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L3 Unfam Terms
Language features and other terminology for Level 3 Unfamiliar Texts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Noun | A naming word that identifies people, places, things, or ideas. |
| Pronoun | A word that stands for a noun that has already been used (e.g., he, she, his, her, it). |
| Verb | A word that expresses an action. |
| Adverb | A word that gives extra information about a verb. |
| Adjective | A word that gives extra information about a noun. |
| Article | A word placed before a noun to indicate which person or thing is meant (a, an, the). |
| Preposition | A word indicating the position or location of a noun or pronoun (e.g., in, on, around, through). |
| Conjunction | A word that links clauses, phrases, and words. |
| Interjection | An exclamation. |
| Comma (,) | Used to separate list items, separate adjectives, join clauses, or mark relative/parenthetical clauses. |
| Semicolon (;) | Used in place of a coordinating conjunction to link two closely related independent clauses. |
| Colon (:) | Used after a complete sentence to introduce a list or an illustrative clause. |
| Full-stop (.) | Used to indicate the end of a sentence. |
| Apostrophe (‘) | Used to indicate letter omission in contractions (can't) and to indicate possession (Tom's pen). |
| First person narration | Story told from a character's perspective using pronouns like 'I' or 'we' outside direct speech. |
| Second person narration | Story addressing the reader directly using pronouns like 'you' and 'your'. |
| Third person narration | Story told from an outside perspective using 'he', 'she', or 'they'. |
| Third person limited | Third-person narration limited strictly to the perspective and inner thoughts of one character. |
| Third person omniscient | Third-person 'eye-of-God' narration with access to the minds and feelings of multiple characters. |
| Tone | The speaker's or author's attitude toward their subject or audience. |
| Atmosphere | The general feeling or emotional climate of the fictional world created by aspects of setting. |
| Mood | The feeling or emotion evoked in the reader by the text. |
| Allusion | A brief, intentional reference to a historical, mythic, or literary person, place, event, or movement. |
| Antithesis | When words and phrases with opposite meanings are used to achieve contrast. |
| Herbamorphism | The attribution of plant characteristics to an animate or human subject. |
| Hyperbole | Deliberate exaggeration for effect. |
| Irony | Expressing an implied meaning that is different from the literal meaning directly stated. |
| Metaphor | A direct comparison between two unlike things. |
| Paradox | A statement that appears self-contradictory yet reveals a truth. |
| Personification | Describing an abstraction, object, or non-human form as though it were human. |
| Pun | A play on words involving two different words with similar sounds. |
| Simile | An indirect comparison made with 'like' or 'as'. |
| Symbolism | When an object within the text represents another deeper, abstract meaning. |
| Understatement | Deliberate downplaying of a thing's importance or significance. |
| Zoomorphism | The attribution of animal characteristics to an inanimate thing or human. |
| Alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant sounds at the beginning of two or more words. |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. |
| Consonance | Repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in a sequence of words. |
| Onomatopoeia | When the sound of a word imitates the sound to which it refers. |
| Sibilance | Repetition of soft 's', 'sh', and 'ch' sounds in a sequence of words. |
| Foreshadowing | Vague clues or hints early in a text indicating what will happen later in the plot. |
| Synonym | A word whose meaning is the same as, or similar to, another word. |
| Antonym | A word opposite in meaning to another. |
| Symbolic space | A setting or physical location in a narrative that functions as a symbol. |
| Major characters | Central characters crucial to the development and resolution of the plot's conflict. |
| Minor characters | Supporting characters used as foils, confidants, or witnesses to major characters. |
| Protagonist | The central character dominating the narrative (hero or anti-hero). |
| Antagonist | The protagonist's primary opponent or hostile force. |
| Characterisation | The techniques an author uses to reveal and develop a character's traits and personality. |
| Narrative voice | Refers to who is speaking/telling the story. |
| Unreliable narrator | A narrator whose credibility is compromised, leading the reader to distrust their account. |
| Narrative past | A narrative told using past tense verbs. |
| Narrative present | A narrative told using present tense verbs. |
| Conflict | An incompatibility or struggle between character objectives and opposing forces. |
| External conflict | A struggle between the protagonist and an outside force (another character, society, or nature). |
