English language GCSE language terms

Adjective

A describing word that gives more detail about a noun. (eg. the tall man)

Adverb

A word that describes a verb, adjective or another adverb. (eg. he ran quickly)

Alliteration

The repetition of the same letter at the beginning of nearby words. (eg. slippery snake slithered)

Ambiguity

Language that has more than one possible meaning. (eg. she saw the man with the telescope)

Anaphora

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of clauses or sentences next to eachother. (eg. we will fight, we will win)

Anecdote

A short personal story used to engage or persuade the reader. (eg. when I was younger non of the kids in the playground would play with me and it made me very sad, thats why bullying should not be allowed …)

Personification

Giving animals or objects human thoughts, feelings, speech or language. (eg. the wind whispered)

Antithesis

Placing opposite ideas close together to highlight contrast. (eg. it was the best of times, it was the worst of times)

Asyndeton

A list without connectives to speed up the pace. (eg. I came, I saw, I conquered)

Cliché

An overused phrase or expression. (eg. busy as a bee)

Colloquial Language

Informal everyday language. (eg. gonna, mate)

Connotation

The ideas or feelings associated with a word. (eg. a sentence which talks about home has connotations of comfort and safety)

Contrast

Showing differences between two ideas or images. (eg. light and darkness)

Declarative Sentence

A sentence that makes a statement. (eg. the sky is blue)

Direct Address

When the writer speaks directly to the reader (eg. you can make a difference)

Emotive Language

Words chosen to create strong feelings. (eg. it was a heartbreaking tragedy)

Euphemism

A mild word replacing something harsh or unpleasant. (eg. he passed away instead of he died)

Exclamative tone

Shown in a sentence ending with an exclamation mark to show strong emotion. (eg. watch out!)

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor developed over several lines or sentences. (eg. comparing life to a journey throughout a paragraph)

Fact

A statement that can be proven true. (eg. London is the capital of England)

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis. (eg. I've told you a million times)

Idiom

A phrase which has a meaning thats different from its literal meaning. (eg. break the ice)

Imagery

Descriptive language that creates a picture in the reader's mind. (eg. golden rays spread across the sea)

Imperative tone

Used in a commanding sentence when telling someone/something to do something. (eg. stop running)

Interrogative tone

Used when asking a question. (eg. where are you going?)

Irony

When the opposite of what is expected or meant happens. (eg. a fire station burns down)

Juxtaposition

Placing two contrasting ideas or images close together. (eg. beautiful flowers beside a grave)

Lexical Field

A group of words linked by the same topic or theme. (eg. waves, tide, ocean, beach)

Metaphor

Saying one thing is another to create a comparison. (eg. time is a thief)

Monologue

A long speech by one person. (eg. a character speaking for several paragraphs)

Mood

The atmosphere or feeling created for the reader. (eg. a character going into a dark forest at night creates a tense mood)

Motif

A recurring image, symbol or idea throughout a text. (eg. repeated references to darkness)

Noun

A person, place, object or idea. (eg. dog)

Noun Phrase

A noun with extra descriptive words. (eg. the enormous ancient castle)

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates a sound. (eg. bang, pop)

Oxymoron

Two contrasting words placed together. (eg. deafening silence)

Parallelism

Using similar grammatical structures for emphasis. (eg. easy come, easy go)

Parenthesis

Extra information added using brackets, commas or dashes. (eg. the boy, exhausted, sat down)

Pathetic Fallacy

Weather used to reflect emotions or mood. (eg. rain poured during the funeral)

Plosive Sounds

Repeated hard consonant sounds such as b, p, d, t, k or g. (eg. bang, bash, boom)

Polysyndeton

Repeating conjunctions in a list to slow the pace or add emphasis. (eg. there was rain and wind and thunder)

Pronoun

A word used instead of a noun. (eg. he/she/they)

Proper Noun

The specific name of a person, place or organisation. (eg. London)

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases for emphasis. (eg. never, never, never)

Rhetorical Question

A question asked without expecting an answer. (eg. who wouldn't want success?)

Rule of Three (Tricolon)

Three words or phrases grouped together for emphasis. (eg. stop, look, listen)

Sarcasm

Using mocking language to say the opposite of what is really meant. (eg. “nice job” after someone drops a plate)

Satire

Using humour, irony or exaggeration to criticise people or society. (eg. making fun of politicians to highlight their mistakes)

Semantic Field

A group of words linked by the same topic or theme. (eg. blood, battle, soldier, weapon)

Shift in Perspective

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

Sibilance

The repetition of s or sh sounds. (eg. snakes silently slithered)

Simile

A comparison using like or as. (eg. the air was as cold as ice)

Simple Sentence

A sentence with one main clause. (eg. he ran.)

Statistics

Numbers used to support a point or argument. (eg. 9 out of 10 people agree)

Symbolism

Using an object, colour or image to represent a deeper meaning. (eg. a dove symbolises peace)

Tone

The writer's attitude towards the subject or audience. (eg. humorous, angry, hopeful)

Tricolon (rule of 3)

Three words or phrases grouped together to create emphasis and rhythm. (eg. faster, higher, stronger)

Understatement

Deliberately making something seem less important than it is. (eg. “it's just a scratch” for a serious injury)

Verb

A doing, being or having word. (eg. run)

Zoomorphism

Giving animal characteristics to humans or objects. (eg. he flew through the room)