- language that produces pictures in the minds of people reading or listening
- poetic imagery
Collocations LiteratureLiteratureBeing a writersee also metaphor- write/publish literature/poetry/fiction/a book/a story/a poem/a novel/a review/an autobiography
- become a writer/novelist/playwright
- find/have a publisher/an agent
- have a new book out
- edit/revise/proofread a book/text/manuscript
- dedicate a book/poem to…
- construct/create/weave/weave something into a complex narrative
- advance/drive the plot
- introduce/present the protagonist/a character
- describe/depict/portray a character (as…)/(somebody as) a hero/villain
- create an exciting/a tense atmosphere
- build/heighten the suspense/tension
- evoke/capture the pathos of the situation
- convey emotion/an idea/an impression/a sense of…
- engage the reader
- seize/capture/grip the (reader’s) imagination
- arouse/elicit emotion/sympathy (in the reader)
- lack imagination/emotion/structure/rhythm
- use/employ language/imagery/humour/(US English) humor/an image/a symbol/a metaphor/a device
- use/adopt/develop a style/technique
- be rich in/be full of symbolism
- evoke images of…/a sense of…/a feeling of…
- create/achieve an effect
- maintain/lighten the tone
- introduce/develop an idea/a theme
- inspire a novel/a poet/somebody’s work/somebody’s imagination
- read an author/somebody’s work/fiction/poetry/a text/a poem/a novel/a chapter/a passage
- review a book/a novel/somebody’s work
- give something/get/have/receive a good/bad review
- be hailed (as)/be recognized as a masterpiece
- quote a(n) phrase/line/stanza/passage/author
- provoke/spark discussion/criticism
- study/interpret/understand a text/passage
- translate somebody’s work/a text/a passage/a novel/a poem
Extra ExamplesTopics Literature and writingc1- He evokes complex imagery with a single well-placed word.
- Illustration may come between the text and the reader's own mental imagery.
- The poem is full of religious imagery.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- evocative
- graphic
- powerful
- …
- draw on
- employ
- use
- …
Definitions on the go
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- (formal) pictures, photographs, etc.
- satellite imagery (= for example, photographs of the earth taken from space)
Extra Examples- She worked on the computer-generated imagery for the movie.
- The team used aerial imagery to recreate the scene.
- The cartoons featured racist and insensitive imagery.
- Visual imagery is very compelling.
- The montages contain vivid and disturbing imagery.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- evocative
- graphic
- powerful
- …
- draw on
- employ
- use
- …
Word OriginMiddle English (in the senses ‘statuary, carved images collectively’): from Old French imagerie, from imager ‘make an image’, from image, from Latin imago.
Check pronunciation:
imagery