KSEAB SSLC English NCERT (15E) key terms

The central idea or message a text explores, such as friendship, courage, or the dignity of labour. It is usually implied through events, characters, and repeated images rather than stated directly by the writer.

The attitude a writer or speaker takes toward the subject and the reader, for example humorous, bitter, respectful, or nostalgic. Tone is revealed through word choice, sentence length, and punctuation rather than through plot alone.

The feeling a passage creates in the reader, such as tension, calm, or sadness. Mood is built by setting details, imagery, and rhythm, and it may differ from the attitude of the narrator toward events.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses so readers can see, hear, smell, taste, or feel what is described. Phrases like 'cracked, sun-baked earth' or 'a whisper of silk' create pictures through sensory detail.

A comparison between two unlike things introduced by 'like' or 'as', such as 'her voice was as soft as rain on leaves'. The comparison is stated openly, unlike a metaphor, which hides the comparison inside the sentence.

A figure of speech that calls one thing another without using 'like' or 'as', such as 'the classroom was a beehive'. The comparison is implied, so the reader must work out the shared quality being suggested.

Giving human qualities to animals, objects, or abstract ideas, as in 'the wind complained through the broken shutters'. It is common in poetry and can set mood or make an abstract idea concrete and memorable.

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, as in 'silent, silver streams'. Poets use it to create rhythm, link ideas, or draw attention to a particular phrase or line.

The pattern of end rhymes in a poem, usually shown with letters such as ABAB or AABB. Naming the pattern helps you describe stanza structure and notice where the poet breaks the expected pattern for effect.

A group of lines in a poem separated from other groups by a blank line, working like a paragraph in prose. The number of lines and the rhyme pattern of each stanza shape the poem's pace and emphasis.

A line or phrase repeated at intervals in a poem, often at the end of stanzas. The repetition may stress a key idea, mark a shift in feeling, or give the poem a song-like quality.

Deliberately using the same word, phrase, or structure more than once to emphasise a point or build rhythm. In prose it can also show a character's fixed habit of mind or escalating emotion.

A gap between what is said or expected and what is actually meant or happens. In verbal irony the speaker means the opposite of the words; in situational irony an outcome contradicts what everyone assumed would occur.

Writing that uses humour, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose foolishness or vice, usually with the aim of correcting it. The target may be a person, an institution, or a social habit, and the tone is often mocking rather than neutral.

The methods a writer uses to build a character, including description, action, speech, thoughts, and other characters' reactions. Direct characterisation tells the reader about a person; indirect characterisation shows it through behaviour and dialogue.

The main character whose decisions and struggles drive the story forward. The plot usually follows this person's goals, and the reader's sympathy is generally directed toward them, though they may be flawed.

The person, group, or force that works against the protagonist and creates the central conflict. An antagonist need not be evil; it may be a well-meaning relative, a social rule, or an inner fear.

The struggle between opposing forces that gives a story its tension. It may be external, such as a person against another person or nature, or internal, such as a person against doubt or guilt.

The point of greatest tension in a narrative, where the central conflict reaches its peak and a decisive turn occurs. What happens at the climax usually settles the direction of the ending that follows.

The part of a story after the climax in which loose ends are settled and the outcome becomes clear. It may be neat or deliberately open, and the way a writer closes can carry the story's final message.

The way a story is told, including who speaks and how much that voice knows. A first-person narrator uses 'I' and is limited to personal knowledge, while a third-person narrator stands outside the action.

The position from which a story is told, such as first person, third-person limited, or omniscient. It controls what information the reader can receive and shapes how much the reader trusts the narrator.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text rather than from a statement made directly. When a question asks what a character probably felt, you must combine clues from speech, action, and context to infer the answer.

Information in the surrounding sentence or paragraph that helps you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Clues may be a definition, an example, a contrast, or a cause-and-effect relationship in the same passage.

A word with a meaning close to another word, such as 'begin' and 'commence'. Exact synonyms are rare, so a careful reader checks whether the substitute fits the sentence's tone and grammar before choosing it.

A word with the opposite meaning to another word, such as 'generous' and 'stingy'. Antonyms are often tested through prefixes such as 'un-', 'in-', or 'dis-', which reverse the sense of a base word.

A meaningful unit attached to the front of a word to change its meaning, as in 'un-kind', 're-read', or 'pre-paid'. Knowing common prefixes lets you guess the sense of unfamiliar words without a dictionary.

A meaningful unit added to the end of a word, often changing its grammatical class, as when 'care' becomes 'careful' or 'careless'. Suffixes such as '-ness', '-ment', and '-ly' form nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

The process of building new words from existing ones by adding affixes, joining words, or changing word class. Examples include 'hope' to 'hopeless', 'book' plus 'shop' to 'bookshop', and 'strong' to 'strength'.

A word made by joining two or more existing words, such as 'sunlight', 'mother-in-law', or 'well-known'. The meaning may be a simple sum of the parts or something partly new, as in 'blackboard'.

A habitual pairing of words that native users expect together, such as 'make a decision' rather than 'do a decision'. Errors in collocation make writing sound unnatural even when the grammar is technically correct.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its separate words, such as 'to let the cat out of the bag'. Idioms are learned as whole units and are usually informal in register.

A group of words that works as a single unit within a sentence but lacks a subject and finite verb, such as 'in the morning' or 'having finished the work'. Phrases contrast with clauses, which do contain a subject and verb.

A group of words containing its own subject and verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a dependent clause, such as 'because the bus was late', must be attached to a main clause.

A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses, such as 'and', 'but', 'because', and 'although'. Choosing the right conjunction shows the logical link, whether addition, contrast, cause, or condition.

Two ways of presenting an action: in the active voice the doer comes first ('The boy broke the window'), while in the passive voice the receiver comes first ('The window was broken by the boy'). The passive is chosen when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

The form of a verb that shows when an action happens and whether it is finished, ongoing, or repeated. Consistency of tense within a paragraph keeps the time frame clear for the reader.

Conveying what someone said without quoting the exact words, as in 'She said that she was tired'. The verb usually shifts back one tense, and pronouns and time words such as 'today' change to fit the new situation.

Marks such as full stops, commas, semicolons, and inverted commas that organise written language and clarify meaning. Correct punctuation can change sense entirely, as in the difference between 'Let's eat, Grandma' and 'Let's eat Grandma'.

A letter written in a polite, impersonal register to an official, editor, or institution, following a fixed layout of sender's address, date, salutation, body, and closing. It states the purpose early and avoids slang and contractions.

A factual account of an event or situation, usually headed by a title and written in the third person and past tense. A good report answers what, when, where, who, and why, and ends with a conclusion or recommendation.

Dividing writing into blocks of sentences that each develop one main idea, with a topic sentence usually leading. Clear paragraphing signals shifts in time, place, or argument and makes long answers easier to follow.

The sentence, often first in a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's main point. The remaining sentences support, illustrate, or qualify it, so the reader knows what to expect from the start.

The way sentences and paragraphs are linked so a piece of writing reads as one whole. Linking words, pronouns, and repeated key terms create cohesion and prevent the argument from feeling like a list of loose statements.

The level of formality suited to a particular audience and purpose, ranging from casual conversation to official writing. A letter to an editor should keep a formal register, avoiding slang, contractions, and over-familiar phrasing.