Assoziationen wecken |
X makes me think of / reminds me of ... | an etwas denken lassen |
The use of x gives the impression that ... | den Eindruck erwecken |
X probably refers to ... | sich beziehen auf |
For me x implies that ... | andeuten, implizieren |
In my view x suggests / hints at ... | andeuten, denken lassen an |
Perhaps the writer has x in mind when ... | an etwas denken |
On the figurative/metaphorical level ... | übertragene Ebene |
X might symbolize / be a symbol of ... | symbolisieren |
Maybe x stands for ... | stehen für |
This metaphor conveys a feeling of ... | vermitteln |
This metaphor could mean that ... | bedeuten |
This phrase is supposed to allude to ... | soll anspielen auf |
In my opinion this is an allusion to ... | Anspielung auf |
X connotes ... | suggerieren |
X has positive connotations. | Konnotationen |
This metaphor is rather ambiguous because ... | zwei-, mehrdeutig |
One might infer / conclude that ... | schließen, folgern |
A plausible conclusion could be that ... | plausible Schlussfolgerung |
| Short Stories | (22 Vokabeln) |
an ambiguous title (unclear, confusing, or not certain, especially because it can be understood in more than one way) | eine mehrdeutige Überschrift |
to arouse the reader's interest (to make somebody become interested, expect something etc) | das Interesse des Lesers wecken |
a short exposition (the beginning of a story that introduces the (main) characters, the theme and the setting) | eine kurze Exposition |
main character / protagonist (the most important character in a play, film, or story) | Hauptfigur / Protagonist |
a flat character (having only a limited number of traits or representing only a single quality) | eine eindimensionale Figur |
a round character (having several traits and behaving like in real life) | eine abgerundete, mehrdimensionale Figur |
an unusual theme (the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech, film etc) | ein ungewöhnliches Thema |
a confusing plot (the events that form the main story of a book, film, or play) | eine verwirrende Handlung / Handlungsstruktur |
internal / external action (what is going on in the mind of a character / what a character does and the events that take place) | innere / äußere Handlung |
the setting of a story / the story is set in ... (the place or time where the events in a book, film etc happen) | der Schauplatz / die Geschichte spielt ... |
an exciting rising action (the part of a story where the conflict is developed) | eine aufregende steigende Handlung |
to create suspense (a feeling of excitement or anxiety when you do not know what will happen next) | Spannung erzeugen |
a suspenseful climax (the part of a story where the conflict reaches its highest point) | ein spannender Höhepunkt |
a surprising turning-point (the part of a story where the conflict changes) | eine überraschende Wende |
falling action (the part of a story where the suspense is reduced) | fallende Handlung |
a foreshadowing of the ending (showing or hinting at something that will happen in the future) | eine Vorausdeutung auf das Ende |
an unexpected denouement (a kind of ending where the conflict is resolved) | eine unerwartete Auflösung |
a happy / tragic ending (not: happy end) (an event or situation that makes you feel very sad, especially because it involves death or suffering) | ein Happy-End / ein tragisches Ende |
a surprise / open ending | ein überraschendes / offenes Ende |
to fulfill the reader's expectations (what you think or hope will happen) | die Erwartungen des Lesers erfüllen |
an omniscient narrator (the person or character who tells the story in a book or a play) | ein allwissender Erzähler (-] auktoriale Erzählsituation) |
a first-person narrator with a limited point of view (point of view: the perspective from which a story is told) | ein Ich-Erzähler mit beschränkter Perspektive (-] personale Erzählsituation) |
| Reading Poetry | (36 Vokabeln) |
to respond to a poem | auf ein Gedicht reagieren |
to verbalize one's response | seine Reaktion in Worte fassen |
initial / close reading | erstes / genaues Lesen |
to formulate questions | Fragen formulieren |
a clearer understanding | ein besseres Verständnis |
an intellectually challenging poem | ein intellektuell anspruchsvolles Gedicht |
a daunting task | eine schwierige/entmutigende Aufgabe |
to be intimidated by complexity | von der Komplexität eingeschüchtert werden |
an accessible text | ein zugänglicher Text |
to create a mood | eine Stimmung erzeugen/hervorrufen |
to convey a mood | eine Stimmung vermitteln |
to evoke emotions | Emotionen/Gefühle hervorrufen |
to appeal to our senses | unsere Sinne ansprechen |
