BSEH SS English Elective key terms

A conclusion drawn from clues in a passage rather than from a statement made outright. Readers combine evidence with background knowledge to work out what the writer implies but does not say directly.

The central point a passage develops and supports throughout. It is broader than any single detail and is often stated in a topic sentence or must be assembled from several paragraphs.

A sentence, usually near the start of a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's controlling idea. The remaining sentences explain, illustrate or qualify it.

The writer's attitude towards the subject, revealed through word choice and detail, for example ironic, nostalgic or indignant. Tone differs from mood, which is the feeling created in the reader.

Reading quickly through a text looking only for a specific item such as a date, name or figure, while ignoring surrounding material. It differs from skimming, which aims at general gist.

Reading rapidly to grasp the general sense or organisation of a text, often by looking at headings, first sentences and conclusions. Detail is deliberately skipped at this stage.

The quality that makes a text hang together logically, so each sentence follows from the last. It depends on clear organisation and on linking ideas in a sensible order.

The use of linking devices such as pronouns, conjunctions and repeated key words to tie sentences together. Cohesion is about surface connections; coherence is about overall logical sense.

A word or phrase such as however, therefore or in addition that signals the relationship between two ideas. Choosing the wrong transition can reverse or distort the meaning.

A gap between what is said or expected and what is actually meant or happens. Verbal irony says the opposite of the intended meaning; situational irony reverses expectation.

Writing that exposes folly or vice to ridicule in order to provoke reform. It uses devices such as irony, exaggeration and parody rather than direct attack.

A letter written to an official, editor or institution in a polite, impersonal register, following conventions of address, subject line, salutation and complimentary close. Contractions and slang are avoided.

A formal letter to a newspaper commenting on a published issue or raising a public concern. It states the matter, gives reasons, may propose action, and closes with the writer's name and address.

A short public announcement displayed or circulated to inform a specific group about an event, rule or loss. It is factual, uses a heading, and answers what, when, where and whom to contact.

Presenting factual findings on an event or problem in a structured format with a title, introduction, numbered or headed sections, and recommendations. It avoids personal opinion unless a section invites it.

A piece of writing for a newspaper, magazine or school publication that has a headline, an engaging opening, developed paragraphs and a concluding viewpoint. It may inform, persuade or entertain.

The level of formality in language suited to audience and purpose, ranging from casual speech to official prose. Formal letters and reports need a more formal register than personal writing.

A single sentence stating the central claim of an essay or article, usually near the end of the introduction. The rest of the piece supports or develops it.

A sentence construction in which the subject performs the action, as in the committee approved the plan. It is generally more direct and concise than the passive voice.

A construction in which the subject receives the action, formed with a form of be plus a past participle, as in the plan was approved. It is used when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

A group of words containing a subject and a finite verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence; a subordinate clause cannot and functions within a larger sentence.

A group of words that functions as a unit within a sentence but lacks a subject and finite verb together. Examples include prepositional phrases and participial phrases.

A subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun such as who, which or that, used to describe a preceding noun. Defining relative clauses identify the noun; non-defining ones add extra information between commas.

A verb form used as an adjective or to build compound tenses. The present participle ends in -ing; the past participle usually ends in -ed, -en or is irregular, as in broken.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. Errors commonly arise with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns and phrases inserted between subject and verb.

Keeping verbs in a logically appropriate tense sequence within a passage. Shifts in tense are acceptable only when the time frame genuinely changes.

Conveying what someone said without quoting directly, which requires backshifting tenses and adjusting pronouns and time or place words, as in she said she would come the next day.

A word placed before a noun to specify or quantify it, such as a, the, this, some, every or two. Determiners signal definiteness, number and possession.

The principal character whose fortunes the narrative follows and whose choices drive the plot. The protagonist need not be admirable or heroic.

The character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates the central conflict. An antagonist may be a person, a group, a social system or an inner tendency.

The methods an author uses to build a character, including description, dialogue, action and the reactions of others. Direct characterisation states traits; indirect shows them through behaviour.

The perspective from which a story is told. First person uses I; third person limited stays with one character's awareness; third person omniscient moves freely among characters' minds.

The struggle between opposing forces that generates plot tension. It may be person against person, person against society or nature, or person against self.

The underlying idea about life or human behaviour that a literary work explores, such as the corruption of power. Theme is broader and more abstract than subject matter.

The use of a concrete object, place or action to stand for an abstract idea beyond its literal meaning. A symbol gains force from repetition and context within the work.

Hints early in a narrative that prepare the reader for later developments. It may appear through dialogue, imagery or a seemingly minor detail that gains meaning in retrospect.

Language that appeals to the senses to create vivid mental pictures. Imagery often carries emotional weight and contributes to mood and theme.

A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another, without using like or as, as in the classroom was a zoo. It asserts an identity rather than a comparison.

A comparison between two unlike things using the words like or as, as in her voice was like gravel. It makes the comparison explicit rather than implied.

Giving human qualities to an inanimate object, animal or abstract idea, as in the wind whispered. It is a type of metaphor common in descriptive and lyric poetry.

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words, as in sweet silent streams. It is a sound device that can create rhythm or emphasis.

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that gives a poem its movement. Rhythm is felt in the flow of lines and is often shaped by metre.

The pattern in which end sounds of lines rhyme, usually shown by letters such as abab or abba. It helps organise stanzas and can reinforce meaning through pairing.

A group of lines in a poem set off by a space from other groups. Stanzas function like paragraphs, often developing one idea or image.

A fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter with a fixed rhyme pattern. The Shakespearean form uses three quatrains and a couplet; the Petrarchan form uses an octave and a sestet.

A speech in which a character alone on stage reveals private thoughts to the audience. It is a dramatic convention for exposing inner conflict rather than addressing another character.

A brief remark spoken by a character that other characters on stage are not meant to hear. It gives the audience confidential information, often comically or ironically.

A situation in a play where the audience knows more than a character does, so the character's words carry a meaning they do not intend. It builds tension and often pathos.

A defect of character in a tragic hero, such as pride or jealousy, that contributes to their downfall. The flaw works with circumstance rather than alone causing disaster.

An instruction in a play script describing setting, movement, gesture or tone, usually printed in italics or brackets. It guides performance and can reveal character relationships.

A humorous scene or character introduced into a serious work to relieve tension. It can also deepen the surrounding tragedy by contrast.