Colyton Grammar School English Department GCSE English Language Key Vocabulary and Terminology Word Wheel: Adjectives of Emotion Word Wheels: Verbs of Thought, Action and Speech Words to Describe Tone: All better than ‘positive’ or ‘negative’! Accusatory suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining Acerbic sharp; forthright; biting; hurtful; abrasive; severe Aggressive hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative Aggrieved indignant; annoyed; offended; disgruntled Ambivalent having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided Apologetic full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure Appreciative grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic Ardent enthusiastic; passionate Belligerent hostile; aggressive; combatant Benevolent sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning Bitter angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty Candid truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved Caustic making biting, corrosive comments; critical Cautionary gives warning; raises awareness; reminding Conciliatory intended to placate or pacify; appeasing Condescending stooping to the level of one's inferiors; patronising Contemptuous showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking Defiant obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious Demeaning disrespectful; undignified Depressing sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic Derisive snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful Disparaging dismissive; critical; scornful Direct straightforward; honest Disappointed discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong Dispassionate impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic Empathetic understanding; kind; sensitive Facetious inappropriate; flippant Flippant superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous Impassioned filled with emotion; ardent Imploring pleading; begging Impressionable trusting; child-like Inane silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical Incensed enraged Incredulous disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious Indignant annoyed; angry; dissatisfied Informative instructive; factual; educational Inspirational encouraging; reassuring Intense earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt Intimate familiar; informal; confidential; confessional Ironic the opposite of what is meant Irreverent lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously Jaded bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm Laudatory praising; recommending Objective without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact Obsequious overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling Optimistic hopeful; cheerful Outraged angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered Outspoken frank; candid; spoken without reserve Pathetic expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness Patronising condescending; scornful; pompous Pensive reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative Philosophical theoretical; analytical; rational; logical Playful full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting Pragmatic realistic; sensible Restrained controlled; quiet; unemotional Reverent showing deep respect and esteem Satirical making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive Scathing critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh Scornful expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive Sensationalistic provocative; inaccurate; distasteful Sincere honest; truthful; earnest Sceptical disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting Solemn not funny; in earnest; serious Urgent insistent; saying something must be done soon Vindictive vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving Whimsical quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat Word Spectrums: Adjectives to Describe Character Machiavellian manipulative scheming calculating vacillating principled virtuous inscrutable evasive elusive ambiguous straightforward candid open cynical mocking pessimistic dubious faithful unworldly naive deceptive duplicitous unscrupulous frank honest straightforward guileless misogynistic patriarchal possessive just impartial respectful fair authoritarian supercilious pompous privileged courteous defenceless vulnerable ignorant obtuse imperceptive stolid astute insightful perceptive malignant corrosive undermining anodyne healing compassionate revivifying dismissive callous insular aware sensitive receptive forgiving vitriolic venomous caustic obsequious sycophantic supportive praising frenzied febrile insecure diminished composed serene stoic Analytical Verbs Some more precise alternatives to ‘shows’ or ‘suggests’ Advocates puts forwards a particular opinion/viewpoint/belief Conveys gets across a message/idea/theory Demonstrates provides a clear explanation/example Emphasises draws attention to something Evokes brings about a strong feeling or idea Exhibits displays a certain attitude/tendency Foreshadows hints at subsequent events/themes Highlights draws clear attention toward by making it stand out Identifies provides the clear meaning of something specific Illustrates creates a distinct image Implies suggests something beyond the obvious Indicates acts as a clear pointer or a signpost Insinuates makes a vague suggestion beyond the obvious meaning Parallels runs alongside a similar idea/theme Portrays shows or represents something/someone in a certain way Presents shows or represents something/someone in a certain way Proposes puts forward an idea/theory Puts forward gives a theory/opinion/idea Reflects espouses the same or similar theme/idea Reiterates repeats or reinforces the same point/feeling/idea Represents takes an idea and puts it forward in a different light Reveals makes a meaning/interpretation clear that was previously unclear Signifies uses a word or a sign to make the meaning clear Symbolises represents something greater or more significant EVALUATIVE VERBS 1 EVALUATIVE VERBS 2 Rhetorical Devices Power-up your sentences and paragraphs. Alliteration The same sound at the beginning of words in close proximity. Roving in from the right wing, he ran them ragged. Contrast Deliberate use of contradictory or contrasting words or ideas. Sometimes called antithesis. John was a brilliant mathematician; James struggled to count to ten. Rhetorical question A question asked for effect, rather than in expectation of an answer. Often an answer is strongly implied by the question itself. Why play Call of Duty when you could be reading Dickens? Anaphora The use of the same word or phrase at the start of successive sentences or clauses. Three times I knocked on the door. Three times my knock echoed down the corridor. Three times nobody answered. Parallelism The use of the same grammatical structure in successive sentence or clauses. We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. Asyndeton Omitting conjunctions for effect. The opposite, using It was a lukewarm, tasteless, overcooked, downright disgusting dish. many conjunctions for effect is called polysyndeton. Tricolon Grouping of three for effect. I came; I saw; I conquered. Sandwich construction (N.b.: not an ‘official’ technical term). Simple I froze. In front of me, slowly crawling across the floor, mouth open, eyes, bulging, was the last person I expected to see, the person I thought I had escaped forever. It was Mr Wakeling. Address to reader Directly addressing the target audience. You might be wondering what this has to do with passing your exam. Metaphor Non-literal expression. Talking about one thing in terms usually associated with another thing. The exam paper sucked the life out of me. Simile A comparison using like or as. Sitting the exam was like spending ten rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson. sentence, one or more complex sentence(s), simple sentence. Structural Devices Support your points with substance and style. Cultural references A link to something likely to be well-known to the reader. Anecdote A short story used to illustrate a point – perhaps a personal experience, or about someone else. • It is rather like the moment in ‘Julius Caesar’ when…; • In many ways Mr Wakeling is the Raheem Sterling of the Colyton Grammar School English Department. • When I was twelve years old, I made the single biggest mistake of my life…. • Take the story of Hermione Parker. She was…… Surveys, statistics and scientific research • A recent YouGov poll found that 58% of British teenagers think that Richard the Lionheart is a fictional character, whilst 45% thought Sherlock Holmes was a real person. • A 2016 study at the University of Hull found that cows given names by farmers produce more milk than unnamed animals. Historical events • The roots of the problem go back to the British Empire’s doomed attempts to pacify what is now known as Afghanistan… • As Napoleon famously discovered, taking on two enemies at once is rarely a good idea. Powerful opening Start with one of the other structural devices listed her, ideally in combination with a rhetorical device. Analogy An extended comparison, used to illustrate a point in a striking way. • In many ways, preparing for the GCSE English Language exam is rather like a luxury cruise around the Caribbean… • If a burglar ties me to the chair, do I congratulate him for his determination and sense of purpose? News stories • Take, the example of Stephen Mills, the Canadian bus driver who, at the first time of trying, guessed the combination of a safe that had been locked for forty years… • In 2017 the House of Commons voted by a majority of 130 to….
