Glossary
For a more extensive list of terms, see the Glossary in Complete First Language English for Cambridge
IGCSE® Student Book.
abstract noun – something we cannot see or touch but exists as an idea or an
emotion: confidence, fear, anger
active sentence – a sentence in which the subject or agent performs the action,
e.g. The big shark ate the little fish.
alliteration – the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of
words, e.g. Run rabbit, run!
anticlimax – (sometimes called bathos) sudden drop from a dignified tone or dramatic
build up to something very ordinary or trivial, which often causes laughter
assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds, e.g. The river flowed so slowly.
characterisation – how a writer portrays or conveys a character’s personality
chronological writing – writing where the sequence of events corresponds to the
order in which they happened. Non-chronological writing may begin with or
contain a flashback or details of a later event
cliché – an expression, idiom or phrase that has been repeated so often it has lost
its significance
climax – the turning point in a story, often when the end result becomes inevitable;
usually, but not always, a very dramatic moment
colloquial language – informal, everyday speech as used in conversation; it may
include slang expressions. Not appropriate in written reports, essays or exams
except in dialogue
consonance – the repetition of consonants, e.g. crisps crackled in the packet
diction – a writer’s choice of words: another term for lexis or vocabulary
direct speech – writing exactly what a person says, e.g. “Do you understand this,
Sam?” said the teacher.
emotive language – words and phrases used to affect the reader’s emotions or
attitudes, e.g. poor, innocent (adjectives); begged, sobbed (verbs)
empathy – when a reader feels as if they are sharing or relating to a character’s
feelings or experiences; not to feel sorry for someone, which is to feel sympathy
euphemism – an agreeable or less offensive expression for one that may seem
harsh or unpleasant, e.g. “passed away” instead of “died”
figurative language – writing that makes what the writer wants to convey
more meaningful, descriptive or memorable. Figurative language includes
metaphors, similes, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, verbal
irony and oxymoron
first-person narrative – a story told from the point of view of the writer or
a fictional persona using “I”, as in autobiography and travel writing
foreshadowing – clues suggesting the outcome of a story (but not when the
outcome is deliberately revealed through the use of a narrator or flashback)
hyperbole – a description that exaggerates, using extremes or superlatives for
effect, e.g. “We waited for hours!” (five minutes)
imagery – a picture in words, often using a metaphor or simile (figurative language)
that describes something in detail: writers use visual, aural (auditory) or tactile
(kinetic) imagery to convey how something looks, sounds or feels in all forms
of writing, not just fiction or poetry
indirect speech (or reported speech) – where a writer rephrases (reports) what
someone has said, e.g. The teacher asked Sam if he understood.
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Glossary
interior monologue – writing that expresses a character’s inner thoughts, without
the use of speech marks
irony – the difference between what is said and what is meant; what is said and
what is done; what is expected or intended and what happens; saying the
opposite of what you mean, e.g. “Sorry about this long explanation …”
metaphor – when an author says one thing is another, e.g. The ship ploughed the
waves (a ship is not a plough and cannot plough water)
minor sentence – a sentence without a verb; technically not a sentence but used
widely in fiction
motif – something in a story that can represent a theme, e.g. the mockingbird in
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird
omniscient narrator – a third-person narrator who is not a character in the story,
knows everything and tells readers what characters think, say and do
onomatopoeia – where sounds are spelled out as words, e.g. whoosh, buzz,
wham, clunk
oxymoron – a contradiction in terms or putting together opposites, e.g. bitter-sweet,
living death
paradox – a contradictory statement or something that conflicts with
commonsense; when different elements seem to cancel each other out; can
also illustrate a truth, e.g. “more haste, less speed”
passive sentence – a sentence in which the subject or agent is mentioned after
the passive verb form, e.g. The little fish was eaten by the big shark. Passive
verbs are used in more formal writing such as reports, e.g. An eye-witness was
interviewed by the police.
persona – a fictitious speaker or narrator, e.g. the “voice” speaking in a poem may
not be that of the poet
personification – when something non-human is given human qualities
point of view – the perspective from which the story is told; how the reader
experiences the story or poem
register – the appropriate style and tone of language chosen for a specific purpose
and/or audience
rising action – a series of incidents in drama that create tension and interest for
an audience
setting – the time and place where/when a story, film, play occurs
simile – figurative language that describes one thing as being like or as
something else, e.g. They ran like the wind, as lovely as a summer rosebud …
structure – the way the various elements of a poem, play, story or essay are
assembled: the framework of a work of literature or the organisation of a text
style – a writer’s choice of words (including figurative language), syntax, point of view
symbolism – the use of specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas: a
symbol is something tangible or visible but the idea it symbolises may be
abstract or universal
theme – the main idea or message conveyed by the writing, e.g. ambition, loyalty
and power in Macbeth
thesis statement – the statement at the beginning of a discursive or argumentative
essay (which will be examined and discussed in the following paragraphs), e.g.
Attending school until the age of sixteen should be compulsory for students
throughout the world.
tone – the way a writer creates mood or atmosphere; it may be playful, formal,
angry, serious, serene, melancholy, etc.
topic sentence – the key sentence in a paragraph that contains the principal idea
or subject being discussed
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