QCAA Sinhala (SEE) key terms

The Sinhala alphabet as a whole, consisting of vowels, consonants and their combinations. Candidates must recognise its order and structure when reading dictionary entries or alphabetical lists.

A vowel sound in Sinhala, written either as an independent letter or as a sign attached to a consonant. Vowels carry length distinctions that change meaning, so accurate recognition is essential.

A consonant letter in Sinhala, produced with some obstruction of airflow. Consonants combine with vowel signs to form syllables, and each belongs to a place-of-articulation class.

Consonant letters written without an attached vowel, marked by the hal kirima stroke. They appear at the end of syllables or in consonant clusters and never stand alone as pronounced syllables.

Long vowel sounds in Sinhala, held roughly twice as long as their short counterparts. Length is phonemic, so confusing short and long vowels can change a word's meaning entirely.

Short vowel sounds in Sinhala, contrasted with long vowels of the same quality. Candidates must distinguish them in spelling and pronunciation, since minimal pairs rely on this difference.

Aspirated consonant letters in Sinhala, pronounced with a puff of breath. They occur mainly in loanwords and learned vocabulary, and their correct use affects formal spelling.

Unaspirated consonants in Sinhala, pronounced without a noticeable release of breath. They pair with aspirated consonants in the traditional alphabet order and dominate native vocabulary.

Conjunct consonant forms in which two or more consonants are joined, often with a hal kirima stroke beneath. They appear in Sanskrit and Pali loanwords and must be decoded when reading formal texts.

A class or category, especially one of the five traditional groups of consonants arranged by place of articulation. Knowing these groups helps candidates predict pronunciation and spell unfamiliar words.

The sound changes that occur where two words or morphemes meet, such as vowel coalescence or consonant insertion. Recognising sandhi rules helps candidates split written forms into their component words.

The etymology or derivation of a word, tracing it back to an earlier root or source language. Candidates use derivational knowledge to explain meaning shifts and to analyse unfamiliar vocabulary.

The root or base form of a word before affixes are added. Identifying the root allows candidates to work out the meanings of related derived forms and to group words into families.

A prefix added to a root that modifies its meaning, often borrowed from Sanskrit or Pali. Recognising common prefixes helps candidates infer the sense of unfamiliar formal vocabulary.

A suffix attached to a root or stem to form a new word or grammatical form. Candidates must recognise suffixes to distinguish nouns, verbs and adjectives within a sentence.

A noun, naming a person, place, thing or abstract idea. Nouns in Sinhala carry case and number marking, and identifying them correctly is basic to parsing sentences.

A verb, expressing an action, event or state. Sinhala verbs inflect for tense, person and aspect, so candidates must locate the verb to determine who did what and when.

A grammatical case ending that shows a noun's role in the sentence, such as subject, object or possessor. Correct case recognition is essential for accurate comprehension and translation.

Grammatical number, distinguishing singular from plural. Sinhala marks plurality in ways that vary by noun class, so candidates must check agreement between nouns and their modifiers.

Grammatical tense, indicating whether an action occurs in the past, present or future. Sinhala also distinguishes completed and ongoing aspect, so tense marking carries more than simple time reference.

An intransitive verb, one that takes no direct object. Recognising intransitivity helps candidates avoid misreading a sentence as though an object were present when none exists.

A transitive verb, one that takes a direct object. Candidates identify transitivity to confirm which noun in a sentence is the object and which is the subject.

The subject of a sentence, the doer or topic about which the predicate says something. Sinhala often marks the subject with specific case forms, and agreement with the verb depends on it.

The object of a verb, typically the entity affected by the action. Identifying the object is necessary for accurate comprehension, especially where word order is flexible.

A clause, a group of words containing a subject and predicate that may form part of a larger sentence. Candidates split long sentences into clauses to unpack complex meaning.

Words having the same or very similar meaning, such as synonyms used to vary style. Candidates must select the synonym that fits the context rather than the most familiar one.

Words with opposite meanings, such as antonyms. Questions often ask candidates to supply or identify the contrasting term, so a wide vocabulary of paired opposites is needed.

Words that carry more than one distinct meaning depending on context. Candidates must read the surrounding sentence carefully to choose the sense actually intended.

The meaning of a sentence as a whole, which may differ from the sum of its individual words. Candidates interpret idiom, implication and tone to arrive at the intended sense.

The implied or figurative meaning of an utterance, as opposed to its literal wording. Recognising tone and implication is needed to answer inference questions accurately.

A metaphor, in which one thing is described directly as another to suggest resemblance. Candidates identify metaphors in poetry and prose and explain the comparison they create.

A simile, an explicit comparison introduced by words meaning 'like' or 'as'. Distinguishing simile from metaphor is a common requirement when analysing literary technique.

A figure of speech or ornament of style used to heighten literary effect. Candidates name the figure used in a passage and explain how it contributes to meaning or mood.

A lyric poem or song-like composition expressing personal feeling. Candidates discuss its rhythm, imagery and emotional register when analysing set poetry texts.

Poetic metre, the patterned arrangement of syllables and stresses in a verse line. Identifying metre helps candidates describe form and explain rhythmic effects in poetry.

A poem or verse composition, the basic unit of Sinhala poetic literature. Candidates analyse theme, form and figurative language when responding to set poems.

A novel, a long prose narrative with developed characters and plot. Candidates discuss narrative technique, characterisation and theme when writing on set novels.

A short story, a brief prose narrative usually focused on a single incident or insight. Candidates analyse structure, point of view and ending when discussing set short stories.

Character analysis, the study of a figure's traits, motives and development within a text. Candidates support their claims with specific evidence drawn from the work.

The central idea or underlying concern explored by a literary work. Candidates state the theme clearly and support it with textual evidence rather than mere plot summary.