to associate 'winter' with death | Winter mit Tod verbinden |
'winter' makes me think of death | Winter lässt mich an Tod denken |
to be reminded of sth. | an etwas erinnert werden |
to stir the imagination | die Phantasie anregen |
an imaginative comparison | ein phantasievoller Vergleich |
to affect the reader | den Leser berühren |
to have an effect on the reader | eine Wirkung auf den Leser haben |
a vivid image | ein lebendiges/anschauliches Bild |
to establish a flowing rhythm | einen fließenden Rhythmus schaffen/erzeugen |
rhythmic patterns | rhythmische Muster |
a pleasing sound | ein angenehmer Klang |
an impression is reinforced by sth. | ein Eindruck wird von etwas verstärkt |
sth. contributes to meaning | etwas trägt zur Bedeutung bei |
to achieve a particular effect | eine bestimmte Wirkung erzielen |
a subtle reference to sth. | ein subtiler Hinweis auf etwas |
a witty allusion to sth. | eine geistreiche Anspielung auf etwas |
a sophisticated metaphor | eine anspruchsvolle Metapher |
a hackneyed cliché | ein abgedroschenes Klischee |
'bird' denotes a feathered animal | Vogel bezeichnet ein gefiedertes Tier |
'bird' connotes freedom and fragility | Vogel bedeutet Freiheit und Zerbrechlichkeit |
connotative language | assoziationsreiche Sprache |
a stark contrast (to) | ein starker Gegensatz (zu) |
an accurate description (of) | eine genaue/präzise Beschreibung (von) |
| Cartoons | (27 Vokabeln) |
In my opinion the cartoon is supposed to ... (cartoon: a funny drawing in a newspaper or magazine, especially about politicians or events in the news) | Meiner Meinung nach soll die Karikatur ... |
The cartoonist may want to convey that ... (to convey: to communicate or express something without saying it directly) | Der Karikaturist will vielleicht vermitteln, dass |
His message might be that ... (message: the main or most important idea that someone is trying to tell people about in a film, book, speech etc) | Seine Botschaft könnte sein, dass ... |
Perhaps his intention is to show that ... | Vielleicht ist es seine Absicht zu zeigen, dass |
The cartoon implies that ... (to imply: to suggest something without saying it directly) | Die K. deutet daraufhin / impliziert, dass ... |
At first glance one might think that ... (at first glance: when you first look at something) | Auf den ersten Blick könnte man meinen, dass |
but a closer analysis shows that ... | aber eine genauere Analyse zeigt, dass ... |
You could draw the conclusion that ... | Man könnte den Schluss ziehen, dass ... |
to refer to ... / a reference to ... | sich beziehen auf ... / ein Hinweis auf ... |
to allude to an event / an allusion to sth. (to allude: to mention something or someone indirectly) | auf ein Ereignis anspielen / Anspielung auf etwas |
a speech bubble / thought bubble (speech bubble: the circle around the words said by someone in a cartoon) | eine Sprechblase / Gedankenblase |
a funny caption (caption: the words printed below a picture or cartoon) | eine komische Bildunterschrift |
on the (visual) surface | auf der (visuellen) Oberfläche |
on the figurative / symbolic level | auf der übertragenen / symbolischen Ebene |
X stands for / symbolizes ... | X steht für / symbolisiert ... |
to exaggerate character traits | Charaktereigenschaften übertreiben |
a slight / gross exaggeration | eine leichte / grobe Übertreibung |
a satirical description (of) | eine satirische Beschreibung (von) |
to satirize sth. (to satirize: to use satire to make people see sb.'s faults) | etwas satirisch darstellen |
to criticize the behaviour of politicians (to criticize: to express disapproval of someone or something) | das Verhalten von Politikern kritisieren |
critical (towards) / sharp criticism (of ) | kritisch (gegenüber) / scharfe Kritik (an) |
an outspoken critic (of) (outspoken: expressing your opinions honestly and directly, even when doing this might annoy some people) | ein freimütiger Kritiker (von) |
to disapprove of sth. / strong disapproval (of) (to disapprove: to think that someone or something is bad or morally wrong) | etwas missbilligen / starke Ablehnung (von) |
to make fun of / to poke fun at sb./sth. | sich über jemand/etwas lustig machen |
to ridicule sb. (to ridicule: to laugh at a person, idea etc and say that they are stupid) | jemand lächerlich machen |
heavy sarcasm (sarcasm: a way of speaking or writing that involves saying the opposite of what you really mean in order to make an unkind joke or to show that you are annoyed) | beißender Sarkasmus |
to make a sarcastic comment (on) | einen sarkastischen Kommentar machen |
| Car Advertisements: Social Desires | (19 Vokabeln) |
