Lower Saxony Zentralabitur English key terms

A deliberate language technique such as metaphor, anaphora, or rhetorical question used to shape meaning, persuade, or create emphasis. In analysis you name the device, quote the evidence, and explain its effect on the reader.

The close examination of how word choice, sentence structure, imagery, and sound patterns produce meaning and effect in a text. It moves from identifying features to interpreting why the author chose them and how they influence the reader.

The level of formality a speaker or writer adopts for a situation, ranging from casual colloquial speech to formal academic prose. Register depends on audience, purpose, and medium, and shifts within a text often signal a change in attitude.

The associations and emotional overtones a word carries beyond its literal meaning. Choosing 'regime' rather than 'government', for example, implies disapproval. Analysing connotation shows how word choice steers the reader's judgement.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, stripped of emotional colouring. Distinguishing denotation from connotation lets you explain how two near-synonyms with the same basic sense can create very different effects.

The attitude a writer or speaker conveys towards the subject and audience, for example ironic, nostalgic, indignant, or detached. Tone is inferred from word choice, sentence rhythm, and direct address rather than stated openly.

A gap between what is said and what is meant, or between expectation and outcome. Verbal irony says the opposite of the intended meaning; situational irony places characters in circumstances that contradict their hopes or beliefs.

A mode of writing that exposes folly or vice to ridicule, often through exaggeration, irony, or caricature, with the aim of provoking reform or critical reflection. It targets social or political behaviour rather than individuals alone.

A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another, transferring qualities across domains, as in 'the city is a jungle'. Unlike simile it omits 'like' or 'as', making the comparison more direct and assertive.

An explicit comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as', such as 'her voice was like gravel'. The comparison highlights a specific quality and often makes an abstract idea concrete for the reader.

Attributing human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human things, animals, or abstract concepts, as when 'the wind whispered'. It can create atmosphere, build empathy, or make an abstract idea vivid and accessible.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates mental pictures. Imagery works through clusters of related words, so tracking recurring images often reveals a text's central concerns and emotional atmosphere.

The use of a concrete object, place, or action to stand for a larger abstract idea, such as a locked door representing exclusion. Symbols gain meaning from repetition and context rather than fixed dictionary definitions.

A recurring element, image, phrase, or idea that gains significance through repetition across a text. Motifs knit a work together and often point towards its themes without stating them explicitly.

A central idea or underlying concern explored in a literary or non-literary text, such as guilt, belonging, or power. Themes are abstract and must be inferred, then supported with evidence from across the whole text.

The methods an author uses to build a character: direct description, speech, action, other characters' reactions, and physical detail. Distinguishing direct from indirect characterisation helps you judge how much the reader is left to infer.

The viewpoint from which a story is told, including first person, third-person limited, or omniscient. Perspective controls what information the reader receives and shapes sympathy, reliability, and suspense.

A narrator whose account the reader has reason to distrust because of bias, limited knowledge, self-interest, or psychological instability. Spotting inconsistencies invites the reader to construct a meaning the narrator does not admit.

A narrative technique that renders a character's continuous flow of thoughts and associations, often without logical ordering or punctuation. It creates immediacy and intimacy but demands active work from the reader.

A passage presenting a character's inner thoughts directly, as if spoken silently to the self. Unlike stream of consciousness it usually retains grammatical structure, making it a more controlled way of revealing inner life.

A situation in a play or narrative where the audience knows something a character does not, so the character's words carry a meaning they cannot perceive. It generates tension, comedy, or tragic foreboding.

A speech in which a character, alone on stage, voices private thoughts aloud. It gives the audience direct access to motivation and conflict that other characters cannot hear, often at a turning point in the drama.

A defect in a tragic protagonist's character, such as pride or indecision, that contributes to their downfall. The concept links character to plot, suggesting that catastrophe grows from choices rather than accident alone.

A narrative in which characters, events, and settings consistently stand for abstract ideas or real-world situations, producing a second level of meaning. Allegory is sustained across a whole text rather than isolated in single images.

The deliberate exaggeration of selected features of a person or group for comic or critical effect. In satire, caricature simplifies targets so their follies become visible, but it can also risk reinforcing stereotypes.

A fixed, oversimplified generalisation about a group of people that ignores individual variation. Analysing stereotypes means asking who creates them, what purpose they serve, and whether a text challenges or confirms them.

The process of defining a group as fundamentally different from and inferior to one's own, often through language that emphasises strangeness or threat. It underpins exclusion and is a frequent focus of postcolonial and intercultural analysis.

The sense of self and belonging shaped by shared language, traditions, history, ethnicity, and place. In literary and media texts, cultural identity is often portrayed as negotiated or contested rather than fixed.

The mixing of cultural forms, languages, or identities that produces new, in-between positions rather than pure categories. The concept, associated with postcolonial theory, challenges the idea of cultures as sealed and homogeneous.

