CIE AS level terminoly glossary

Abstract noun

The name of something that doesn’t physically exist

Active voice

Using a verb in a way that emphasizes the person or thing performing the action

Adjective

A word to describe/give more information about a noun

Adverb

A word to describe/give more information about a verb

Alliteration

When two or more words begins with the same letter or sound

Ambiguity

When a word or phrase has more than one possible meaning

Anaphoric

When the reference depends on or connects back to a previous related word or phrase

Anectodal

Comments or accounts relating to minor personal events ,moments or stories

Antagonist

Opposite of protagonists often seen as the villain

Antithesis

When two opposite ideas are put together to cfeate a contrasting effect. Eg. one small step for the man one giant leap for mankind

Antonym

A word with an oppposite meaning to another eg good and bad

Associations

The connotations that a word has eg red has associations of love and anger

Assonances

The rhyming of vowel sounds within two or more words eg moses supposes his toes are roses

Asyndetic listing

A list that doesnt use conjunctions, example i felt anger,betrayal, deceit

Atmosphere

The mood or feeling cfeated by a text

Audience

The people your text is aimed at

Auditory imagery

imagery that appeals on our sense of hearing

Autobiography

Writing about your own life

Biography

Someone writing about your life

Clause

A group of words containing a subject and a verb , example: “i went to the shop”

Cliché

An overused word or expression

Cliffhanger

A way of leaving the reader in suspuor wondering how thkngs might develop

Climax

The most important,intense,exciting point of a text

Closed ending

Where the reader is informed about the outcome or reason for the outcome of a particular event or the fate of a character

Collective noun

The name for a group of someone; example: a herd of cows

Colloquial language

The language of everyday conversation, informal terms

Common noun

The name of everyday objeyeg books , lamp

comparative

An adjective which makes a comparison: eg : bigger ,worse ,better

Complex sentence

A sentence that has a main clause and one subordinate clause → eg: i went to the show even though it was raining

Compound sentence

Two simplebsentences or ( main clause) joined together using a conjunction→ eg: i went to the shop and i bought milk,bread and cheese

Compound- Complex sentences

When a sentence has two main clause and at least kne subordinate claise → eg: i went to the show even though it was raining and i bought bread,milk and cheese

Concrete noun

Name of something that physically exist

Conjunction

A word thag joins together parts of a sentence → eg: for,and,nore,but,or,yet,so

Connective

Words or phrases which link othet phrases, words or paragraphs together → eg: however, furthermore, nevertheless

Connotations

The association that a word has → eg: red has connotations of love,anger,danger

Context

The background influences of when a text was written/set → eh cultural beliefs, religious beliefs, social class etc

Contrast

Opposites or differences between things such as contrast in character or places

Definite article

A determiner (the) that introduces or indicate a particular object, place , person eg→ pick up The book and bring it here ( here the speaker knows that the listener knows which specific book to pick up )

Direct speech

Using speech marks to quote someone’s words exactly

Discourse

Any spoken or written language that is longer than a sentence

Discursive

A discursive text is one that explores a subject or reflect thoughtfully on it

Effect

Why the writer has chosen a particular word, phrases, or sentences structure s; why the language choices are powerful/ significant; how language choices create an impact on/cause reaction in the reader

Elision

The omission of a sound or syllable→ e.g: o’er instead of over

Emotive language

Language intended to produce an emotional response in the reader or listener e.g.→ the sad,lonely,orphaned puppy wandered the streets in the storm hoping to find shelter. ( the intended effect here is that you feel sympathy for the puppy and possibly want to save it )

Explicit meaning

Something that is directly stated within a text → i listened to the weather forecast this morning and it said there was a chance of rain. ( the explicit meaning here is that the speaker has listened to the weather forecast and it has said it might rain)

Extended metaphor

A metaphor which is continued over several lines ( or more ) of a text

Figurative language

Language such as imagery, in which the literal meaning is less relevant than what the word/phrase suggests or symbolizes ( metaphors, similes) e.g→ my heart was made stone ( this does not mean that the writers heart was literally made of stone, but perhaps they weren’t emotionally affected by the event )

First person

Narrative perspective use of first person pronouns e.g. i, me , we, us

Foreshadowing

When something happens in a text that anticipates/ echoes something that will Happen later

Form

The overall shape organisation, or structure of a text, that anticipates/ echoes something that will happen later

Formal language

language that observes agreed conventions, which would be used in business or professional situations, and not in person situations

Free direct speech

Stating someones words exactly but without an introductory clause or speech marks

Free indirect speech

A report of someone’s else’s words or account of what they said without an introductory clause of clause or speech marks

