English language gcse STRUCTURE terms

Chronological Structure

Events are presented in the order they happened. (eg. waking up, going to school, coming home)

Ellipsis

Three dots - usually showing hesitation or suspense. (eg. maybe… just maybe…)

Cyclical Structure

The text ends in a similar way to how it began. (eg. beginning and ending with the same image of the sea)

Flashback

The writer returns to an earlier event. (eg. remembering childhood)

Fragmented sentence

An incomplete sentence used deliberately to create emphasis, tension or impact. (She looked around. Nothing. )

Foreshadowing

The writer hints at something that will happen later. (eg. dark clouds gathering before a disaster)

Cliffhanger

A section ends at a tense or exciting moment to keep the reader interested. (eg. blah blah blah. Then suddenly, the door opened. END OF CHAPTER)

Shift in Focus

The writer moves the reader's attention from one subject or detail to another. (eg. describing the forest before focusing on one child)

Shift in Perspective

The viewpoint changes to another character or narrator. (eg. changing from I to she)

Shift in Setting

The location changes. (eg. moving from a busy city to a quiet forest)

Shift in Time

The text moves forwards or backwards in time. (eg. ten years later)

Zooming In

The writer moves from a broad description to a specific detail. (eg. describing a city before focusing on one broken window)

Zooming Out

The writer moves from a specific detail to the wider setting or situation. (eg. describing one flower before the whole field)

Long sentence

Usually used to slow down the pace or buid tension