Having mixed feelings, or presenting conflicting attitudes at the same time.

A rhetorical device where conjunctions are omitted from a list to create a fast-paced, forceful effect.

An attempt to take responsibility for wrongdoing and to repair harm through apology, changed behavior, restitution, or other forms of making amends.

The readers or viewers a text is intended for, who influence the content, tone, and language choices.

The feelings, thoughts, and judgments a reader or listener experiences when engaging with a text.

A biography published with the subject’s permission, often influenced by the subject’s access, preferences, or involvement.

A long narrative poem that tells a story, often in short stanzas.

A connected set of beliefs and assumptions about how the world works (religious, cultural, political, or personal beliefs) that helps someone decide what is right or wrong.

A written account of a person’s life created by someone else, typically using third person narration and mainly past tense.

The trajectory of a character across a story, shown through what they think, feel, value, and do at the beginning, how they are challenged, and what changes (or stays the same) by the end.

A character arc is the journey a character goes on from the start of the text to the end.

A consistent quality or tendency in a character’s behaviour or thinking (for example, cautious, proud, empathetic).

Character traits are the qualities or characteristics that describe how a person typically thinks, feels, and behaves: essentially the features that make up their personality and define who they are.

An external conflict where one character’s goals clash with another’s, resulting in physical, verbal, or social opposition.

An external conflict where a character struggles against nature, physical surroundings, or conditions such as weather, terrain, or illness.

An external conflict where a character struggles against an outcome that appears inevitable or beyond human control.

An external conflict where a character opposes a social system such as laws, cultural expectations, traditions, or institutions.

An external conflict where technological systems or inventions create obstacles or threats to a character’s goals, safety, or values.

An external conflict where a character struggles against forces that are not explained by ordinary natural laws (for example ghosts, curses, or mythical beings).

A narrative structure that presents events in time order, often making causes and consequences easier to track.

A way of telling a story in time order, from earlier events to later events.

The turning point of highest tension where a key decision or event determines the direction of the story’s outcome.

A struggle or problem that drives the action of a story, such as a clash between characters, a character and society, or a character and their own beliefs.

A struggle between opposing forces (internal or external) that writers use to reveal character, relationships, and tensions in a plot.

A **connotation** is the set of feelings and associations a word or image carries (for example, honey may suggest sweetness and warmth).

The result or outcome that follows from an action, decision, or event, affecting the person who acted, other people, and the situation.

A technique that highlights differences between two ideas, groups, or situations to strengthen a persuasive message.

Imagining how events might have unfolded differently if a past decision or condition had changed.

The degree to which a source or text is believable and trustworthy, based on evidence, expertise, transparency, and fairness.

The ways shared values, traditions, social expectations, and power structures shape how people perceive options and make decisions.

A structure in which a narrative ends at (or returns to) the same point where it began, emphasizing cycles and the passing of time.

A plot structure that emphasizes repetition or return (often through seasons, repeated images, or mirrored opening and ending scenes) to suggest patterns in life, history, or character.

A structured sequence of steps used to reach a decision by clarifying the problem, generating alternatives, evaluating consequences, and reflecting on outcomes.

Dialogue is the spoken conversation between two or more characters in a text.

A metaphor for something that brings both positive and negative effects, often creating opportunity and risk at the same time.

The deliberate organization of events and scenes in a text (or film) to create tension, control pace, shape audience expectations, and develop theme and character.

Dramatic structure refers to the organized framework of a narrative that shows how a story unfolds over time, shaping tension, conflict, and resolution.

A sense of suspense or strain created when the audience anticipates conflict, danger, or a difficult decision.

The idea that one subject can contain two contrasting sides or meanings at the same time (for example, something that creates both benefits and harms).

A character who undergoes development or change during the story (for example, a shift in awareness, attitude, or values).

Word choices designed to provoke feelings (such as fear, anger, pride, guilt, hope) in order to influence how an audience responds.

A long narrative poem about heroic deeds, often involving legendary people and gods.

A narrative structure made up of separate, divisible episodes, often connected by a journey, recurring character, or shared theme.

A situation in which a person must choose what to do when different moral principles or responsibilities conflict, and any choice may cause harm or feel wrong.

A recurring idea in a text that explores moral questions (right and wrong), values, and the consequences of choices.

A persuasive appeal that builds credibility and trust, for example by showing expertise, authority, or shared values.

A mild or indirect word or phrase used in place of one that might seem harsh, unpleasant, or too direct.

The opening part of a story that introduces key background information such as setting, characters, relationships, and initial situation.

External conflict is a struggle between a character and an outside force.

A statement that can be checked and verified using reliable evidence.

A **fact** is a claim that can be verified with evidence. An **opinion** is a judgement or belief that may be supported but cannot be proven in the same way.