Future Tense

A tense expressing that an action or event will happen in the future

Genre

A type of text. → e.g: short story , poem, honor, comedy ; sometimes used to mean the same as form

Gustatory imagery

Imagery that appeas to our sense of taste

Hyperbole

Intentional exaggeration→ eg: ill die if you dont let me go to the party

Imagery

Any aspects of a text that appeals to the reader’s sensed/creates a picture in their mind also used more specifically to refer to the use of similes and metaphors in literature

Implicit meaning

Meaning that is suggested within a text → eg: i listened to the radio this morning and decided to take a umbrella out with me. ( The implicit meaning here is that when the speaker listened to the radio, they listened to the weather forecast and it has said there where would be a chance rain, so they decided to take an umbrella)

Indirect speech

A report or summary of someone else’s words or account of what they said using an introductory clause and without speech marks

In media res

Whem a text begins in the middle of the event/action

Irony

Saying the opposite of what is meant

Juxtapose

To place ideas or words/phrases in close proximity to each other to convey an idea, or to balance contrasting points

Language

The vocabulary,grammar, syntax, variety of sentences, choice of tense, register, figurative language techniques used in a text

List of three

A sequence of three items one after the other,often used to create a particular effect→ e.g: the school trip will be educational, fun and culturally beneficial

Main clause

A group of words that included ha noun and a verb→ e.g: i went to the shop. (‘I’ is the noun and ‘went’ is the verb.) (see Clause) Also known as an independent clause

Metaphor

A comparison which is not literally true because it refers to something as if were something else → e.g: you’re a star

Modal verb

A form or type of verb that modifies the meaning of another one e.g.→ i might go (alters the meaning of the verb ‘to go’ so that it suggests a possibility), i will go ( alters the meaning of the verb ‘ to go’ so that it suggests certainty

Mode of address

The way in which the reader is ‘spoken to’ by the writer

Monosyllabic

A word that has one syllable

Mood

The atmosphere or feeling of a text

Motif

An element such as phrase or action, which occurs repeatedly within a text

Narrative

The development or unfolding of a plot ,account or story

Narrative perspective

Refers to how a text/story is told this includes who is telling the story ,from whose point of view the story is told and what person and tense is used

Object

The person or thing that the action in a sentence is happening to e.g the cat strutted accross the fence

Olfactory imagery

Imagery that appeals to our sense of smell

Omniscient narrator

In prose fiction an all seeing all knowing narrator use third person narrative perspective

Onomatopoeia

When words imitate the sound they describe→ e.g : splash! , boom , buzzzz

Open ending

When the reader is left to imagine what might happened or has happened

Oxymoron

The joining together of contradictory ideas/ words when something is described using words that are not associated with the object → eg: bitter sweet, happy funeral

Paradox

A statement or situation which appears to contradict itself but which is nevertheless true: e.g the battle thats lost and won from act one scene one of macbeth. The battle of has been lost by one side and won by the other but the idea is presented as contradictory

Parrallelism

When parts of sentences ( or a complete sentences) have a similar pattern or structure

Pastoral

Literature or images created within literature which are associated with rural life ( country side )

Persona

a role or a character adopted by narrator or writer

Personification

When an inanimate object/something that is not human is described as if it were: giving an inanimate object human qualifies/features → e.g : the trees danced in the gentle breeze

Polysyllabic

A word having three or more syl

Pun

A humorous play on words dependent on a word or phrase phrase having a double meaning. → eg: the footballer kitted out his kitchen is a pun because a football wears a football kit and when you upgrade/refurbish a kitchen, you say it has been kitted out

Semantic field

Several wors used throughout a text that are all related/ similar → eg: flooding, torrential, rain, tempests, thunder are all in the semantic field of weather

Sibilance

The repetition of “s”, soft, “c” “sh” and “z” sounds

Simile

A comparison using like or as eg the boy ran as fast as a cheetah

Story arc

The over reaching curve of a story which sees it begin ,build up in strenght and drama before descending to conclusion

Syndic listing

A list that uses conjunction → e.g: i felt betrayal and anger and deceit

Syntax

The order of words and phrases in a sentence

Tactile imagery

Imagery that appeals to our sense of touch

Triplet

A sequence of three items one after another often used to create a particular effect → eg: the school trip will be educational fun and culturay beneficial

voiceover

The voic elf an unseen narrator in spoken material

Tone

In writing is an attitude of a writer towards a subject or an attitude or an audience. It is generally conveyed through the choice of words, or view point of the writer. The tone can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad or cheerful or it may be any existing attitude

Lexis

The words that make up a language ( its vocabulary)

Semantic

The meaning of words

Orthography

The lart of language concerned with letters and spelling