Accent Active Voice

The way words are pronounced, according The active voice is used when the subject of
to either the location or social class of the the sentence is doing something (rather than
speaker. Accents can vary widely from region having something done to it). The opposite
to region. of active voice is passive voice, where the
subject of the sentence has something done
e.g. In Manchester, bath is pronounced ‘bæth’,
to it, rather than doing something itself.
while in Sussex it is pronounced ‘barth’.
e.g.
Active voice: Sarah ate the cake.
Passive voice: The cake was eaten by Sarah.

Adjective Adverb
A word that describes a noun. A word that modifies (describes) a verb,
adjective or other adverb.
e.g. brown, beautiful, loud
e.g.
He ran quickly.
The bang was really loud.
The weather report is almost always wrong.

Allegory Alliteration
A text in which the story and characters The sound at the start of a word is repeated,
symbolise something else; its meaning is either in sequence or throughout a
deeper than it appears on the surface. sentence.
e.g. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an e.g. ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair.’ (William
allegory for the Russian Revolution. Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
Allusion Analogy
To make a passing reference to an event, an To compare something to something else, in
artistic work or a person, leaving the reader order to explain or comment on it.
to make the connection.
e.g. ‘This flea is you and I, and this / Our
e.g. The twins were about as caring as the marriage bed, and marriage temple is’ (John
two ugly sisters. Donne, The Flea)

Anapest Anaphora
In poetry, a metrical foot or unit that The repetition of a word or phrase at the
consists of two short (unstressed) beats beginning of clauses for effect.
followed by one long (stressed) beat.
e.g. ‘Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!’
e.g. ‘’Twas the night before Christmas and (William Shakespeare, King John)
all through the house…’ (Clement Clarke
Moore, A Visit from St Nicholas.)

Antagonist Anecdote
The person working against the protagonist A small story, usually telling of someone’s
or the central character in a story; their personal experiences.
enemy.
e.g. That reminds me of the time I met a man
e.g. In Othello, Iago is the antagonist. with a wooden leg on the pier at Blackpool,
who told me…
Antihero Antithesis
A protagonist or central character in a story A person, idea or thing that is the complete
who lacks the qualities we would usually opposite of something else.
associate with a hero.
e.g. His actions were the antithesis of
e.g. Macbeth is an antihero because he selfishness.
allows his ambition to overtake his sense of
what is morally right.

Antonym Apostrophe
A word that means the opposite of another When someone who is absent or non-
word. existent is addressed.
e.g. Good is the antonym of bad. e.g. Justice, you have departed from this
world.

Assonance Authorial Intrusion

Where a vowel sound is repeated over When a writer steps away from the story to
several words. address the reader directly.
e.g. Lou and Sue found the room cool. e.g. ‘Although I am not disposed to maintain
that being born in a workhouse is in itself the
most fortunate and enviable circumstance
that can possibly befall a human being, I do
mean to say that in this particular instance,
it was the best thing for Oliver Twist that
could by possibility have occurred.’ (Charles
Dickens, Oliver Twist)
Authorial Mediation Caesura
When an author comments on, tempers or A strong pause in a line of verse, breaking
manipulates how information is given to the up the rhythm. A caesura is annotated using
reader, so that they can put their own view two vertical lines: ||
(or the view of the narrator) across.
e.g. ‘To err is Human; || to Forgive, Divine.’
e.g. ‘What do you want?’ he asked (Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism.)
cautiously, aware that he could be in
grave danger.

Cliché Cohesion
A phrase or idea that is so overused that it A sense of something being whole or
lacks deep thought. complete.
e.g. She is as pretty as a picture. e.g. The repetition of the opening line at the
end gives a sense of cohesion.

Colloquial Comparative
Relaxed, informal language. An adjective that compares something to
something else.
e.g. He did a runner from the shop.
e.g. He was taller than his brother.
Connotation Consonance
An implied meaning or idea that goes When consonant sounds are repeated over
beyond surface meaning. a phrase.
e.g. The colour red has the connotation of e.g. The addled adults ducked under the
danger. door.

Dialect Direct Address

The words and speech patterns associated When the writer explicitly speaks to the
with a particular region. reader.
e.g. A bread roll is known as different things e.g. Do you know what it is like to be hungry?
in different dialects, including a ‘batch’, a
‘barm’ and a ‘cob’.

