Edexcel GCSE English Language key terms

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or phrases.

The noun or noun phrase to which a pronoun refers.

The placing of contrasting ideas close together, often in balanced phrasing, to sharpen a distinction.

The reading assessment objective that includes identifying and interpreting explicit and implicit information and ideas.

A piece of writing intended for publication in a newspaper, magazine or website, addressing readers on a particular subject.

The people a text is intended for; their knowledge, interests and needs influence what the writer includes and how it is expressed.

An approach to marking in which an examiner selects the level that most closely describes the overall quality of an answer, then decides the mark within that level.

A perspective that favours a particular interpretation through the selection or presentation of information.

The presentation of events in the order in which they happen.

A group of words organised around a verb. A main clause can stand independently as a sentence; a subordinate clause depends on a main clause.

The quality of a text making sense as a whole, with ideas arranged in an understandable and purposeful order.

The connections between parts of a text, created through features such as linking expressions, pronouns and repeated key words.

An error in which two main clauses are joined by a comma alone.

A sentence containing a main clause and at least one subordinate clause.

A sentence containing two or more main clauses joined through coordination, for example with ‘and’ or ‘but’.

An acknowledgement that part of an opposing argument is reasonable or valid.

A word that connects words, phrases or clauses, such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘because’.

A word or phrase that shows how ideas relate, for example through contrast, cause, addition or sequence.

An idea or association suggested by a word beyond its literal meaning.

A shortened word or combination of words in which an apostrophe marks omitted letters, such as ‘didn’t’ for ‘did not’.

A contrast between words, details or sections of a text that helps emphasise their differences.

The grammatical joining of clauses of equal status, often using ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘or’.

A reason or viewpoint that challenges the position being argued.

A conclusion about a text reached by weighing its details and effects, rather than giving an unsupported personal opinion.

A judgement that considers how parts of an extract work together, rather than treating each detail separately.

An ending that returns to an image, situation or phrase from the opening, often showing how its meaning has changed.

Withholding information until a later point in a text, often to create suspense or curiosity.