AP SSC Telugu (Second Language) key terms

Two adjacent sounds joining into one form, often with a vowel or consonant change, as when a word ending and a word beginning merge. SSC grammar sections test identifying the sandhi type and splitting the joined word back into its parts.

A vowel sandhi in which అ, ఆ, or అ్ before ఇ, ఈ, ఉ, ఊ, ఋ, or ఎ results in ఏ, ఓ, or అర్. Example: మహా + ఈశుడు becomes మహేశుడు. Candidates must recognise both the rule and the resulting form.

A sandhi where two similar (savarna) short or long vowels combine into one long vowel of the same class, as అ + అ = ఆ. Questions ask for the combined word or for the original pair before combination.

A sandhi in which the glide య is inserted between a word ending in ఇ, ఈ, ఎ, ఏ, or ఐ and a following vowel, as in అమ్మ + ఇల్లు becoming అమ్మయిల్లు. The inserted element is called ఆగమము.

A sound inserted between two words during sandhi that was not present in either original word. In యడాగమసంధి the letter య is the ఆగమము. Grammar items ask candidates to name the inserted sound.

A compound in which two or more words combine into one expression with a single meaning, such as తల్లిదండ్రులు. SSC papers ask for the compound type, the విగ్రహవాక్యము, and the main or ప్రధాన word.

The expanded sentence that shows the separate words and relationship hidden inside a compound. For రాజుగారి కొడుకు the vigraha explains which word carries the main sense. Candidates write it out in full.

A compound in which the first member qualifies the second and the second member is the main word, as in రాజభవనము (రాజు యొక్క భవనము). The compound takes the gender and number of its final member.

A compound joining two words of equal status, usually linked in the original by a conjunction such as మరియు, as in రామలక్ష్మణులు. Both members are equally important and the compound is plural.

A compound whose meaning points to a third thing outside the two members, as in మంచికంఠుడు, one who has a blue throat, meaning శివుడు. Neither member alone names the referent.

A passive sentence in which the object of the action becomes the grammatical subject, often marked by చే or చేత, as in రాముడిచేత రావణుడు చంపబడెను. Transformation exercises convert active sentences into this form.

An active sentence in which the doer (కర్త) is the grammatical subject and the verb agrees with it, as in రాముడు రావణుని చంపెను. Candidates convert passive sentences into this form and check agreement.

The verb of a sentence, carrying tense, person, number, and mood. Telugu verbs agree with the subject and appear in finite or participial forms. Grammar questions test identifying the verb and its inflection.

Tense, the time reference of a verb: భూతకాలము (past), వర్తమానకాలము (present), and భవిష్యత్కాలము (future). Items ask candidates to name the tense of an underlined verb form.

Number in grammar, chiefly ఏకవచనము (singular) and బహువచనము (plural). Telugu marks plurality with suffixes such as -లు, -రు, and -ల. Questions test matching subject and verb number.

Grammatical gender. Telugu traditionally recognises పుంలింగము (masculine), స్త్రీలింగము (feminine), and నపుంసకలింగము (neuter). Gender affects pronoun and verb endings, and exercises ask for the gender of a noun.

A pronoun that stands in place of a noun, such as అతడు, ఆమె, వారు, ఇది, or మనము. Questions test choosing the pronoun that matches the person, gender, and number of its referent.

A case ending attached to a noun to show its relation to other words, such as -కి (dative), -ను (accusative), and -లో (locative). Candidates identify the case and its meaning in a phrase.

Direct narration, quoting a speaker's words exactly inside quotation marks, as in రాముడు "నేను వస్తాను" అన్నాడు. Conversion exercises turn this into indirect speech and adjust pronouns and tense.

Indirect narration, reporting what someone said without quoting the exact words, as in రాముడు తాను వస్తానని చెప్పాడు. Pronouns and verb forms shift, and the report is usually linked with అని.

The central idea or theme of a passage or poem, expressed in one or two sentences. Comprehension questions ask candidates to state it, distinguishing it from minor details and examples in the text.

The subject or topic a poem or prose passage sets out to establish, often named in the opening lines. Questions ask what the work chiefly propounds, separate from its illustrations and side remarks.

The context in which a word, line, or event appears, which fixes its meaning. Vocabulary and comprehension items ask for the sense a word carries in a given context rather than its dictionary sense.

The property of a word having several distinct meanings, such as కరము meaning hand or tax. Questions give a word and ask which meaning fits a particular sentence or phrase.

A synonym, a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another, such as జలము, నీరు, and ఉదకము for water. Synonym-matching items are common in the vocabulary section.

The etymological or derived meaning of a word, traced from its root and formation, which may differ from its current usage. Items ask candidates to explain how a word came to carry its sense.

Telugu prosody, the system of metres governing syllable weight, feet (గణములు), and line structure in classical verse. Questions ask candidates to identify a metre or count గణములు in a given line.

A metrical foot of three syllables, each either light (ల) or heavy (గ), giving eight possible feet such as భ, ర, త, య, న, జ, స, మ. Candidates scan lines and name the feet used.

A required pause or break at a fixed syllable position within a metrical line, matching the pattern prescribed for that metre. Questions ask where the yati falls in a named metre.

The rhyme of the second syllable of each line in a stanza, a defining feature of Telugu padyam verse. Candidates check whether a stanza follows its prescribed ప్రాస and identify the repeated syllable.

A Telugu metre whose stanza has four lines, the first and third with three feet each and the second and fourth with five feet each. Questions ask for its line structure or identify it from a stanza.

A popular Telugu metre of four lines built from గణములు counted in matras rather than fixed feet, with specified patterns for each line. It is the metre most often used for moral and narrative verse.

A figure of speech or poetic ornament that heightens expression, such as ఉపమ, రూపక, and అతిశయోక్తి. Questions quote a line and ask which ornament it employs and why.

A simile in which one thing is compared to another using words such as వలె, లాగా, or పోలి, as in her face is like the moon. Candidates identify the compared objects and the comparison word.

A metaphor in which the compared object is identified with the subject without a comparison word, as in calling a brave man a lion. The two are fused, not merely likened.

A figure in which one word or phrase yields two or more compatible meanings at once, often through a pun. Questions ask candidates to explain both readings and show how the line supports each.

A concrete image or object used to stand for an abstract idea, such as a lamp for knowledge or a river for life's journey. Questions ask what a recurring image in a poem symbolises.

The feeling or emotional import conveyed by a line or poem, distinguished from its literal statement. Appreciation questions ask candidates to describe the emotion and the words that create it.

The aesthetic relish or dominant emotional flavour a literary work evokes, classified in classical theory into nine kinds such as శృంగార, వీర, and కరుణ. Questions link a passage to its prevailing rasa.