| Internal conflict | A psychological struggle within the protagonist between different aspects of their nature. |
| Repetition | Repetition of words or phrases to draw emphasis, suggest importance, and ensure memorability. |
| Parallelism or parallel structure | The repetition of sentence structures to achieve a sense of build-up (e.g., “We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them at sea...”). |
| Power of three (or a triad) | The use of three parallel items based on the idea that three creates an inherent sense of closure and completeness. |
| Rhetorical question | A question with an implied, unstated answer that suggests the response is self-evident and obvious. |
| Imperative | A sentence structured as a command, usually starting with an imperative verb (e.g., “Get out now”), evoking urgency. |
| Adjectives | Descriptors that usually precede nouns, frequently used in clusters in advertising to build vivid imagery. |
| Connotative or emotive words | Words appealing to emotions carrying positive or negative associations (e.g., pleasant, frightening). |
| First person singular pronouns | Use of 'I' or 'me' to make a text sound sincere, authentic, or personal. |
| First person plural pronouns | Use of 'we' or 'us' to include the reader and author in one group, creating unity or shared purpose. |
| Second person direct address | Use of 'you' or 'your' to make the reader feel personally addressed and special. |
| Technical language / Jargon | Scientific or technological terminology used in advertising to make a product sound state-of-the-art. |
| Colloquialism | Very informal words or phrases used in conversation rather than formal writing (e.g., 'okay', 'sweet as'). |
| Comparatives and superlatives | Degree forms of words (e.g., better, best) used in persuasive language to rank products, often used vaguely. |
| Neologism | The creation of a brand new word, especially for a brand name or slogan (e.g., Schweppervescence). |
| Cliché | An expression that has lost originality through overuse, but remains instantly recognizable to ordinary readers. |
| Puns | A play on words deliberately giving one word two meanings to amuse, display wit, and lower reader resistance. |
| Metaphors and Similes | Comparisons between dissimilar things (implied or direct) that present ideas in a new light to lower reader resistance. |
| Sound devices | Techniques (assonance, alliteration, consonance, sibilance, rhyme, onomatopoeia) used to create a pleasing, euphonic sound. |
| Hyperbole | Deliberate exaggeration used in persuasive writing to emphasize qualities of a product or viewpoint. |
| Euphemism | Phrasing used to make something unpleasant sound more agreeable (e.g., 'lost in friendly fire' instead of 'shot by own troops'). |
| Generalisations | Sweeping statements covering many cases that persuade by relying on a kernel of truth without deep critical analysis. |
| Analogy | A sustained comparison between two things used to explain a complex idea and impress with its cleverness. |
| Prognostication | A prediction about future events, often used to invoke anxiety, fear, or hope. |
| Conversational features | Language elements (colloquialisms, clichés, contractions, short sentences) that put readers at ease with an informal tone. |
| Statistics | The use of collected numerical data to support an author's claims. |
| Rhythm | The variations of speed at which a poem is read, determined by syllable length and punctuation. |
| End-stopped lines | Lines where a sentence ends at the line break, causing a pause that disrupts rhythm and prompts reflection. |
| Enjambment | |
| Caesura | Punctuation used to create a deliberate pause within a single line of poetry. |
| Vowel length | The duration of vowel sounds, where longer vowels support a slower reading rhythm. |
| Consonant clusters | Groupings of consonant sounds that support a faster reading rhythm. |
| Full rhyme | When words start with different consonants but share the exact same vowel and final consonant sounds (e.g., night/delight). |
| Half rhyme | When only single consonant or vowel sounds are matched between words (includes consonance and assonance). |
| End-rhyme | Rhyming words located at the end of poetic lines. |
| Internal rhyme | Rhyming words located within the same line of poetry. |
| Rhyme patterns | Structured schemes of end-rhymes, such as continuous (AAAA BBBB), rhyming couplets (AA BB CC), or alternating (ABAB). |
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. |
| Sibilant sounds | Repeated 's' and 'sh' sounds that create a soft, hushing, or sinister effect. |
| Plosive sounds | Abrupt 'b', 'p', 'd', and 't' sounds that create a sharp, harsh effect. |
| Liquid sounds | Smooth 'l' sounds that create a sense of quick, light movement. |
| Fricative sounds | 'F', 'v', and 'th' sounds that create a soft, airy effect. |
| Onomatopoeia | Words whose spoken sound imitates the natural noise or action to which they refer. |
| Refrain | A phrase, line, or group of lines repeated at regular intervals throughout a poem. |
Created by:
MsGrace-AGS