MATSEC SEC English Literature key terms

A situation in a play where the audience knows something important that a character does not, so their words or actions carry a meaning they cannot see.

A speech in which a character, alone on stage, speaks their thoughts aloud, giving the audience direct access to private feelings and intentions.

A short remark spoken by a character that other characters on stage are not meant to hear, often sharing a secret or private reaction with the audience.

An extended speech by one character, either alone or in company, that develops character, reveals information or advances the action of a play.

The written instructions in a play script covering movement, gesture, setting, lighting and tone, which guide performance and often reveal character or mood.

The feeling of suspense or pressure built up in a scene through conflict, withheld information, timing or the audience's anticipation of what will happen next.

The point of greatest intensity in a narrative or play, where the central conflict reaches its peak and the outcome begins to be decided.

The later part of a story or play in which the main conflict is settled and remaining questions are answered, sometimes called the denouement.

The arranged sequence of events in a narrative, shaped by cause and effect rather than simply listed, and often built around conflict and complication.

A secondary storyline running alongside the main plot, often involving minor characters and echoing or contrasting with the central concerns of the work.

The methods a writer uses to build and reveal characters, including description, dialogue, action, other characters' reactions and the character's own choices.

The main character whose fortunes the audience follows and whose decisions drive much of the action, not necessarily a morally good person.

The character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates much of the conflict, whether a person, a group or an internal pressure.

A character whose qualities contrast with another's, making particular traits stand out more clearly by comparison.

The struggle between opposing forces in a text, such as person against person, society, nature or self, which generates tension and drives the plot forward.

The time and place in which events occur, including social and historical context, which can shape mood, character behaviour and thematic meaning.

The overall emotional feeling or mood created in a scene or passage, built through description, setting, imagery and the sounds of language.

A dramatic form in which a person of some standing falls from prosperity to suffering, often through a fatal flaw, error or clash with fate.

The error, misjudgement or flaw in a tragic hero that contributes to their downfall, often a strength that becomes destructive in the wrong circumstances.

The release of strong emotion, especially pity and fear, that audiences are said to experience at the close of a tragedy.

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter, a common dramatic and narrative line of five stressed beats used widely in English verse.

A metrical line of five iambs, each an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, producing a rising ten-syllable rhythm.

The regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in verse, identified by the type of foot and the number of feet per line.

The perceived beat or flow of language in a poem or speech, produced by stress, pace, pauses and line length, whether regular or varied.

The continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line or couplet without a pause, which can speed up reading or create suspense.

A noticeable pause or break within a line of verse, often marked by punctuation, which can slow pace or add emphasis.

A group of lines in a poem set off from others by spacing, functioning like a paragraph and often shaping the poem's structure and argument.

The pattern of end rhymes across a poem, usually shown with letters such as ABAB or ABBA, which can create unity, closure or contrast.

A fourteen-line poem usually in iambic pentameter, commonly organised as a Petrarchan octave and sestet or a Shakespearean sequence of three quatrains and a couplet.

The turn or shift in argument, mood or perspective in a poem, especially a sonnet, often marked by a conjunction such as 'but' or a change of rhyme.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating pictures and sensory impressions that support mood and meaning rather than mere decoration.

A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another, carrying qualities across without using 'like' or 'as'.

A comparison between two unlike things introduced by 'like' or 'as', often making an abstract idea vivid or unfamiliar.

Giving human qualities, feelings or actions to a non-human thing, such as an object, animal or abstract idea, to deepen description or meaning.

The technique of attributing human emotion to nature or weather so that the surroundings reflect a character's or speaker's mood.

The use of a concrete object, place or action to represent a larger abstract idea, gaining meaning from repetition and context within the text.

A gap between what is said or expected and what is actually meant or happens, used to create humour, criticism or complexity.

The attitude a writer or speaker seems to take towards the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice, sentence structure and level of formality.

A central idea or concern explored across a whole text, such as love, power or justice, developed through repeated patterns rather than stated once.

A recurring image, phrase, object or idea that gains significance through repetition and contributes to the text's themes and structure.

A hint or warning early in a text about events that will happen later, building expectation and making later developments feel prepared for.

The persona or perspective from which a story is told, including first or third person and the degree of knowledge and judgement the teller has.

The position from which events are narrated, such as first person, third-person limited or omniscient, shaping what readers can know and feel.

A storyteller whose account the reader has reason to doubt because of bias, limited knowledge, self-interest or deliberate distortion.

A clear, arguable sentence near the start of an essay that states the central claim the essay will develop and support with evidence.

The opening sentence of a paragraph that announces its main point and links it back to the essay's overall argument.

Detailed examination of a short passage, focusing on specific word choices, images, sounds and structures, and explaining how they create meaning.

A short, exact extract from a text used as evidence in an essay; it should be brief, accurately copied and integrated into the writer's own sentence.

The impact a writer's technique has on the reader or audience, such as creating tension, sympathy or surprise, which analysis must explain rather than merely name.

A specific craft choice made by a writer, such as metaphor, enjambment or stage direction, which can be identified and linked to meaning.

The historical, social or biographical background relevant to a text, used carefully to illuminate meaning rather than to excuse or replace analysis of the writing.

An essay or answer that evaluates a text and the question's claim, weighing evidence and offering a reasoned judgement rather than plot summary.

A candidate's own informed reaction to a text, supported by textual evidence and reasoned argument rather than unsupported opinion.