Kerala SSLC English flashcards
Kerala SSLC English · Build recall with a focused review session.
31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Skimming
- Reading quickly through a whole passage to grasp its general idea or gist, ignoring fine detail. Used when a question asks for the main idea, purpose, or tone.
- Scanning
- Moving the eyes rapidly over a text to find one specific piece of information, such as a name, number, or date, without reading every word.
- Inference
- A conclusion drawn from clues in the passage rather than from a directly stated sentence. The answer must be supported by the text, not by outside knowledge.
- Context clue
- Information in the surrounding words or sentence that reveals the meaning of an unfamiliar word, such as a definition, example, contrast, or cause-effect relationship.
- Writer's tone
- The attitude the writer conveys towards the subject, for example humorous, ironic, nostalgic, critical, or sympathetic. It is shown through word choice, not stated outright.
- Pronoun antecedent
- The noun a pronoun refers back to. To identify it, check number and sense: a singular pronoun needs a singular antecedent that fits the meaning of the sentence.
- Simile
- A comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as', for example 'her voice was like a bell'. It makes description vivid and concrete.
- Metaphor
- A direct comparison in which one thing is described as another without using 'like' or 'as', for example 'the classroom was a zoo'.
- Personification
- A figure of speech giving human qualities or actions to non-human things, as in 'the wind whispered through the trees' or 'the sun smiled'.
- Alliteration
- The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, such as 'silent, silver stream'. It creates rhythm and draws attention to the phrase.
- Dramatic irony
- A situation in a play where the audience knows something important that a character does not, so the character's words or actions carry a meaning they miss.
- Rhyme scheme
- The pattern of end rhymes in a poem, marked with letters line by line. Lines that rhyme share a letter, so abab means alternate rhyme and aabb means couplets.
- Theme
- The central idea or insight about life that a literary work conveys, such as the pain of growing up or the power of nature. It is expressed as a statement, not a topic.
- Symbol
- A concrete object, person, or place in a text that stands for an abstract idea, such as a caged bird representing lost freedom. Its meaning is supported by context.
- Characterisation
- The methods a writer uses to build a character: speech, actions, appearance, thoughts, other characters' reactions, and direct comment by the narrator.
- Formal letter layout
- Sender's address, date, receiver's address, salutation, subject line, body in formal register, subscription, and signature. 'Dear Sir/Madam' pairs with 'Yours faithfully'.
- Notice writing format
- A short announcement headed NOTICE, giving the institution's name, date, a bold heading, a brief factual body in impersonal voice, and the writer's name and designation.
- Report writing structure
- A factual account with headline, byline, place and date, then past-tense third-person narration of what happened, without personal opinion or direct address.
- Cohesive devices
- Linking words and phrases such as however, therefore, moreover, in addition, and on the other hand that connect ideas and show contrast, cause, or sequence.
- Topic sentence
- The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main point and controls what the supporting sentences will discuss.
- Precis writing
- A condensed restatement of a passage that keeps the main idea and key points in the writer's own words, removes examples and repetition, and stays near one-third length.
- Story resolution
- The final part of a narrative where the conflict is settled and loose ends are tied, following the climax and falling action.
- Simple past tense
- The tense for a completed action at a definite past time, formed with the past form of the verb, as in 'She wrote the letter yesterday'.
- Present perfect tense
- Formed with has/have plus the past participle, it links a past action to the present and is used without a stated past time, as in 'I have finished'.
- Reported speech shift
- When turning direct speech into indirect speech, the tense moves one step back, pronouns change to fit the speaker, and time words shift, for example now becomes then.
- Passive voice
- A construction made with a form of 'be' plus the past participle, where the object of the action becomes the subject, as in 'The letter was written by her'.
- Third conditional
- If plus past perfect in the if-clause and would have plus past participle in the main clause, expressing an unreal past situation, as in 'If I had known, I would have come'.
- Relative pronouns
- Words that introduce adjective clauses: 'who' for people, 'which' for things, 'whose' for possession, and 'that' for both in defining clauses.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The rule that a verb matches its subject in number and person. Phrases between them do not change it, and each, every, and everyone take singular verbs.
- Homophones
- Words that sound the same but differ in spelling and meaning, such as their, there, and they're, or principal and principle. Correct choice depends on grammatical role.
- Prefix and suffix
- An affix added to a base word. Prefixes such as un-, dis-, and in- change meaning; suffixes such as -ness, -ment, -ful, and -less change word class.