to appeal to subconscious wishes (feelings, desires etc that are hidden in your mind and affect your behaviour, but you do not know that you have them) | unterbewusste Wünsche ansprechen |
to long for an ideal family life (a world, job, system etc that you imagine to be perfect, but that is not likely to really exist) | sich nach einem idealen Familienleben sehnen |
exuberant children (happy and full of energy and excitement; noun: exuberance) | übermütige Kinder |
to share the joy of playing (to have or use something with other people) | die Freude des Spielens miteinander teilen |
to play hide-and-seek (a children's game in which one player shuts their eyes while the others hide, and then goes to look for them) | Verstecken spielen |
a cheerful / gentle smile (cheerful: happy, or behaving in a way that shows you are happy) | ein fröhliches / sanftes Lächeln |
to be in a good mood (mood: the way you feel at a particular time) | in guter Stimmung sein |
to laugh with delight (a feeling of great pleasure and satisfaction) | glücklich lachen |
sheer bliss (perfect happiness or enjoyment) | reine Glückseligkeit |
pure / untouched / idyllic nature (idyllic: very beautiful and peaceful, with no problems or dangers) | reine / unberührte / idyllische Natur |
gently rolling hills (having many long gentle slopes (Hänge)) | sanft gewellte Hügel |
a romantic sunset (beautiful in a way that affects your emotions and makes you think of love or adventure) | ein romantischer Sonnenuntergang |
the car "blends" with nature / its surroundings (to thoroughly mix together substances to form a single substance) | das Auto „vermischt" sich mit der Natur / seiner Umgebung |
a close / intimate relationship (intimate: having an extremely close friendship) | eine enge / intime Beziehung |
mutual understanding / trust (feelings, such as respect, trust, or hatred, that two or more people have for each other) | gegenseitiges Verstehen / Vertrauen |
to listen attentively (listening to or watching someone carefully because you are interested) | aufmerksam zuhören |
The facial expression suggests that ... (to make someone think that a particular thing is true) | Der Gesichtsausdruck deutet darauf hin, dass ... |
His body language conveys that ... (to communicate or express something, with or without using words) | Seine Körpersprache drückt aus, dass ... |
to appeal to a target group (to try to persuade someone to do something) | eine Zielgruppe ansprechen |
| Car Advertisements: Sexual Desires | (27 Vokabeln) |
The advertisement conveys the message that ... (the main or most important idea that someone is trying to tell people about in a film, book, speech etc) | Die Anzeige vermittelt die Botschaft, dass ... |
suggests that ... | deutet an, dass ... |
makes the viewer believe that ... | lässt den Betrachter glauben, dass ... |
is supposed to create the impression that ... | soll den Eindruck erwecken, dass ... |
evokes the association that ... | weckt die Assoziation, dass ... |
to appeal to male / subconscious desires | männliche Wünsche / Begierden ansprechen |
erotic pictures | erotische Bilder |
sexually attractive / exciting | sexuell anziehend / erregend |
to have sex appeal (someone's appearance, behaviour, or personality that makes them sexually attractive) | Sexappeal besitzen |
to arouse sb. (sexually) | jmd. (sexuell) erregen |
sexual allusions | sexuelle Anspielungen |
(half-)naked / partially dressed women | (halb-)nackte / teilweise bekleidete Frauen |
a tight skirt (just big enough for you to wear, often uncomfortable) | ein enger Rock |
a skintight dress (fitting exactly to the shape of your body, especially in a way that looks sexually attractive) | ein hautenges Kleid |
a desirable woman (sexually attractive) | eine begehrenswerte Frau |
a voluptous woman (a woman who has large breasts and an attractive, rounded body, so that men feel sexually attracted to her) | eine üppige/sinnliche Frau |
to look gorgeous ((spoken) extremely attractive, in a sexual way) | phantastisch aussehen |
to look stunning (extremely beautiful and sexually attractive, in a way that everyone notices and admires) | umwerfend aussehen |
bare shoulders / breasts (not covered by any clothes) | nackte Schultern / Brüste |
the perfect body of a nude woman (not wearing any clothes) | der vollkommene Körper einer nackten Frau |
the delicate curves of a female body (attractive and graceful) | die zarten Rundungen eines weiblichen Körpers |
impressive abs (infml.) / abdominals (so good that you admire it) | beeindruckende Bauchmuskeln |
a sexy look | ein erregender Blick |
a seductive smile | ein verführerisches Lächeln |