Direct Speech Discourse marker

Where the speaker’s exact words are used, A word or phrase that signposts the
rather than a rephrasing of them. direction a text is taking, but which, of itself,
does not significantly add to the meaning.
e.g.
Direct speech: ‘I’m hungry’, he said. e.g. On the other hand, so, moreover
Indirect speech: He said that he was hungry.
Dramatic irony Ellipsis
When the audience is aware of events that The omission of a word or phrase from a
the characters on stage don’t know about. text, indicated by the use of three dots:
… This is often used to show a pause
e.g. In An Inspector Calls, Mr Birling talks
or a thought left hanging, or to indicate
about how unsinkable the Titanic is. This is
that something does not need to be said
an example of dramatic irony because the
explicitly.
audience knows that the Titanic will, in fact,
sink. e.g. The door swung slowly open…

Emotive Language End-stopped line

Words designed to provoke an emotional A line of poetry which ends with a final
response in the reader. punctuation mark, such as a full stop.
e.g. The cat was ravenous, begging for even e.g. ‘O rose, thou art sick!’ (William Blake,
a scrap of food. The Sick Rose)

Enjambment Eulogise
When a line of verse continues onto the next To speak or write with praise about
line without a break. something or someone.
e.g. e.g. ‘Earth has not anything to show more
‘Five years have past; five summers, with the fair’ (William Wordsworth, Composed upon
length Westminster Bridge)
Of five long winters!’
(William Wordsworth, Tintern Abbey)
Euphemism Extended Metaphor
A reference to something unpleasant or A metaphor that is continued beyond a
negative that is made in a way that is less simple phrase or sentence.
distressing or harsh.
e.g. The classroom was a jungle. Students
e.g. ‘Passed away’ is a euphemism for ‘died’. hooted insults at each other over their
desks, while the teacher stalked between
the chairs, a tiger on the prowl. At the back
of the room, two boys swung, monkey-like,
on their chairs. All were baking in the stifling,
tropical heat of an unventilated classroom
at the height of the British summer.

First Person Foreshadowing

A narrative style in which the story is told A hint for the reader of something
from the narrator’s point of view, using ‘I’, that will happen further on in
‘me’ and ‘my’. the story.
e.g. This is the story of my life. e.g. ‘I turned my eyes—a little dimmed by
looking up at the frosty light – towards a
great wooden beam in a low nook of the
building near me on my right hand, and
I saw a figure hanging there by the neck.’
(Charles Dickens, Great Expectations)

Flashback Genre
While the writer recounts their story, they A type or category of literature (can also be
go back to the past to tell the reader about used to refer to other forms of art, such as
something that happened before the story music).
started.
e.g. science fiction, adventure, romance.
e.g. It was three years before these events
that I had been walking down the High
Street and had seen a robbery…
Gerund Homophone
A verb that is used as a noun. A word that sounds like another word but
has a different spelling and meaning.
e.g. Walking is my favourite form of exercise.
e.g. One of the students won the race.

Hyperbole Iambic Pentameter

An exaggeration of the importance or A line of verse that has five ‘feet’ or units,
dramatic impact of something. each consisting of an unstressed followed
by a stressed syllable.
e.g. I have a ton of homework to do; I’ll be
studying for the rest of my life. e.g. ‘When I do count the clock that tells the
time’ (William Shakespeare, Sonnet 12)

Idiom Imagery
A phrase that has a meaning which is not The use of words or phrases to conjure up
necessarily literal, but the meaning of which particular pictures in the mind of the reader.
is obvious to the speaker.
e.g. The woman was a cat, stalking her prey
e.g. That exam was a piece of cake. with calm cunning.
Imperative Indirect Speech
A command. Where the words of the speaker are
reported without being directly quoted.
e.g. Buy it now.
e.g.
Direct speech: ‘I’m hungry’, he said.
Indirect speech: He said that he was hungry.

Irony Juxtaposition
When what is said is opposite to what is Placing two very different things next to
meant or expected. each other to highlight their differences.
e.g. The letter complaining about the poor e.g. A ballerina sitting in a mechanic’s
manners of the staff was filled with swear workshop.
words.

Litotes Metaphor
Using a negative to reinforce a positive; a A figure of speech that describes something
deliberate understatement. by saying it is something else.
e.g. I won’t be sorry to see the back of him. e.g. His face was a beetroot.
Metonymy Narrative Perspective
A figure of speech in which something is The point of view from which a narrative is
referred to by something which represents related. This could be third person omniscient
it. (where we see events from different characters’
points of view), third person limited (where we
e.g. Downing Street refused to confirm the only see events from one character’s point of
rumours. view), or first person (where the narrator is ‘me’
and events are told from ‘my’ point of view only).
e.g. I was confused about what Ayla wanted.
(First person narrative)
Harry was confused about what Ayla wanted.
(Third person limited)
Harry was confused about what she wanted
Ayla felt pleased he had not guessed her secret.
(Third person omniscient)

Non-sequitur Noun
A jump from one subject to another, The name of a person, place or thing.
completely unrelated, subject.
e.g. Helen, Birmingham, table
e.g. I like apples. My brother has chickenpox.