False or misleading content presented as legitimate news, often designed to manipulate opinions, generate profit through clicks, or influence public behaviour.

The section after the climax in which events move toward an ending, consequences play out, and remaining tensions are reduced or redirected.

A narrative perspective in which a character tells the story using “I”, giving access to that character’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.

A scene or section that interrupts the main timeline to show earlier events, often to provide background, contrast, or emotional depth.

A character presented in a limited way, often emphasizing one main trait and sometimes functioning as a stereotype.

A group of two or three syllables in a particular pattern.

A feeling that something bad is going to happen, created through hints, mood, or ominous details.

Hints or clues placed earlier in a story that suggest later events or outcomes.

A structure in which an overarching story or pattern encloses and organizes the main narrative, influencing how the audience interprets events.

Poetry that follows the patterns and rhythms of natural speech rather than traditional metre or regular rhyme.

A traditional Japanese poem with 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

A relationship characterized by mutual respect, support, appreciation, recognition, and communication that allows both people to feel safe and valued.

Writing in the present tense to narrate events that happened in the past, to give the impression that the reader is present at the events.

Imagery is the use of descriptive language to create clear pictures or sensations in the reader’s mind.

A meaning suggested indirectly rather than stated openly, often leading the audience to draw a conclusion without explicit evidence.

Working out what a character is like by identifying evidence (actions, dialogue, description) and then analysing and evaluating it to form your own judgement.

The thing that sets in motion the main action of a narrative.

A struggle that takes place within a character, involving competing emotions, thoughts, desires, values, or impulses.

Internal conflict is a struggle that takes place within a character.

A representation of a character’s thoughts in their own voice, often used to show conflict, hesitation, or decision-making.

An explanation of what a text means, based on evidence such as the literary choices a writer has made. Interpretation uses higher-level thinking (analysis, evaluation, synthesis) to argue for possible meanings and purposes.

To place things next to each other for effect, often to highlight a contrast.

A humorous five-line poem with rhyme and a strong rhythm.

Words and phrases with strong positive or negative associations that influence how an audience feels about an idea.

A persuasive appeal that influences an audience through logic, such as reasons, evidence, comparisons, and cause-and-effect.

Influencing someone in a controlling or deceptive way, often by exploiting emotions or withholding information, so that their choice is not fully informed or fully free.

What a text is really trying to say. Meaning can be obvious on the surface, or hidden and needing to be uncovered through interpretation and analysis of what is said and how it is said.

The process by which media creators select, shape, and present information (through language, images, structure, and context) to produce a particular meaning for an audience.

A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that creates a predictable beat in a poem.

A camera shot where the camera is placed in the middle distance from the focus of whatever is being filmed.

A situation in which it is difficult to judge an action as clearly right or wrong because there are competing values, unclear consequences, or limited information.

A situation in which a person must choose between two or more actions, and every option involves a moral cost (for example, harming someone, betraying a value, or breaking a rule).

A visual scale used to rank behaviours from more acceptable to more unacceptable, showing that moral judgement can be gradual and context-dependent.

Motivation is the reason or drive that causes a person to act in a particular way or to work toward a goal.

A set of narrative techniques that condense a longer span of story time into a shorter amount of text or screen time, often through summary, omission, or time jumps.

An opening detail that grabs the reader’s attention and creates curiosity about what will happen.

Who or what is the focus of the narrative.

The organisation of events in a story (for example, chronological order, flashbacks, parallel storylines) used to guide meaning and audience response.

Narrative tone is the writer’s or narrator’s attitude toward the subject, characters, or events.

Who or what is telling the story.

Being based on facts and not influenced by personal feelings or beliefs.

Leaving out important information in order to give a misleading impression.

A judgment, belief, or viewpoint that cannot be proven true in the same way as a fact, even if it may be reasonable or supported.

A claim that expresses judgement or interpretation but is presented as if it is an unquestionable fact, often without evidence.

Pacing is the speed at which a scene or story moves.

Where a camera is moving across a scene in a film.

A narrative structure in which a text alternates between two or more storylines that are connected by character, theme, or situation.

Where two separate narratives are told in a text, switching back and forth between them.

A structure that switches between two or more storylines (often linked by theme, setting, or characters), creating contrast and suspense.

A technique in which weather, landscape, or nature is described or shown as reflecting human emotions or events.

A persuasive appeal that influences an audience through emotion, such as fear, hope, guilt, pride, or desire.

The obligation to recognize your choices, accept accountability for their outcomes, and respond ethically to the impact your actions have on yourself and others.

Communication intended to influence what an audience thinks or does, often by selecting evidence and using techniques that encourage agreement.

The deliberate organization of a persuasive text so that a claim is introduced, supported with reasons and evidence, and guided toward a conclusion or call to action.

Plot movement refers to how events progress and change across a story.