full / sensual / glossy lips (sensual: seeming to show strong sexual feelings and a desire for sexual pleasure) | volle / sinnliche / glänzende Lippen |
a suggestive gesture (making you think of sex) | eine anzügliche Geste |
a provocative pose (intended to make someone sexually excited) | eine aufreizende Pose |
| Films: Shots | (8 Vokabeln) |
extreme long shot (ELS) / panoramic shot (The camera is far away from the subject, emphasising the surroundings (Umgebung) e.g. a tiny group of riders in a vast landscape in a western.) | Panoramaeinstellung |
long shot (LS) (A human usually takes up less than half the height of the frame (Bild), often used to show the setting of a scene.) | Totale |
medium shot (MS) (The subject and the surroundings have about equal importance. The picture shows e.g. the upper body of a person.) | Halbnah |
close-up (CU) (The subject fills most of the frame (e.g. the entire head) and little of the surroundings is shown. Close-ups are often used to show a character's feelings. ) | Großaufnahme |
extreme close-up (ECU) (For example only the eyes or a certain object (like a knife or a gun) are shown.) | Detailaufnahme |
establishing shot (Usually a long shot or an extreme long shot, which "establishes", i.e. shows the setting (Schauplatz) often at the beginning of a film.) | Anfangseinstellung |
POV shot (point-of-view) (The camera adopts (übernehmen) the perspective of a character. We see what a character sees and therefore often identify with him/her.) | subjektive Kamera |
reaction shot (Someone's face reacting to an event, for example when a villain (Bösewicht) comes into a saloon. Before we see him we see the fearful expression on the faces of some of the guests.) | [reaction shot] |
| Films: Camera Positions | (4 Vokabeln) |
aerial shot / bird's-eye view (The camera looks down from a great height (often from a helicopter), frequently used in an establishing shot to give the viewer an overall impression of the setting.) | Vogelperspektive |
high angle shot (The camera looks down at a character, making the character smaller e.g. to reduce his importance or convey loneliness.) | Aufsicht |
eye-level shot (The camera is on the same level as the character.) | Normalsicht |
low angle shot (The camera looks up e.g. to emphasize a character's importance and/or power. A director may use a low angle shot to show a scene from a child's perspective to convey fear and inferiority (Unterlegenheit).) | Untersicht/Froschperspektive |
| Films: Camera Movements | (12 Vokabeln) |
panning shot (A horizontal movement of a stationary (feststehend) camera. It corresponds to the turning of our head from one side to the other, used e.g. to present a panoramic view of a wide landscape in a western.) | Horizontalschwenk |
swish pan (A very fast panning shot which produces blurred images, often used to convey great speed.) | Reißschwenk |
tilting shot (A vertical movement of a stationary camera, corresponding to moving our head up and down.) | Vertikalschwenk |
mobile camera (There are different ways to move the camera. One way is to move a platform with the camera and its operator on tracks (Schienen).) | [mobile Kamera] |
tracking / traveling shot (A shot in which the camera moves from one point to another, either sideways, in, or out.) | [tracking shot] |
forward tracking shot (The camera follows a person from behind, e.g. during a chase.) | Verfolgungsfahrt |
reverse tracking shot (The camera moves backwards (= reverse), a character moves towards the camera, e.g. a man tries to escape and runs towards the viewer.) | Rückwärtsverfolgung |
parallel tracking shot (The camera moves parallel e.g. to a driving car or a group of riders.) | Parallelverfolgung |
dolly (A platform on wheels used to move the camera and its operator around while filming.) | Kamerawagen |
crane (Mechanical device to position the camera in the air or to move it above the ground; mostly used for high angle shots.) | Kran |
hand-held camera (Sometimes used to produce a deliberately jerky (verwackelt) picture, e.g. to convey emotional turmoil (seelische Qualen).) | [Handkamera] |
zoom (A special lens gives the camera the apparent power to vary its distance from any subject. It creates the effect of smooth and fluid movement toward or away from the subject without actually requiring any movement of the camera. You zoom in on a character or an object.) | Linse |
| Films: Focus | (7 Vokabeln) |
focus | [Schärfe] |
sharp / in focus | scharf |
blurred out of focus | unscharf, verschwommen |
to focus on (As the human eye is automatically drawn to the object which is in focus, the director may guide the viewer's attention by focussing on e.g. a certain character or object.) | scharf stellen |
