Stage 8 Term 3 English: Key Vocabulary Flashcards (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key topics from the lecture notes (writing process, letter formats, literature & film, grammar, and composition concepts).

Plan (Writing Process)

Step to organize ideas before writing, often using a mind map.

Draft (Writing Process)

A rough first version of your ideas.

Edit (Writing Process)

Correct spelling, grammar, and clarity.

Revise (Writing Process)

Make improvements after feedback and review.

Final Draft

A neat, polished version ready for submission.

Mind Map

A visual diagram used to organise thoughts and ideas.

Formal Letter Format

Structured layout for formal letters, including sender information, greeting, topic heading, body, conclusion, and closing.

Sender’s Information

Name, title/organisation, address, and date, each on a new line.

Greeting

Formal salutation, such as 'Sir/Madam'.

Topic Heading

Bold and underlined heading showing the main issue.

Introduction (Formal Letter)

Briefly state the reason for writing.

Body Paragraphs (Formal Letter)

Explain the issue in more detail.

Conclusion (Formal Letter)

End with a polite request or statement.

Closing

'Sincerely', followed by your signature and name.

Informal/Friendly Letters

Letters to friends or family with a relaxed, conversational tone.

Book Review

Offers information about the book and discusses the plot, setting, and characters; helps readers decide whether to read.

Blurb

Short, catchy summary found on the back or inside of the book; a publisher’s advertorial.

Film/Theatre Review

Offers information about films or plays and describes and evaluates them with reasons.

Restaurant Review

Discusses food, service, price, and setting; may praise and criticise in the same review.

Critic

A reviewer; usually a ‘foodie’ or connoisseur.

Plot

What happens in the story.

Characters

People in the story.

Setting

Where and when the story takes place.

Conflict

Problem or challenge in the story.

Narrator

Who tells the story.

Theme

The main message or idea.

Background

Factors like age, culture, language that influence the story.

Argumentative Essay

Expresses a strong opinion using persuasive and emotive language; provides arguments, evidence, and a conclusion.

Thesis

Main point or argument of an essay.

Body Paragraphs (Argumentative)

Present each argument with evidence (facts, logic, statistics).

Counter Argument

Optional; mentions opposing views and refutes them.

Conclusion (Argumentative)

Restates your view powerfully; no new information.

Summary

Shortens a passage by including only main ideas; written in past tense, reported speech, and in your own words.

Summary Process

Steps: read, reread, identify key points, draft in order, edit, finalize, and add word count.

Misplaced Modifiers

A modifier placed too far from the word it describes, causing ambiguity or confusion.

Modifier

A word or group of words that provides more information about a noun or verb.

Golden Rule: Modifiers Close

Place modifiers immediately next to the word they describe.

Singular and Plural Forms

Nouns change form based on number (one vs more than one).

Plural Rules: Regular

Most nouns form plurals by adding -s.

Plural Rules: -es

Words ending in s, sh, ch, x, or z add -es for plurals.

Plural Rules: -ves

Nouns ending in -f or -fe change to -ves in plural.

Irregular Plurals

Some nouns have special plural forms (e.g., child → children, person → people).

Compound Nouns

Make the main noun plural (e.g., brother-in-law → brothers-in-law).

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subjects and verbs must agree in number (singular/plural).

Reflexive Pronouns

Used when the subject and object are the same; not used as the subject; for emphasis.

Relative Pronouns

Who/Which/That link extra information to a noun.

Who

Used for people.

Which

Used for things.

That

Used for people or things; especially essential information.

Commas

Used to separate items in lists, after starters, for extra information, and before conjunctions.

Semicolons

Join two related independent clauses without a conjunction.

Run-on Sentence

Two sentences joined with no punctuation or connector.

Fragment

An incomplete sentence missing a subject or a verb.

Comma Splice

Two independent clauses joined with just a comma.

Fused Sentence

Two sentences joined with no punctuation.

Reflexive Pronouns (Examples)

myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.