Edexcel GCSE English Language 2.0 key terms

The literal meaning of a word or phrase.

A clause that depends on another clause to complete its meaning, such as ‘because the door opened’.

Speech exchanged between characters.

Speaking or writing directly to the audience, often using ‘you’ or naming the group.

Words spoken by a person or character and written as their exact words, enclosed in quotation marks.

A shared feature that is meaningfully different from the other similarities selected.

Two occurrences of the same consonant letter next to each other, such as nn in beginning.

A contrast between what a character believes and what readers understand, often making the character’s confidence seem mistaken.

A quotation included as part of your own sentence.

A judgement of how successful or valuable something is, supported by reasons and relevant details.

Information directly stated in a text, rather than something the reader must work out.

Writing about imagined characters and events, such as a novel or short story.

Information or observations established through an enquiry or examination of evidence.

Narration in which the speaker refers to themselves as ‘I’ or as part of ‘we’.

A perspective in which a narrator speaks as ‘I’ or ‘we’, presenting their own experience.

A shift from the main narrative to an earlier event, used to reveal relevant background or change the reader’s understanding.

A hint of a later event or development in a narrative.

The type of text being written, such as a blog, article, letter or report, with its recognisable conventions.

A written electronic message using respectful language and a clear structure for a professional or official audience.

The title of an article, identifying its subject or drawing attention to its main idea.

A word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning, and often a different spelling, such as their and there.

A thought or understanding presented in a text, such as the idea that survival requires cooperation.

Descriptive language that creates a mental impression, often through sensory detail or comparisons such as similes and metaphors.

Creative writing that shapes an experience, scene or character to engage a reader; its events may be real or invented.

A sentence that tells the reader to do something, usually beginning with a verb, such as ‘Check the timetable.’

Information that a text suggests without stating it directly.

A clause that makes grammatical sense on its own and can form a complete sentence, such as ‘The door opened’.

A conclusion drawn from clues in a text. A sound inference is supported by evidence rather than guesswork.