Karnataka SSLC English SL (KSEAB) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Persona in poetry

The voice speaking the poem, which may differ from the poet. Identifying the persona clarifies who feels, observes, or addresses someone in the lines.

Theme statement

A full-sentence claim about the idea a text explores, such as 'Nature consoles human grief'. It differs from a plot summary because it generalises beyond events.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, as in 'silent, silver stream'. It creates rhythm and links the images it touches.

Rhyme scheme notation

Letters label end-sounds: abab means lines one and three rhyme with each other, and lines two and four rhyme with each other.

Topic sentence

The sentence stating a paragraph's controlling idea, usually placed first. It tells the reader what the rest of the paragraph will support or explain.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from textual clues rather than stated directly. A valid inference must be supported by the passage, not by outside knowledge.

Vocabulary in context

Deciding a word's meaning from surrounding sentences. Substituting each option into the original sentence tests which meaning preserves the passage's logic.

Absolute option trap

Answer choices containing always, never, all, or only are usually wrong unless the passage states the extreme claim explicitly.

Reported speech tense shift

When the reporting verb is past, the reported verb moves one step back: present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, will becomes would.

Question tag polarity

A positive statement takes a negative tag and a negative statement takes a positive tag, as in 'She sings well, doesn't she?'

Third conditional form

If + past perfect in the condition clause, would have + past participle in the result: 'If he had studied, he would have passed.'

Passive transformation

The object becomes the subject, the verb becomes be + past participle, and the original subject moves to a by-phrase or is dropped.

Subject-verb agreement rule

Each, every, either, and neither take singular verbs. With neither...nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.

Prefix function

A prefix attached to a root changes meaning rather than word class: un- and dis- negate, re- means again, pre- means before, mis- means wrongly.

Suffix function

A suffix usually changes word class: -ness and -ity form nouns, -ful and -ous form adjectives, -ly forms adverbs, -ise forms verbs.

Affect versus effect

Affect is normally a verb meaning to influence; effect is normally a noun meaning a result. Confusing them is a common usage error.

Idiom meaning

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be read from its words. 'Let the cat out of the bag' means to reveal a secret.

Collocation

The habitual pairing of words in a language: we make a decision, do homework, take medicine, and pay attention, not the reverse combinations.

Formal letter order

Sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject line, salutation, body, closing, and signature appear in this fixed sequence.

Yours faithfully versus sincerely

Yours faithfully pairs with Dear Sir or Madam when the name is unknown; Yours sincerely pairs with a named recipient such as Dear Ms Rao.

Report byline

The reporter's name printed under the headline. It signals impersonal, factual reporting written in past tense with place and date stated early.

Paragraph unity

Every sentence in a paragraph supports one controlling idea, usually announced in the topic sentence and developed with two or three details.

Notice essentials

A notice must state what is happening, plus date, time, venue, and whom to contact, all within the first few lines.

Show, don't tell

Replacing stated emotion with concrete action or detail: instead of 'he was angry', write 'his fist tightened around the strap'.

Narrative arc

The sequence situation, complication, climax, resolution. A story that stops before the resolution is usually marked incomplete.

Dialogue punctuation

Each new speaker starts a new line, and commas or full stops belonging to the spoken words sit inside the quotation marks.

Mixed metaphor

Two incompatible comparisons joined in one image, such as 'the ship of hope sailed on crutches'. It confuses rather than clarifies.

Cohesion devices

Pronoun reference and repeated key nouns tie sentences together. Repeating the title word alone does not create cohesion.

Kannada to English word order

Kannada places the verb last, while English follows subject-verb-object. The verb must be moved to its English position during translation.

Idiom translation rule

Translate the meaning, not the words. A Kannada proverb takes an equivalent English expression rather than a literal rendering.

Honorific ambiguity

Kannada plural honorifics such as avaru may mean he, she, or they. Context decides which English pronoun and verb form to use.

Functional text translation

Notices, invitations, and applications must keep their purpose and all data, including names, dates, and venues, even when the wording changes.