NSE English 10 key terms

A way of listening in which you focus fully, notice the speaker's words and tone, and respond to show understanding rather than simply waiting to speak.

Restating someone else's idea in your own words, usually to check understanding or to make a spoken message clearer, while keeping the original meaning.

The practice of letting speakers speak in an orderly way, with each person waiting for a suitable moment to respond instead of interrupting or talking over others.

The level of formality in language, such as formal, neutral, or informal, chosen to suit a particular audience, situation, and purpose.

The attitude or feeling a speaker or writer conveys through word choice, volume, pace, and sentence style, which listeners or readers infer from the message.

The rise and fall of the voice across a spoken sentence, which can show meaning, emotion, or whether a statement is a question.

Communication without words, including facial expressions, gestures, posture, eye contact, and spacing, which can support, modify, or contradict what is said.

The ability to consider who is listening, what they already know, and what they expect, so that a spoken message is clear and appropriate for them.

The central point or most important message of a text or speech, which the supporting details explain, develop, or prove.

A short statement that gives the main points of a text or speech in your own words, leaving out minor details and keeping the original meaning.

A conclusion you draw by combining evidence in a text with your own knowledge, rather than by reading a fact that is stated directly.

Hints in the words and sentences around an unfamiliar word that help a reader work out its meaning without using a dictionary.

The feelings or associations a word suggests beyond its dictionary meaning, which can make a description seem positive, negative, or neutral.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, separate from the emotions or associations that the word may suggest to readers or listeners.

Language that uses comparisons or imaginative expressions, such as metaphor, simile, and personification, to create vivid meaning beyond literal description.

A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another, without using 'like' or 'as', to highlight a shared quality.

A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as' to make a description clearer or more vivid.

A contrast between what is said or expected and what actually happens or is meant, often used to create humour, criticism, or emphasis.

A way of criticizing people, ideas, or institutions by using humour, irony, or exaggeration to expose faults and provoke thought or change.

An unfair preference for or against a person, group, or idea, which can shape how information is selected, presented, or interpreted in a text.

The viewpoint from which a story is told or an issue is presented, shaped by the writer's or speaker's beliefs, experiences, and interests.

A central idea or message about life that runs through a text, developed through characters, events, and repeated details rather than stated once.

The ability to understand and interpret images, layout, colour, symbols, and other visual elements, and to explain how they create meaning for viewers.

The reason a speaker or writer creates a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or instruct, which shapes content and style.

A sentence that states the main claim or central argument of an essay or speech, usually near the beginning, and guides the whole piece.

A sentence, often at the start of a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main point and shows how it connects to the larger text.

The way sentences and paragraphs are linked so that a text flows logically, using devices such as pronouns, repeated words, and transition words.

The quality of a text that makes it easy to follow because its ideas are arranged logically and clearly connected, not just grammatically linked.

Words or phrases such as 'however', 'therefore', and 'firstly' that show relationships between ideas and help readers follow the direction of a text.

The stage of improving a draft by correcting errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word choice so the writing is clear and accurate.

The process of reviewing and changing a draft to improve its ideas, organization, evidence, and clarity, rather than only fixing small errors.

A point that opposes your main claim, which a strong argument acknowledges and answers in order to show that the writer has considered other views.

A reasoned case in speech or writing that supports a claim with evidence and explanation, aiming to persuade an audience to accept a particular view.

Facts, examples, statistics, quotations, or expert opinions used to support a claim and make an argument more convincing to an audience.

Using someone else's words or ideas as if they were your own without proper acknowledgement, which is a serious academic and ethical offence.

A reference that shows where information, a quotation, or an idea came from, allowing readers to find the source and avoid plagiarism.