deep focus (The photographic technique of keeping the entire image, no matter how far from the camera, in sharp focus. This allows action to occur at the same time in the foreground (Vordergrund), middleground and background.) | Tiefenschärfe |
shallow focus (Only people or objects in the foreground are in focus, whereas the background is blurred; thus the importance e.g. of a dialogue can be visualized.) | geringe Tiefenschärfe |
soft focus (A special lens creates a "soft", dream-like picture, which often conveys that a character remembers e.g. his wonderful youth.) | Weichzeichner |
| Films: Editing | (10 Vokabeln) |
shot (The smallest structural unit of film is a shot.) | Einstellung |
scene (A group of several interrelated shots form a scene.) | Szene |
sequence (A group of consecutive (aufeinander folgend) and interrelated scenes which form a narrative unit (Einheit) are called sequence.) | Sequenz |
editing (Editing is the creative process of assembling (zusammenfügen) a meaningful film. The person who does this is called editor (Cutter).) | schneiden |
cut (The most common transition (Übergang) between shots, made by joining the end of one shot to the beginning of the following shot. ) | Schnitt |
fade-in (An image that appears out of a black field. It is frequently used at the beginning of a film.) | Aufblende |
fade-out (A picture fades (langsam verschwinden) into black, used e.g. at the end of a film as a gradual exit from its world.) | Abblende |
dissolve also: lap dissolve (A transition between shots in which one shot begins to fade out as the next shot fades in, overlapping the first shot before replacing it.) | Überblende |
wipe (One shot is "pushed off" the screen by the next shot. The most common wipe is a vertical line, moving across the screen from one side to the other.) | Wischblende |
cross-cutting (Alternating (abwechseln) between subjects or events occurring at the same time at different places; often used to create suspense. Example: Cross-cutting between a murderer threatening to kill his female victim and the detective coming to save her.) | [cross-cutting] |
| Films: Visual Effects | (4 Vokabeln) |
slow motion / slomo (Movements on the screen are slower than in real-life. Slow motion is used e.g. to increase the impact of a dramatic fight like in Matrix.) | Zeitlupe |
fast motion (Movements on the screen are faster than in reality, often used for comic effects.) | Zeitraffer |
freeze frame (An unmoving picture, that is used e.g. to create the impression that all action has suddenly stopped.) | Standbild |
morphing (Changing an image with the help of CGI (Computer Generated Image) software, e.g. robots changing into humans in the Terminator movies.) | [morphing] |
| Films: Miscellaneous | (14 Vokabeln) |
director | Regisseur |
cinematographer / cameraman | Kameramann |
props | Requisiten |
subjective sound ("Unreal" sound, i.e. we hear something the way a character perceives (wahrnehmen) something; for example normal steps may become very loud and threatening (bedrohlich) because a woman is alone in a house and afraid of a burglar (Einbrecher).) | subjektiver Ton |
voice-over (The voice of a narrator who speaks and comments on the story but is not shown.) | Erzählerkommentar |
flashback (A scene that interrupts the chronological order to show earlier events.) | Rückblende |
flashforward (A scene that breaks the chronological order to show events that happen in the future.) | Vorausschau |
homage (A tribute (Würdigung) to a certain film or a film genre (e.g. westerns). The director re-creates certain shots/scenes or respectfully imitates certain aspects.) | Hommage |
parody (An amusing imitation of a well-known genre (Gattung) or specific movie. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a parody of horror movies.) | Parodie |
product placement ("Placing" (= showing) products in a film so that viewers notice them. A character drinks e.g. from a Coca-Cola can and emphasizes how good it tastes.) | [product placement] |
critic (Somebody who publishes a review (Besprechung, Kritik) of a movie e.g. in a newspaper.) | Kritiker |
sequel (A film that shows a story that happens after the story of an earlier film. Its opposite is called prequel, a story that happened before (= "pre") the story of an earlier film (cf. Star Wars)) | Fortsetzung |
screenplay (The earliest version of a script, written before filming begins. The shooting script is the version of the script that is used during filming. The storyboard is a series of drawings of each shot of a planned film.) | Drehbuch |
credits (A list of all the people who were involved in the making of a film.) | Vor- und Nachspann |