Notes for Essential English Lit Vocabulary - IB | RevisionDojo
Essential English Lit Vocabulary Notes
Great Analysis Depends On The Right Words
Understanding a text is one thing, articulating you understand is another.
Below, you'll find high-utility vocabulary broken into categories: how to describe characters, express effects, identify purposes, and sharpen your writing with verbs and adjectives.
You don't need to know all of them, but pick a few to have under your belt so you can apply them straight away.
Describing Characters
These words help you explain how a character is presented, how this shapes meaning or effect
Positive
Word
Example
confident
The speaker’s confident tone strengthens the persuasive power of the speech.
authoritative
The authoritative voice of the narrator enhances the credibility of the argument.
cheerful
The cheerful tone adds contrast to the underlying darkness of the situation.
jovial
The jovial personality of the narrator lightens the satirical critique.
hopeful
The hopeful outlook reflects the theme of resilience.
optimistic
His optimistic perspective contrasts the bleakness of his environment.
imaginative
Her imaginative worldview challenges traditional assumptions.
Negative
Word
Example
cold
The author constructs a cold and detached narrator to emphasize emotional repression.
distant
Her distant attitude underscores her discomfort with vulnerability.
arrogant
His arrogant behaviour alienates the audience and invites critique.
fearful
The character’s fearful actions illustrate the paralyzing power of anxiety.
distraught
The author portrays the mother as distraught to evoke sympathy.
Neutral (context-dependent)
Word
Example
analytical
The protagonist’s analytical mindset distances him from others emotionally.
emotional
Her emotional response reveals the personal stakes of the conflict.
fanciful
The fanciful imagery suggests a dreamlike or escapist perspective.
Hint
Notice how in the examples, the word is always used to explain the author's motive and purpose
Describing Effects on the Audience
Use these to describe the emotional or intellectual response a writer creates in the reader
Effect
Example
shock
The sudden tone shift elicits shock, unsettling the reader’s expectations.
anger
The exposure of injustice provokes anger, drawing the audience into the issue.
fear
The eerie description invokes fear, mirroring the character’s mindset.
sympathy
The personal anecdote evokes sympathy, making the reader more receptive to the speaker’s message.
urgency
The short, punchy sentences create a sense of urgency.
realization
The narrative shift leads to a slow realization about the narrator’s flaws.
humor
The irony produces humour, softening the sting of social critique.
Exam technique
Always link effect to technique and purpose: “The stark metaphor evokes fear, reinforcing the poem’s theme of loss.”
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Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
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Questions
Recap questions
1 of 5
Question 1
Recap question
Which sentence correctly demonstrates the relationship between a technique and its effect?
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