Noun phrase Onomatopoeia

The set of words that accompany a noun A language feature in which a word sounds
and give more information about it. like the thing it is describing.
e.g. The hardest-working of the three e.g. Crash, sizzle, crunch
sisters went to university.
Oxymoron Paradox
A language feature in which two contradictory An idea or concept which seems impossible
ideas are placed together for effect. because it contradicts itself.
e.g. ‘O loving hate’ (William Shakespeare, e.g. This statement is false.
Romeo and Juliet.)

Passive Voice Pathetic Fallacy

When the subject of the sentence has When human emotions are attributed to the
something done to it, rather than doing natural world.
something itself. The opposite of passive
e.g. The sun shone its friendly beams on our
voice is active voice, where the subject of
faces.
the sentence is doing something (rather
than having something done to it).
e.g.
Active voice: Sarah ate the cake.
Passive voice: The cake was eaten by Sarah

Personification Preposition
When an inanimate object is given human A part of speech that indicates the position
qualities. (either in time or space) or relationship
between other words.
e.g. The floorboards groaned under the
weight of the box. e.g.
I came to class after him.
The book was for George.
Pronoun Protagonist
A word used instead of a noun, usually to The leading character in a text.
avoid repetition.
e.g. Viola is the protagonist in Twelfth Night.
e.g. Amir went to the canteen. He was
hungry.

Repetition Pronoun
When a word or phrase is repeated within a A word used instead of a noun, usually to
text for effect. avoid repetition.
e.g. The rain fell in grey slants onto the grey e.g. Amir went to the canteen. He was
pavement, soaking the grey commuters hungry.
with grey faces and grey suits.

Rhetorical Question Rhyme

A question which doesn’t require an answer, Two or more words with a similar sound.
intended to make the reader think about an
e.g. ‘slink’ and ‘pink’
issue.
e.g. Do you really think that this is acceptable?
Rhythm Rule of Three
The pattern of stressed and unstressed Listing something using three items or three
syllables which gives words and lines a beat. words.
e.g. The line ‘This is the Night Mail, crossing e.g. Dogs are always likeable, loving and
the border / Bringing the cheque and the loyal.
postal order’ has a regular rhythm that
sounds like a train travelling along tracks.

Satire Second person

When a particular group or character trait A narrative that is told using ‘you’ – directly
is mocked or ridiculed, either throughout a addressing the reader.
text or in a single statement. Satire is often
e.g. You need to understand why this happened.
directed at politics and politicians.
e.g. ‘The emperor his father published an
edict, commanding all his subjects, upon
great penalties, to break the smaller end of
their eggs. The people so highly resented this
law, that our histories tell us, there have been
six rebellions raised on that account; wherein
one emperor lost his life, and another his
crown.’ (Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels)

Semantic field Sibilance

When words within a text all relate to a The repetition of an ‘s’ or ‘sh’ sound in close
particular topic or theme. proximity within a text.
e.g. They stood to attention, while the e.g. The sleeping sisters succumbed to
teacher surveyed the new recruits before slumber.
her; a regiment of students with pristine
uniforms glistening in the midday sun. She
dismissed them and they marched inside,
ready to face the battlefield before them.
Simile Stanza
A language feature in which something is Formal word for a verse of poetry.
described by using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to compare it
e.g. The poem is written in three stanzas.
to something else.
e.g.
His face was like a beetroot.
His face was as purple as a beetroot.

Structure Superlative
The way a text is put together. At a simple An adjective that describes something as
level, this can be the order of words, the most or highest degree of that particular
sentences and paragraphs, but it can also quality.
refer to the order in which the narrative,
e.g. He was the fastest runner in the race.
ideas, arguments and concepts are
introduced to the reader.
e.g. The novel follows a simple structure,
narrating the events surrounding the
accident chronologically.

Symbol Synonym
An object or action in a piece of writing that A word that has a very similar meaning to
represents something else, often a concept another word.
or idea.
e.g. ‘Hungry’ is a synonym for ‘starving’.
e.g. A cabin on a mountain could symbolise
freedom or escape.
Tautology Term of endearment
Where a concept or idea is unnecessarily An affectionate, informal way of referring to
repeated in a different way. someone.
e.g. There was a smelly odour in the room. e.g. my dear, mate, love

Term of address Third person

The words used to refer to a person. The narrator uses ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘it’, rather
than ‘I’.
e.g. Your Highness, boy, Miss
e.g. He awoke one morning to find the world
had changed.

Topic sentence Verb

A sentence, usually found at the very A word that conveys an action or a state.
beginning of a paragraph, which explains
e.g. to run, to be
what that paragraph will be about – what its
topic will be.
e.g. I believe that school uniform is far
too expensive. The cost of a new uniform in
Year 7 is over £100, and even then…
Verisimilitude
The addition of detail to a story or account
to make it sound more truthful.
e.g. The inclusion of forensic detail in a
whodunit gives it verisimilitude.