Poetic form refers to the structured shape and organisation of a poem, including how it is arranged on the page and the rules that govern its construction.

The position or vantage point from which the events of a story seem to be observed and presented.

A film shot that shows what a character can see from their position, creating the effect that the viewer is looking through the character’s eyes.

The shifting ways power is distributed and exercised within a relationship, including who has more control, influence, voice, or freedom, and how that affects communication, choices, and outcomes.

A general rule or guiding principle intended to shape everyday decisions and behaviour.

Planned in advance rather than done impulsively.

A source with a direct, first-hand connection to what is being studied, such as eyewitness accounts, interviews, surveys, photographs, audio/video recordings, and experimental data.

Acting with integrity and fairness, taking responsibility for actions and showing respect for the dignity and rights of others.

The main character, involved in the central conflict and its resolution.

A stanza or complete poem made of four lines, often using a deliberate rhythm and/or rhyme pattern.

The explanation of how and why your evidence supports your claim, often by linking a writer’s choices to an effect on meaning or the reader.

The ongoing connection between people, shown through behaviour, communication, expectations, and the ways they affect each other.

The ending stage where the main conflict is settled and the story reveals what has changed (or not changed).

Methods a speaker or writer uses to persuade an audience, commonly grouped into ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic).

A question used for persuasive effect, where an answer is implied rather than requested.

The pattern of beats in language created by stressed and unstressed syllables, repetition, and pauses.

The series of events and complications that build tension and develop the conflict on the way to the climax.

A character presented with multiple traits, motivations, and layers, making them feel developed and sometimes unpredictable.

A persuasive pattern where ideas are presented in groups of three to sound complete, balanced, and memorable.

A narrative perspective that addresses the reader as “you”, inviting the reader to experience events as if they are happening to them.

A source that describes, interprets, evaluates, or comments on primary sources (without being first-hand itself), such as reviews, criticism, and many explanatory articles.

The time and place in which the action of a text happens (or, in non-fiction, where the description or events occur).

Showing means revealing ideas, emotions, or character traits through actions, dialogue, and sensory details instead of stating them directly.

A very brief personal narrative of exactly six words that captures an experience, turning point, or insight.

The social conditions surrounding a text and its users, including cultural norms, relationships, institutions, power structures, and expectations that shape how language is produced and interpreted.

Shared (often unspoken) rules a society or group holds about how people should behave, speak, and relate to each other.

A poem of 14 lines with a regular (though varied) rhyme scheme, often associated with themes such as love.

Sound devices are language choices that create meaning through what a poem (or other text) sounds like when read aloud. They help a writer shape mood, pace, emphasis, and imagery, and they often make a line more memorable. In literary analysis, you do two key things:

Stage directions are the instructions in a play that tell actors how the scene should be performed rather than what is said.

A character who remains essentially the same throughout the story and does not undergo significant development.

Influenced by personal beliefs or feelings rather than based purely on facts.

Being influenced by personal feelings, beliefs, or opinions rather than only by facts.

Meaning that is implied rather than directly stated, often revealed through tone, what is avoided, and how characters respond.

Subtext is the unspoken meaning underneath the dialogue.

An object, image, color, setting detail, or action that stands for something beyond its literal meaning, often an abstract idea such as peace, life, or death.

Symbolism is when an object, image, colour, or action represents a bigger idea.

The specific group an advertisement or text is designed to influence, defined by factors such as age, income, interests, and values.

A deliberate method a writer uses to create meaning or an effect (for example, imagery, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, irony, or the historic present).

Telling is a writing technique where the writer directly names emotions, traits, or meanings instead of revealing them through action, dialogue, or detail.

Tension is the feeling of pressure, anticipation, or unease in a scene.

A central idea about life or human experience that a text explores and develops through plot, character, setting, and language choices.

Theme is a central idea, insight, or message about life that a text explores. A theme is usually broad and arguable.

The way a theme is introduced, tested, complicated, and clarified as the story progresses, often through changes in character and the consequences of conflict.

Theme Signalling is the deliberate use of textual choices (such as structure, conflict, motifs, imagery, mood, and setting) to guide an audience toward a text's theme without stating it directly.

Third-person narration is a narrative perspective in which the story is told by an external narrator who refers to characters using “he,” “she,” “they,” or their names, rather than “I.”

The distinctive way a writer presents themselves and their experiences of place, shaped by purpose, audience, tone, and language choices.

A biography published without the subject’s permission, often with less direct access to the subject and potentially a more critical or speculative tone.

An unreliable narrator is a storyteller whose account of events cannot be fully trusted because their perspective is distorted by bias, limited knowledge, emotional instability, or deliberate deception.

Done without realizing what the true effect or meaning is.

Values are deeply held beliefs about what is important, right, or desirable.