VCE Filipino key terms

Any written work in prose rather than verse, such as a short story, novel, or essay. In Filipino literary study it is contrasted with poetry and drama.

A short prose narrative built around one central incident, with a compact plot, few characters, and a single dominant impression or theme delivered through a turning point.

The arrangement of events in a narrative, usually described as beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. It shows how conflict develops and how it is settled.

A person or character who acts within a literary work. Characters may be flat or round, and their words and choices carry the story's conflict and theme.

The central struggle in a narrative, whether between people, between a person and nature or society, or within a person's own conscience. It drives the plot toward its climax.

The perspective from which a story is told, for example first person, third-person limited, or omniscient. It controls what readers can know and how they judge events.

The underlying idea or insight a text conveys about life, people, or society, such as justice, migration, or resilience. It is usually implied rather than stated directly.

A prose piece that presents a writer's reflection, opinion, or argument on a topic. It may be formal and expository or familiar and personal in tone.

A literary work written in verse, shaped by rhythm, line breaks, and often rhyme. It condenses experience into images and sound patterns rather than straightforward narration.

A stanza, or grouped set of lines, within a poem. Stanzas organise a poem's thought and often mark shifts in image, mood, or argument.

The measured number of syllables in a line of Filipino verse, such as the twelve-syllable line of the awit and the eight-syllable line of the korido. It creates regularity and rhythm.

The matching of final sounds in lines of verse, which gives a poem musicality and marks the ends of thoughts. In traditional Filipino poetry it is often paired with fixed syllable counts.

Figurative or metaphorical language that says one thing in terms of another, adding depth and suggestion. It includes metaphor, simile, and other comparisons common in Filipino poetry.

A short traditional saying that expresses folk wisdom or a moral lesson, often using imagery and fixed phrasing. It is passed down orally and reflects community values.

A riddle posed in rhythmic, often rhyming language, describing an object or idea indirectly so that listeners guess the answer. It is a traditional oral form used for play and teaching.

The body of traditional folk knowledge expressed in sayings, riddles, proverbs, and songs. It carries community values and is studied as early Filipino oral literature.

A long narrative poem recounting the deeds of a hero, often with supernatural events and tribal values. Filipino epics such as those of the Cordillera and Mindanao were transmitted orally.

A literary work intended for performance on stage, written mainly in dialogue and stage directions. Its structure is shaped by scenes, acts, and visible conflict.

A formal debate in verse between two or more poets who argue opposing sides of a topic in improvised, rhymed exchanges. It is named after poet Francisco Balagtas.

Any coherent spoken, written, or multimodal message studied as a whole, including its purpose, audience, structure, and language choices. Analysis of teksto is central to reading and viewing tasks.

The circumstances surrounding a text or utterance, such as its historical setting, intended audience, and purpose. Meaning depends heavily on this background information.

The attitude or emotional colouring a speaker or writer conveys toward the subject and audience, for example ironic, respectful, or urgent. It is signalled by word choice and phrasing.

The distinction between formal language, suited to official or academic settings, and informal language, used with friends or in casual writing. Register must match audience and purpose.

An adjective, the word class that describes or limits a noun, such as maganda, mataas, or mabait. Filipino adjectives often take affixes and link to nouns with na or -ng.

An adverb, the word class that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, expressing manner, time, place, or degree. Many Filipino adverbs are formed with the prefix na- or the marker nang.

An affix, a meaningful element attached to a root word to change or refine its meaning, such as the prefix mag-, the infix -um-, or the suffix -an. Affixes are central to Filipino word formation.

A root word that carries core meaning before any affixes are added, such as sulat in sumulat or sulatin. Recognising roots helps decode unfamiliar derived words.

The grammatical focus of a Filipino sentence, showing which element, such as the actor, object, or beneficiary, is highlighted by the verb's affix and marked by ang or ng.

The verb category showing whether an action is completed, in progress, or not yet begun, expressed through affix changes such as nagluto, nagluluto, and magluluto. It differs from simple tense.

A verb, the word class that expresses an action or state and carries focus and aspect through affixes. It is often the core of a Filipino predicate.

A noun, the word class naming a person, place, thing, or idea. Filipino nouns are marked by particles such as ang, ng, and sa according to their role in the sentence.

A pronoun, a word that stands in for a noun, such as ako, siya, nila, or ito. Filipino pronouns have sets that differ by case and are placed according to sentence focus.

Expanding a sentence by adding modifiers, phrases, or clauses to a basic subject-predicate core, making meaning more precise. It is a common writing exercise in language subjects.

Summarising, the skill of condensing a text into its main points in one's own words while keeping essential information and omitting detail. It tests comprehension and judgement about relevance.

Translation, the process of carrying meaning from one language to another while preserving sense, tone, and cultural nuance rather than word-for-word form. Idioms and register are common challenges.

Communication through means other than words, such as gestures, facial expression, posture, tone of voice, and spacing. It can reinforce, contradict, or replace spoken meaning.

A text that combines several modes, such as written language, images, sound, and layout, to make meaning, for example an advertisement or a website. Each mode contributes to the overall message.

Literary analysis, the close reading of a text's form, language, and context to support an interpretation. It requires evidence from the text rather than mere summary or personal reaction.