Edexcel GCSE English Language 2.0 key terms

The placement of contrasting ideas or expressions alongside one another to make their differences stand out.

The words, phrases and techniques a writer uses to create meaning and effects.

Close examination of how particular language choices create meanings and influence readers, supported by evidence from the text.

The connected direction of ideas through a text, so that each section develops the overall message.

Writing about real people, experiences or events that uses crafted language and organisation to engage readers.

A group of words containing a subject and a verb that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

An account in which a writer recalls particular experiences or a period of their own life.

A description of one thing as another, suggesting a connection between them.

A memory aid used to remember information, such as a phrase that reminds you of the letters in a difficult spelling.

A verb used with another verb to express meanings such as ability, possibility or obligation, for example ‘can’, ‘may’ or ‘must’.

An extended passage spoken by one character, which can reveal their personality, thoughts and feelings.

The arrangement of events, information and changes of focus in a piece of writing to guide the reader’s understanding and response.

The perspective through which events are presented, affecting whose thoughts, experiences and knowledge the reader can access.

The distinctive personality of a narrator conveyed through their language, observations and attitudes.

The person or voice telling a story, which may be a character within it or a voice outside the action.

Writing about real people, events, experiences or ideas. It can include opinions and persuasion, so it is not necessarily impartial or accurate.

An approach that distinguishes evidence from personal feelings and presents judgements fairly.

The apparent speed at which a piece of writing moves, shaped by its events, detail, sentence rhythms and paragraphing.

A group of sentences developing a connected idea, stage of an argument or part of a scene.

Expressing a text’s meaning in your own words while preserving its essential details.

An additional word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence, often enclosed by commas, brackets or dashes.

The presentation of something non-human as having human qualities or actions.

A viewpoint or attitude towards a subject, conveyed through the presentation of events, people and ideas.

The position from which something is presented: a writer’s stance in an argument or a narrator’s perspective in a story.

A group of letters added before a root word to change its meaning, such as dis- in disappear.

A word used in place of a noun or noun phrase, such as ‘I’, ‘she’, ‘it’ or ‘they’.

Reading finished writing carefully to identify and correct errors.