GCSE English Language (UK)
Flashcards for UK GCSE English Language (Years 10-11). Covers reading comprehension, writing skills, language and structural analysis, persuasive techniques, exam paper skills (AQA/OCR/Edexcel/WJEC), and spoken language endorsement.
Ämne: Engelska · Nivå: Högstadium (13–15) · 427 kort
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- A metaphor is a figure of speech where one thing is described AS another to suggest a comparison, e.g. 'Life is a journey'. Unlike simile, it does not use 'like' or 'as'.
- A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as', e.g. 'as brave as a lion' or 'sparkles like diamonds'. It is more explicit than a metaphor.
- Personification gives human qualities, feelings or actions to non-human things, e.g. 'the wind whispered through the trees' or 'the sun smiled down'.
- Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of nearby words, e.g. 'wild and windy weather'. It can emphasise mood or create memorable phrasing.
- Sibilance is the repetition of soft 's' or 'sh' sounds, e.g. 'she sells seashells'. It can create a soothing, hissing or sinister effect.
- Assonance is the repetition of similar vowel sounds within nearby words, e.g. 'fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese'. It creates internal rhyme and rhythm.
- Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in nearby words (not just at the start), e.g. 'pitter patter' or 'blank and think'. Distinct from alliteration.
- Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it describes, e.g. 'buzz', 'crash', 'whisper', 'sizzle'. It makes writing more vivid and sensory.
- Hyperbole is deliberate, obvious exaggeration for emphasis or effect, not meant literally, e.g. 'I've told you a million times'. Common in persuasive and emotive writing.
- Oxymoron places two contradictory words side by side, e.g. 'deafening silence', 'bittersweet', 'living dead'. It creates surprise and reveals complexity.
- A paradox is a statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth, e.g. 'less is more' or 'the more you give, the more you have'.
- An extended metaphor develops a single metaphor over several sentences, paragraphs or even an entire text. It builds a sustained comparison and deepens meaning.
- Symbolism uses an object, colour, character or action to represent a larger idea, e.g. a dove symbolises peace, white symbolises purity, a journey symbolises personal growth.
- Imagery is descriptive language that creates pictures in the reader's mind, appealing to the five senses (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory).
- Pathetic fallacy is when weather, environment or nature reflects characters' emotions or the mood of a scene, e.g. a storm during a violent argument. A form of personification.
- Anaphora is the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences, e.g. 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds...'
- Epistrophe is the repetition of a word or phrase at the END of successive clauses, the mirror of anaphora, e.g. '...of the people, by the people, for the people'.
- Asyndeton omits conjunctions between items in a list to speed up pace, e.g. 'I came, I saw, I conquered'. It creates urgency and impact.
- Polysyndeton adds extra conjunctions between every item in a list, e.g. 'we have ships and men and money and stores'. It slows pace and emphasises each item.
- A rhetorical question is a question asked for effect rather than to receive an answer, e.g. 'Who wouldn't want a brighter future?' It engages the reader directly.
- A tricolon (also called rule of three) groups three parallel words or phrases, e.g. 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'. Three feels balanced and complete.
- Juxtaposition places two contrasting ideas, images or characters close together to highlight their differences, e.g. wealth next to poverty in a single scene.
- An antithesis sets two opposite ideas in balanced grammatical structure, e.g. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. Highlights contrast through parallelism.
- An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from its literal words, e.g. 'kick the bucket' (= to die), 'spill the beans' (= to reveal a secret).
- A pun is a play on words exploiting double meanings or similar-sounding words for humour or wit, e.g. 'time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana'.
- Euphemism replaces a blunt or unpleasant expression with a milder one, e.g. 'passed away' for died, 'between jobs' for unemployed. Often used for tact.
- Irony is a contrast between expectation and reality. Three main types: verbal (saying the opposite of what is meant), situational (unexpected outcome) and dramatic (audience knows more than character).
- Sarcasm is a sharp, often mocking form of verbal irony where the speaker says the opposite of what they mean, e.g. 'Oh, brilliant!' after spilling tea. Tone usually signals it.
- Connotation is the emotional or cultural meaning a word carries beyond its literal definition. 'Home' connotes warmth and safety; 'house' is more neutral.
- Denotation is the literal, dictionary definition of a word, free of emotional association. Useful contrast to connotation when analysing word choice.
- A noun names a person, place, thing or idea. Four main types: common (dog), proper (London), abstract (happiness) and collective (a flock).
- A verb is a doing, being or having word, e.g. 'run', 'is', 'has'. Dynamic verbs show action; stative verbs show states or feelings.
- An adjective describes or modifies a noun, e.g. 'a vibrant garden', 'the icy wind'. In analysis, focus on the CHOICE of adjective: why 'icy' rather than 'cold'?
- An adverb modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb, often ending in -ly. Adverbs answer how, when, where, why, e.g. 'she ran quickly', 'he arrived yesterday'.
- A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition, e.g. 'he', 'she', 'they', 'it', 'we'. Choice of pronoun (especially 'we' vs 'you') can build inclusivity or distance.
- A preposition shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word, often involving place or time, e.g. 'on the table', 'before lunch', 'beneath the surface'.
- A conjunction joins words, phrases or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so — FANBOYS) link equals; subordinating (because, although, while) introduce dependent clauses.
- A determiner is a small word that introduces a noun, including articles (a, an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your), and quantifiers (some, many, every).
- A modal verb expresses possibility, necessity or obligation: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would. They modify the main verb without changing form.
- An imperative is a command-form verb that gives an instruction, e.g. 'Stop!', 'Take action now!', 'Buy today.' Often used in advertising and speeches to direct the reader.
- Active voice puts the doer first ('The dog chased the cat'); passive voice puts the receiver first ('The cat was chased by the dog'). Passive can hide who acted.
- First-person narration uses 'I' or 'we', giving direct access to one viewpoint. It is intimate but limited — the narrator cannot reliably know other characters' thoughts.
- Second-person narration addresses the reader directly as 'you', creating intimacy or pressure. Common in instructions and persuasive writing; rarer in fiction.
- Third-person omniscient narration uses 'he/she/they' and knows all characters' thoughts and events. Third-person limited stays close to ONE character's perspective.
- A simple sentence has one independent clause and one main verb, e.g. 'The dog barked.' Often used for impact, clarity or to slow pace.
- A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) or a semicolon, e.g. 'The rain fell, and the rivers rose.'
- A complex sentence contains one independent clause plus at least one subordinate (dependent) clause, e.g. 'Because the rain fell, the rivers rose.' Allows nuanced relationships.
- A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses AND at least one subordinate clause. Used for sophisticated, layered ideas.
- A minor sentence (or fragment) lacks a finite verb, e.g. 'Silence.' or 'Not again.' Used deliberately for emphasis, atmosphere or impact, not in formal writing.
- Declarative sentences make statements ('The sun rose'). Interrogative ask questions ('Did the sun rise?'). Imperative give commands ('Rise!'). Exclamative express strong feeling ('How beautifully it rose!').