CSEC English B key terms

A figure of speech that states one thing is another to transfer meaning, as in 'the classroom was a zoo'. Unlike simile, it makes the comparison directly without using 'like' or 'as'.

A comparison between two unlike things introduced by 'like' or 'as', for example 'her voice was like gravel'. It highlights a shared quality to sharpen the reader's picture.

Giving human qualities or actions to non-human things, objects, or ideas, such as 'the wind whispered'. It makes abstract or natural forces vivid and emotionally accessible to readers.

Language that appeals to the senses to create vivid mental pictures. Writers use sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell details to make scenes concrete and to shape mood.

The use of an object, place, or action to stand for a larger idea beyond its literal meaning, such as a caged bird representing confinement. Symbols carry meaning without being stated outright.

A recurring image, phrase, or idea that repeats across a text to reinforce its themes. Unlike a symbol used once, a motif gains meaning through repetition and pattern.

The central idea or underlying message a text explores, such as justice, identity, or loss. Themes are inferred from patterns of events and language rather than stated directly.

A gap between what is said, expected, or known and what actually happens or is meant. Verbal, situational, and dramatic irony all depend on that contrast for effect.

A device where the audience knows something a character does not, creating tension or humour. It is common in drama, where spectators see the consequences a character cannot foresee.

The writer's or speaker's attitude towards the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice and sentence structure. Tone may be ironic, nostalgic, bitter, or affectionate, and differs from mood.

The emotional atmosphere a text creates in the reader, such as unease, warmth, or dread. Mood is built through setting, imagery, and diction rather than stated directly.

A writer's choice of words and phrases, including formality, connotation, and dialect. Diction shapes tone and character because each word carries associations beyond its dictionary meaning.

The emotional or cultural associations a word carries beyond its literal dictionary meaning. 'Cheap' and 'affordable' share a sense but differ sharply in connotation, affecting tone.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, stripped of emotional association. Distinguishing denotation from connotation helps readers explain how word choice shapes tone and attitude.

The perspective and personality from which a story is told, including whether the narrator is first or third person. Voice shapes how far readers trust and identify with the telling.

The position from which a narrative is told, such as first person, third person limited, or omniscient. It controls what information the reader can access and how sympathy is directed.

A narrator whose account the reader has reason to doubt because of bias, ignorance, or deception. Spotting gaps and contradictions lets readers read against the narrator's version of events.

The methods a writer uses to build characters, including description, dialogue, action, and others' reactions. Direct characterisation tells; indirect characterisation shows through behaviour and speech.

The central character whose goals and conflicts drive the narrative forward. Readers usually follow the protagonist's fortunes most closely, though they need not admire the character.

The character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates central conflict. An antagonist may be a person, a society, or an internal fear rather than a villain.

A character whose traits contrast with another's, usually the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities. A calm sibling beside an impulsive hero makes the hero's recklessness more visible.

The struggle between opposing forces that drives a plot, whether person against person, society, nature, or self. Conflict generates tension and forces characters to change or reveal themselves.

The organised sequence of events in a narrative, arranged to create cause and effect rather than mere chronology. Plot typically moves through exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution.

The point of greatest tension in a narrative, where the central conflict reaches its decisive moment. After the climax, the action falls away towards resolution.

Hints early in a text that suggest later events, preparing readers without revealing outcomes outright. It can work through dialogue, weather, objects, or repeated images.

The anxious anticipation a reader feels about what will happen next. Writers build suspense through delayed information, danger, foreshadowing, and shifting pace.

The time and place in which a narrative occurs, including social and historical context. Setting can shape mood, motivate characters, and symbolise wider ideas.

A speech in which a character alone on stage speaks their thoughts aloud, revealing private feelings to the audience. It differs from a monologue because no other character is present to hear it.

An extended speech by one character, often with others present on stage. It can reveal motivation, advance plot, or let a character persuade and reflect.

Conversation between characters in a text or play. Dialogue reveals personality, advances plot, and creates rhythm, especially when contrasted with narration or silence.

A variety of language specific to a region or social group, shown through vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Writers use dialect to signal identity, class, and setting authentically.

The level of formality in language suited to a particular situation or audience. A character may shift register between a formal letter and casual speech, revealing social awareness.

A mode of writing that ridicules human folly or vice to provoke change, often through irony, exaggeration, and wit. Satire targets behaviour or institutions rather than merely amusing readers.

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect, as in 'I've told you a million times'. It can intensify emotion, mock a subject, or dramatise a speaker's state of mind.

Ascribing human emotions to nature or weather to reflect a character's feelings, such as rain at a funeral. It links external setting to internal emotional states.

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words, as in 'sleek, silver ships'. It draws attention to phrases, creates rhythm, and can reinforce meaning through sound.

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words, as in 'the low moan of the wind'. It contributes to a text's musical quality and can echo a mood.

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables and pauses that gives language its pace. In poetry and prose alike, rhythm shapes emphasis and emotional effect.

A grouped set of lines in a poem, separated by space, functioning like a paragraph. Stanza length and shape can control pace and mark shifts in argument or mood.

The continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line or stanza without punctuation. It creates momentum, surprise, or hesitation depending on where the line breaks.