NCEA Level 3 English key terms

A careful, line-by-line examination of a short passage in which you analyse word choice, syntax, imagery and structure to explain how meaning and effect are created.

The associations or emotional overtones a word carries beyond its literal meaning, such as the suggestion of warmth in 'home' or of threat in 'looming'.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to the feelings or ideas it suggests; for example, 'snake' denotes a reptile regardless of cultural associations.

The attitude a writer or speaker conveys towards the subject or audience, revealed through word choice, syntax and rhythm, for example ironic, admiring or bitter.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses - sight, sound, touch, taste or smell - used to create vivid pictures and shape a reader's emotional response.

Placing two ideas, characters or images side by side so that the contrast between them highlights a difference or creates a new meaning.

The quality of a text having more than one plausible interpretation, deliberately or not, which invites readers to weigh competing readings rather than settle on one.

A recurring image, phrase or idea that appears throughout a text and accumulates meaning, often reinforcing a theme such as decay or renewal.

The techniques a writer uses to build a character, including description, dialogue, action, what others say, and how the character changes.

The perspective from which a story is told - first person, third person limited, omniscient - which shapes what information the reader receives and how they judge events.

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

A storyteller whose account the reader has reason to doubt, because of bias, limited knowledge, self-interest or instability, forcing readers to read against the text.

The unstated meanings and tensions beneath the surface of dialogue or action, which the reader infers from what characters avoid, deflect or imply.

Everything placed within a film or stage frame - setting, props, costume, lighting, blocking and performance - which together create meaning and atmosphere.

Sound that has a source within the world of the story, such as a radio in a character's room or footsteps on a stair, heard by the characters themselves.

Sound added in post-production that characters cannot hear, such as a musical score, voice-over narration or sound effects used to guide the audience's response.

The level and style of language suited to a particular situation or audience, ranging from formal academic prose to informal conversation, shaped by purpose and relationship.

The way sentences and paragraphs are linked so a piece of writing reads as a connected whole, achieved through connectives, repetition, pronoun reference and consistent topic focus.

A writer's choice of words, considered for precision and effect; analysing diction means asking why this word rather than a near-synonym was chosen.

The arrangement of words and clauses into sentences; varying sentence length and structure controls pace, emphasis and the reader's sense of rhythm.

How an oral text is performed - voice, volume, pace, gesture and use of space - which carries much of the meaning an audience receives.

The speed at which a speaker delivers words and the silences between them; slowing down or pausing can emphasise a point and build tension.

The speaker's deliberate use of gaze to connect with an audience, establish confidence and hold attention, or to look away for rhetorical effect.

A question asked for effect rather than to obtain an answer, used to engage an audience, challenge an assumption or lead listeners to a conclusion.

The element in a visual text that draws the viewer's eye first, achieved through size, colour, contrast, placement or focus, signalling what matters most.

The arrangement of elements in a designed page or image so the viewer reads them in a planned order, usually from most to least important.

The limited range of colours chosen for a visual text, whose associations - warm, cold, muted, saturated - create mood and carry symbolic meaning.

The choice of typeface, size, weight and spacing in a visual text, which conveys tone and personality and directs attention before any words are read.

An image or design element that stands for an abstract idea by resemblance or association, such as a wilting flower representing lost youth.

The way one text refers to, echoes or reshapes another, so that meaning is produced through the reader's recognition of the relationship between them.

A brief, unacknowledged reference to a well-known text, historical event or cultural figure that rewards recognition by adding a layer of meaning.

Discussing two or more texts together, organising points by idea rather than text by text, and using evidence from each to show similarity and difference.

Combining ideas from several sources or texts into a unified argument of your own, rather than listing them separately, showing how they connect or conflict.

A theoretical perspective - feminist, Marxist, postcolonial, psychoanalytic - applied to a text to reveal assumptions and meanings a casual reading would miss.

Published analysis and interpretation of texts by scholars and reviewers; using it means engaging with its arguments and evidence, not just quoting conclusions.

A single sentence stating the central claim of an essay, specific and arguable, that the rest of the discussion is organised to support.

The position of the camera relative to its subject - high, low, eye-level, canted - which shapes the viewer's sense of power, intimacy or unease.

How much of the subject fills the frame, from extreme close-up to wide shot; the choice directs attention to detail, relationship or setting.

A sequence of short shots edited together to compress time, suggest a process or build an idea through the collision of images.