KSEAB SSLC TL English key terms

The central idea or underlying message a literary work conveys about life or human nature, usually stated as a full sentence rather than a single word.

A short description of a person in a story, covering appearance, behaviour, speech and what others say about them, supported by evidence from the text.

A conclusion drawn from clues in the text rather than from a directly stated fact; the reader combines evidence with reasoning to reach it.

The main character whose actions and choices drive the plot forward and whose fate matters most to the reader.

The character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates the main conflict in a story.

The struggle between opposing forces in a narrative, whether between people, within one person's mind, or between a person and circumstances.

A word, phrase or incident quoted from the text that supports an answer or interpretation; good answers name the evidence rather than assert opinions.

The single most important point a poem or passage makes, often expressed as a one-sentence summary of what the writer wants the reader to understand.

A deliberate departure from literal language, such as simile, metaphor, personification or hyperbole, used to create effect or emphasis.

A comparison between two unlike things introduced by words such as like or as, for example 'eyes as bright as lamps'.

A comparison in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another, without using like or as, for example calling troubles a sea.

A figure of speech in which a non-human thing, animal or abstract idea is given human qualities, such as a wind that whispers.

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, as in 'slow, silent, silver stream', used for rhythm and emphasis.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates pictures in the reader's mind, often through comparison and sensory detail.

The pattern in which end sounds of lines repeat in a poem, usually labelled with letters such as aabb or abab.

A group of lines forming one unit of a poem, separated from other groups by a space; similar in function to a paragraph in prose.

The sequence of events in a narrative, arranged to show cause and effect from the opening situation through the climax to the resolution.

The point of greatest tension or turning point in a narrative, after which the outcome becomes clear.

The final part of a story in which the conflict is settled and loose ends are tied up, also called the denouement.

The lesson about right conduct that a story, fable or parable is intended to teach, often stated directly at the end.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb.

Keeping verbs in a passage in the same tense unless a change of time is clearly signalled, so that narration does not shift confusingly.

Conveying what someone said without quoting the exact words, with changes to pronouns, tense and time words as needed.

The choice between a subject that performs the action and one that receives it, as in 'the boy wrote the letter' versus 'the letter was written'.

A short word placed before a noun to show whether it is specific or general: the definite 'the' or the indefinite 'a' and 'an'.

A word such as in, on, at, by or with that links a noun or pronoun to another word and shows relations of place, time or manner.

A word that has nearly the same meaning as another in a given context, such as 'begin' and 'commence'.

A word opposite in meaning to another, such as 'generous' and 'stingy'; the opposite must match the same sense of the word.

A hint about a word's meaning supplied by the surrounding words and sentences, allowing a reader to work out unfamiliar vocabulary.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'to let the cat out of the bag'.

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition to form a new meaning, such as 'give up' or 'look after'.

The process of building new words from roots by adding prefixes and suffixes or by changing word class, as in 'kind' to 'kindness'.

A letter group added to the front of a word to change its meaning, such as 'un-' in 'unhappy' or 're-' in 'rewrite'.

A letter group added to the end of a word to change its meaning or word class, such as '-ness' or '-less'.

Reading quickly through a passage to grasp its general sense or gist without attending to every detail.

Running the eyes over a text to locate a specific item of information such as a date, name or figure, ignoring everything else.

The point a paragraph or passage is chiefly making, usually found in its topic sentence and supported by the details that follow.

A short formal announcement displayed for a group, giving information about an event, rule or loss, with date, heading and signature.

A letter written in polite, impersonal style to an official or institution, following a fixed layout of sender's address, date, salutation, body, closing and signature.

An organised factual account of an event or investigation, written in past tense and impersonal style, with a heading and clear sequence of what happened.

Conveying the meaning of a text in another language while preserving sense and tone rather than word-for-word order.

Rewriting a given sentence or passage in different words of the same language without changing its meaning.

A restatement of a passage in one's own words, keeping the original meaning and roughly the same level of detail.

A brief account of the main points of a text, written in one's own words and leaving out examples and repetition.

Recording the key points of a passage in short phrases, using headings, indentation and abbreviations instead of full sentences.

A shortened form of a word or phrase used to save space in notes, such as 'e.g.' for 'for example'.