UPMSP High School English key terms

A piece of writing the candidate has not read before, followed by questions testing general understanding, specific detail, inference and vocabulary. Answers must be drawn from the passage itself, not from outside knowledge.

The central point a paragraph or passage is making, usually stated or implied in one sentence. Identifying it helps answer questions about the writer's purpose and about suitable titles.

A conclusion reached by reasoning from clues in the text rather than from a directly stated fact. Inference questions often ask what the writer suggests, implies or would probably agree with.

Reading quickly to grasp the general sense of a passage, often by looking at first sentences of paragraphs. It is used before detailed reading to locate the relevant section of a long text.

Running the eyes over a text to find one specific item such as a date, name or figure, without reading every word. Useful for answering factual questions about an unseen passage.

The sentence, usually at the start of a paragraph, that announces what the paragraph is about. The remaining sentences support or illustrate it with reasons, examples or details.

The attitude a writer conveys towards the subject, for example humorous, critical, sympathetic or ironic. Tone is recognised from word choice rather than stated directly.

A letter written to an official, editor or institution in polite, impersonal language, with sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject line, salutation, body, closing and signature. Contractions and slang are avoided.

A formal letter describing a fault, inconvenience or poor service and asking for redress. It states the facts clearly, keeps the tone firm but courteous, and ends with a specific request.

A short public announcement displayed on a board or circulated in a school or office. It answers what, when, where and who, is written in the third person, and is enclosed in a box with a heading.

A factual account of an event, written in the third person and past tense, with a title, reporter's name and a clear sequence of what happened. Opinions and emotional language are generally avoided.

Composing a unified piece of prose on one topic, built around a topic sentence and developed with explanation and example, linked by connectives. Unity, order and coherence are the main qualities judged.

The greeting at the start of a letter, such as 'Dear Sir' in formal correspondence or 'Dear Ravi' in personal letters. It is followed by a comma and determines the closing used at the end.

The formal closing and signature at the end of a letter, for example 'Yours faithfully' with the full name, or 'Yours sincerely' when the reader's name is known.

A brief phrase placed after the salutation in a formal letter or before the body of an email, stating the purpose of the message in a few words.

A notice or letter sent to many people at once to give the same information, such as a school announcement about examinations or a change of timings.

A sentence construction in which the subject performs the action, as in 'The teacher checked the papers'. It is direct and is preferred in most ordinary writing.

A construction in which the subject receives the action, formed with a form of 'be' plus the past participle, as in 'The papers were checked'. Used when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Reporting a speaker's exact words inside quotation marks, with a reporting clause such as 'she said'. Converting it to indirect speech requires changes of pronoun, tense and time words.

Reporting what someone said without quoting the exact words, usually with a tense shift and adjusted pronouns, as in 'She said that she was tired'. Questions and commands follow their own patterns.

The general term for conveying another person's utterance in one's own words, covering statements, questions, requests and exclamations, each with its own reporting verb and word order.

The words 'a', 'an' and 'the'. 'A' and 'an' are indefinite and depend on sound, while 'the' is definite and marks something already known or unique.

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

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition that produces a new meaning, such as 'give up' meaning abandon or 'put off' meaning postpone. The particle cannot usually be replaced freely.

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

A word with a meaning close to that of another word, such as 'brave' and 'courageous'. Exact equivalence is rare, so register and context still matter when choosing between them.

A word expressing the opposite of another, such as 'generous' and 'stingy'. Antonyms may be graded, as with hot and cold, or absolute, as with alive and dead.

The central idea or concern a literary work explores, such as courage, poverty or the conflict between tradition and change. It is conveyed through character, action and imagery rather than stated outright.

The methods a writer uses to build a character: description, speech, action, other characters' reactions and the narrator's comment. Characters may be flat, with one trait, or rounded and complex.

The chief character around whom the plot is organised and whose fortunes the reader follows. The protagonist need not be morally admirable, but must engage sympathy or interest.

The arranged sequence of events in a story, moving through exposition, rising action, climax and resolution. Plot differs from mere chronology because events are selected and causally linked.

The point of greatest tension in a narrative, where the central conflict comes to a head and the outcome is decided. What follows is falling action and resolution.

The struggle that drives a narrative, whether between people, between a person and society or nature, or within a person's own mind. Without conflict there is little story.

The lesson about right conduct that a story, fable or parable is designed to teach, often summarised in a closing sentence. Modern fiction may suggest a moral without stating it.

A short narrative told to illustrate a moral or spiritual truth, usually with ordinary characters and a single point of comparison. Its meaning lies in the correspondence between story and lesson.

A narrative in which characters, objects and events stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities, so that the surface story carries a second, systematic meaning throughout.

The use of a concrete object, place or action to suggest a larger idea, such as a lamp standing for hope. Symbols gain force from repetition and from the associations built around them.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates pictures in the reader's mind. It works through figures such as simile, metaphor and personification rather than through literal statement.

A comparison between two unlike things introduced by 'like' or 'as', as in 'her voice was like a bell'. The point of similarity must be clear from the context.

A comparison in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another, without 'like' or 'as', as in 'the classroom was a beehive'. An extended metaphor is sustained across a whole passage.

Giving human qualities to a non-human thing, as when the wind whispers or the sun smiles. It is common in poetry for creating atmosphere and emotional colour.

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, as in 'silent, slow and solemn'. It draws attention to a phrase and contributes to rhythm and mood.

The pattern in which end-sounds of lines rhyme, shown by letters such as abab or aabb. Naming the scheme helps describe a poem's form and its effect on pace.

A group of lines forming a unit in a poem, separated from others by a space. Stanzas may follow a fixed pattern, such as the quatrain, or vary freely in length.

A line or phrase repeated at intervals in a poem or song, often at the end of stanzas. It builds rhythm and emphasises the central feeling or idea.

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

Writing that ridicules human folly or vice in order to correct it, using irony, exaggeration and wit. Its target is usually social behaviour or institutions rather than individuals.

The story of a person's life written by that person, usually in the first person. It selects and shapes events for effect, so it is not the same as a complete factual record.

An account of someone's life written by another person, drawing on letters, records and interviews. It is normally written in the third person and may interpret as well as record.

Any account of connected events told by a narrator, whether factual or invented. Narrative writing is organised around time, cause and the perspective from which it is told.

Rendering a passage from one language into another so that the meaning, tone and register are preserved. Literal word-for-word rendering often fails; idiomatic equivalence matters more.

Restating a passage in different words while keeping its full meaning, usually to clarify or to avoid quotation. It differs from summary, which shortens as well as rewrites.

A shortened restatement of the main points of a text, omitting examples and repetition. It keeps the original order of ideas and uses the writer's own words.

The level of formality in language, ranging from casual speech to official writing. Choosing the wrong register, such as slang in a formal letter, weakens the piece.

The quality that makes a piece of writing hold together logically, with ideas in a sensible order and each part connected to the next. It is achieved through planning and linking devices.

A word or phrase such as 'however', 'therefore' or 'in addition' that shows the relation between sentences or paragraphs. Correct use of linkers is a common mark-earning feature.