10ENG Exam Vocabulary

Flashcards covering terminology of assessment in the examination for English class

Adjective

A word naming an attribute of a noun

Adverb

A word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

Allusion

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly

Antagonist

A person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something

Aristotelian

Relating to Aristotle or his philosophy

Assonance

Resemblance of sound between syllables of nearby words

Aside

A type of speech in which a character speaks directly to the audience, but is not intended to be heard by other characters on stage

Audience

The people giving attention to something

Authorial

Belonging or relating to the writer of a book, article, or document

Blank Verse

Lines that do not rhyme but still use rhythm

Caesura

The use of a punctuated pause in a line of verse.

Character

A person in a novel, play, or film

Conflict

A serious incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles, or interests

Connotation

An idea or feeling created in addition to a word’s literal meaning

Context

Information that helps readers accurately interpret the meaning of a text

Conventions

A way in which something is usually done

Colloquial

(Of language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.

Director

A person who supervises the actors and other staff in a film, play, or similar production

Dramaturgy

The theory and practice of dramatic composition

Dialogue

A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film.

Enjambment

The use of no punctuated pauses between lines to create continuous flow.

Evaluative Language

Positive, negative or neutral words and expressions that convey a judgement.

Fiction

Literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people

Genre

A style or category of art, music, or literature

Glossary

A list of words relating to a specific subject, with explanations

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Imagery

Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work

Irony

The expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Jargon

Special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand

Juxtaposition

The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

Monologue

A long speech delivered by a character to another character or to the audience.

Mood

The atmosphere or pervading tone of something.

Narrative

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story

Nonfiction

Prose writing that is informative or factual rather than fictional

Noun

A word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

Performance

The action or process of performing a task or function.

Personification

The attribution of human characteristics to something non-human

Plot

The main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence

Props

A portable object other than furniture or costumes used on the set of a play or film

Protagonist

The main character in a text

Purpose

The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists

Script

The written text of a play, film, or broadcast

Sibilance

Sound created from the repetition of the letter "s"

Simile

The comparison of one thing with another using ‘like’ or ‘as’

Slang

A type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal

Soliloquy

A type of monologue that is delivered by a character who is alone on stage to reveal inner thoughts and feelings.

Stereotype

A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Storytelling

The activity of telling or writing stories

Structure

The arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences

Tone

The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

Tragedy

A text dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending

Trope

A significant or recurrent theme

Register

A variety of a language or a level of usage, as determined by degree of formality and choice of vocabulary, pronunciation, and syntax, according to the communicative purpose, social context, and standing of the user.

Rhyme

Correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry.

Verb

A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

Verse

Lines are truncated and have the appearance of a poem