An approach examining the cultural, political, and psychological legacies of colonial rule and the ways colonised peoples resist or reshape colonial narratives. It asks whose voice speaks, whose history is told, and how power lingers after independence.

Alternating between two languages or language varieties within a conversation or text. It can signal group belonging, negotiate identity, exclude outsiders, or reflect the bilingual reality of migrant and minority communities.

An informal word or expression typical of everyday conversation, such as 'kids' or 'a bit of a mess'. Colloquialisms create immediacy and intimacy but may be inappropriate in formal academic writing.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from its individual words, such as 'to bite the bullet'. Idioms are culturally specific and often resist literal translation, making them a marker of fluency.

A word in a foreign language that resembles a word in one's own language but differs in meaning, such as German 'bekommen' versus English 'become'. Awareness prevents comprehension errors and mistranslation in production tasks.

The transfer of patterns from the first language that causes errors in the target language, affecting grammar, word order, or pronunciation. Recognising interference helps you check your own writing for typical German-influenced structures.

A single sentence in an introduction that states the central claim of an essay and indicates how the argument will be developed. A strong thesis is specific, arguable, and directly answers the task prompt.

The opening sentence of a paragraph that announces its main point and links it to the overall argument. It guides the reader and prevents paragraphs from becoming lists of unrelated observations.

The way sentences and paragraphs are connected through linking words, pronouns, and repetition so a text reads as a unified whole. Cohesion concerns surface connections, while coherence concerns the logical clarity of the ideas.

The logical arrangement of ideas so that each part follows understandably from the previous one. A coherent text has a clear structure and consistent line of thought, even if individual sentences are well connected.

The structured presentation of claims supported by evidence and reasoning, often anticipating and refuting counterarguments. In exam essays, each claim should be illustrated with a quotation or example and then interpreted.

Concrete support for an interpretive claim, such as a quotation, statistic, or textual detail, followed by explanation of its relevance. Evidence without commentary is mere citation; the marks come from linking it to the argument.

Embedding short, relevant quotations smoothly into your own sentences rather than dropping them in as standalone lines. Integrated quotations preserve grammatical flow and make the analytical purpose of the quotation clear.

Listening for the main idea or overall message rather than every detail. It is the appropriate strategy on first hearing and when a task asks about the speaker's purpose or general attitude.

Attending to specific facts, figures, names, or reasons in an audio text, often while scanning the task items beforehand. It requires selective attention and tolerance for unfamiliar vocabulary elsewhere in the recording.

Recording key points in abbreviated form while listening or reading, using symbols, abbreviations, and layout to capture structure. Good notes preserve relationships between ideas, not just isolated words, and support later summary tasks.

Drawing a conclusion that is not stated directly but follows from clues in the text. Exam tasks frequently demand inference about attitude or implication, so answers must be justified with textual evidence.

Reading rapidly for the overall sense and structure of a text, often by focusing on headings, first sentences, and conclusions. It precedes close reading and helps you decide which sections deserve detailed attention.

Searching a text quickly for specific information such as a date, name, or keyword, without reading every word. It is efficient when the task question already tells you what to look for.

A concise restatement of a text's main points in your own words, omitting examples and detail. A good summary preserves proportion, giving most space to the author's central concerns and no personal opinion.

Expressing someone else's idea in different words while keeping the meaning intact. In comprehension tasks, a correct answer often paraphrases the text rather than repeating its wording, so recognising equivalents is essential.

Interpreting a political or satirical cartoon by describing its elements, identifying the exaggeration and labels, and explaining the message it conveys about a current issue. Description must lead to interpretation, not stop at listing details.

The use of images, layout, colour, and typography to persuade or position a viewer. Analysing visual rhetoric means asking how composition and salience direct attention and shape the audience's response.

The ability to access, analyse, evaluate, and produce messages in different media, including awareness of ownership, targeting, and bias. It underpins critical reading of news, advertising, and social media content.

A systematic slant in selection, emphasis, or wording that favours one perspective over others. Detecting bias requires comparing what is included and excluded and noticing loaded vocabulary or unattributed claims.

The attribution of human emotion to nature or weather to reflect a character's mood, as in rain falling at a funeral. It is a subset of personification used to reinforce atmosphere and emotional tone.

A mild or indirect expression substituted for one considered harsh or unpleasant, such as 'passed away' for 'died'. Euphemisms can show tact but are also used to soften or conceal uncomfortable realities.

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect, as in 'I've told you a million times'. In argument and advertising it intensifies a claim, while in satire it exposes the absurdity of a position.

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, as in 'We shall fight... we shall fight...'. It creates rhythm and emphasis, common in political speeches intended to persuade and unite an audience.

A preconceived judgement about a person or group formed without sufficient knowledge, often based on stereotypes. Intercultural analysis distinguishes prejudice from discrimination, which is prejudiced behaviour enacted in practice.

The presence of more than one possible meaning in a word, phrase, or passage. Deliberate ambiguity can enrich literary texts and invite interpretation, whereas accidental ambiguity weakens clarity in your own writing.