John Colet School

English Department
Key Subject Terminology

Key term Definition Example

Adjective Describes a noun, gives more information Beautiful, stunning, disgraceful,
about it angry
Adverb Describes a verb, gives more information Angrily, happily, joyfully.
about it.
Allegory A type of writing in which the settings, The novel Animal Farm appears to
characters, or events stand for other, often be about a group of animals, but
larger ideas they represent larger ideas about
revolution and politics
Alliteration The same letter or sound at the beginning Brilliant birds
of words close to each other. Slithering snake
Sweet birds sang
Allusion Making reference to people, places, ‘Don’t be such a Scrooge’
events, literary works, myths, or works of ‘Is there a good Samaritan who can
art help me?’
Anaphora Repetition of a word or phrase at the ‘It was the best of times, it was the
beginning of successive sentences, phrases worst of times’
or clauses
Antithesis A person or thing that is the direct Love is the antithesis of hate
opposite of someone or something else
Assonance When two or more words close to one We light fire on the mountain.
another repeat the same vowel sound but I feel depressed and restless.
start with different consonant sounds.
Caesura A break or pause in the middle of a line of ‘To be or nor to be, that is the
verse/poetry question’

Characterisation How a character is introduced and ‘the noble Harry Potter’

developed, through what the writer ‘good Harry Potter’
informs us about them
Cliché A phrase or opinion that is overused and Time heals all wounds
shows a lack of original thought. Frightened to death
Colloquialism The use of informal words, phrases or even Wanna
slang. Gonna
Go nuts
Connotation The feelings or associations suggested by The word ‘discipline’ has unhappy
words/phrases. These can help to find the connotations of punishment and
hidden meaning. repression
Dramatic irony In a Literature text when the audience In Romeo and Juliet the audience
knows something that the characters don’t knows from the start that the main
know characters will die, but they don’t
know this
Dramatic A poetic form that presents the speech or ‘My Last Duchess’ is an example of
monologue conversation of a person in a dramatic a dramatic monologue
manner
Enjambement Where one line in poetry continues to the ‘We were running
(enjambment) next line or stanza without any To find what had happened
punctuation or pause. Beyond the hills’
Figurative Using figures of speech (metaphor, simile, Metaphors, similes, hyperbole,
language hyperbole, personification) to be more personification
effective, persuasive or impactful
Foreboding When it is implied that something bad or Dark clouds could suggest that
dangerous will happen trouble is on the way
Foreshadowing Suggesting what is to come later in the ‘take care of yourselves - and don’t
piece of writing through imagery, language leave the path!’
and/or symbolism
Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration (often used to ‘I’ve told you a thousand times not
persuade). to do that’
Imagery Visually descriptive language (‘painting a The night was black as ever, but
picture with words’) bright stars lit up the sky
Irony Using language that normally signifies the “Don’t go overboard with
opposite of what you actually mean, gratitude” – to someone who
typically for humorous or emphatic effect. hasn’t said thank you.
You laugh at a person who slipped
A state of affairs or an event that seems to stepping on a banana peel and the
be the opposite to what we expect. next thing you know, you’ve
slipped too.
Juxtaposition Two contrasting ideas placed close It was the best of times, it was the
together worst of times.
Metaphor Saying something is something else. A He is winter.
direct comparison which is not meant The house was a pocket of tension.
literally.

Narrative voice How the story is told to the reader, the ‘I’m going to share a story with
 point of view from which we hear the you…’
events that happen
Noun Proper noun - names people or places Fay, Tim, London, Australia
Common noun - names ‘things’ (e.g. Table, chair, boy, girl
objects) Truth, danger, happiness
Abstract noun - names an idea, quality or
state rather than a concrete object

Onomatopoeia The formation of a word from an Bang

associated sound (a ‘sound effect’) Crash
Sizzle
Oxymoron A phrase using contradictory terms (words organised mess
placed together which mean the opposite controlled chaos
to one another). adult child
loving hate
Pathetic fallacy The use of weather (or another part of ‘When shall we three meet again?
nature) to express emotions of a scene or In thunder, lightning or in rain’
character.
Personification Using human characteristics to describe “The clock face stared at me
something non-human. menacingly.”
Prefix Added at the beginning of a word in order Un e.g. unlucky
to turn it into another word. Dis e.g. disorder
Pronoun Replaces a noun or noun phrase I, you, we, he, she, me, my, our,
your

Repetition Repeating a sound, word, phrase or stanza ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and
for effect. tomorrow’ ’
Rhetorical A question which does not require an ‘How many times have I told you
question answer not to do that?’

Semantic field When a group of words all link to one Semantic field of nature - flowers,
overall theme. plants, trees, grass, leaves
Simile The comparison of one thing with another As bright as a button
thing of a different kind, using ‘like’ or ‘as.’ As fierce as a lion
Like the wild sea
Soliloquy An extended speech by one character When Lady Macbeth receives the
when they are alone and not with any letter from Macbeth after he has
other characters seen the witches
Sonnet A 14-line poem with a fixed rhyme ‘Ozymandias’ is written in sonnet
scheme, often (but not always) about love form

Suffix An ‘ending’, used at the end of one word -ment e.g. embarrassment
to turn it into another word. -ness e.g. sadness

Syllable Sounds like a beat in a word. Syllables ha-ppy (2 syllables)

consist of at least one vowel, and possibly pos-i-tive (3 syllables)
one or more consonants. com-pli-ca-ted (4 syllables)
Symbolism Where the writer uses a ‘thing’ (usually a Harry Potter’s scar is a symbol of
physical object) to represent deeper his bravery
meanings or themes Bears are often seen as symbols of
courage
Syntax The arrangement of words and phrases to The boy jumped happily
create well-formed sentences Happily, the boy jumped (here the
syntax is varied)
Verb A ‘doing word’/an action Walks, sashays, bounces

Additional key terms

Key term Definition Example