AQA GCSE English Literature: Worlds and Lives Poetry Anthology Glossary

accent
Accent is the way in which people from particular geographical areas or social groups pronounce words.

allegory
An allegory is a story, poem, or piece of art that uses characters and events as symbols to convey a deeper moral or political meaning.

alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sounds at the beginning of words.

ambiguity
Ambiguity occurs when a word, phrase, or text has more than one meaning, creating uncertainty or complexity.

anaphora
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive lines, sentences, or clauses for emphasis or rhythm (in poetry).

anthropomorphised
When an animal, object, or entity (such as a god or an elemental) is presented as though it has a human form, appearance, character, or behaviour, it has been anthropomorphised.

blank verse
Blank verse is unrhymed poetry usually written in iambic pentameter (often used in Shakespearean plays).

caesura
Caesura is a deliberate pause or break within a line of poetry, usually marked by punctuation. This pause follows natural speech patterns.

catharsis
Catharsis refers to achieving feelings of release (usually of negative thoughts and feelings) and providing opportunity for positive change, renewal, or growth.

colonisation
Colonisation is when a country takes full or partial control of another country in order to exploit its people and resources.

connotation
Connotations are the ideas or feelings that a word might produce in a reader.

declarative
A declarative sentence makes a statement and ends in a full stop. Declaratives are used to state facts or opinions.

dialect
A dialect is a form of language, based on grammar and vocabulary, spoken in a particular region.

dual nature
A person or entity (such as Nature) with distinctly different (often contrasting) characteristics has a dual nature. For example, a person’s dual nature may be described as kind and cruel; beautiful and ugly; vibrant and destructive.

enjambment
Enjambment occurs when a sentence or phrase runs over into the next line of poetry without a pause.

eulogy
A eulogy is a poem (or speech) written in memory of someone who has died. A eulogy is often given at a funeral.

fatalistic
Fatalistic describes the belief that a person’s actions cannot change their circumstances, especially where these are negative circumstances.

figurative language
Figurative language is the use of words to convey meaning in a non-literal way, for example, in metaphors and similes.

first-person narrative
A first-person narrative is told from the perspective of the narrator using pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘me’, and ‘us’.

first-person pronoun
First-person pronouns are pronouns that replace the individual name of the speaker/writer or refer to a group that the speaker/writer is part of, for example, ‘I/me’, ‘mine/myself’, ‘we/us’, ‘ours/ourselves’.

forefronting
Forefronting is the technique of emphasizing a specific word, phrase, or idea to draw the reader’s attention to it.

foreshadow
Foreshadowing is the fiction technique of making the reader anticipate events that will happen later, as in, ‘If I had known then, I might not have done what I did next.’

free verse
Free verse is poetry that does not follow regular rhyme or rhythm patterns, allowing greater freedom in expression.

iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter is a poetic meter with five iambs (unstressed-stressed syllables) per line; it is often used in Shakespeare’s works. The rhythm is like a heartbeat, with one soft beat and one strong beat, repeated five times.

imagery
Imagery is the collective term referring to metaphors and similes.

imperative
An imperative is a sentence ordering or instructing the reader to do something, as in, ‘See for yourself.’

Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period of major technological and social change in the 18th and 19th centuries, transforming many economies and societies.

irony/ironic
Irony occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected and what happens, or when words mean the opposite of what they say.

juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is placing two ideas or phrases next to each other in a text for comparison or contrast.

melancholic
Melancholic describes the expression of feelings of sadness, or a sad mood or tone.

metaphor
A metaphor brings something to life imaginatively by speaking of something as though it is something else that it resembles in some way, without using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

metre
Metre is the structured rhythm of a poem, created by patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables.

monologue
A monologue is a text written in the first person, from the viewpoint of the author or a character, usually expressing their thoughts and feelings.

multi-clause sentence
A multi-clause sentence is one with a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

nostalgia
Nostalgia describes emotional connection to the past. It can be based on an idyllic recollection of the past, which can cause a feeling of loss in the present. Nostalgic memories of the past can also promote positive feelings and connections.

onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sounds they describe, such as ‘buzz’ or ‘clang’.

pathos
Pathos is creating or suggesting a feeling of pity.

personification
Personification is a technique in which a writer describes non-human things as though they are human, as in ‘Time marches on’.

personify
To personify something is to describe it as though it were human.

pessimistic
Pessimistic describes the expression of negative ideas or feelings.

plosive
Plosives are consonant sounds such as ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘t’, and ‘d’, created by a sudden release of air in the mouth.

quatrain
A quatrain is a four-line stanza.

received pronunciation
Received Pronunciation refers to an accent that has no identifiable regional accent. It has historically been considered a prestige accent (used by ‘posh’ and well-educated people).

rhetorical question
When a question is asked, but does not necessarily require a response, it is a rhetorical question.

rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming words at the end of lines. Rhyme schemes can be paired (where two consecutive lines have rhyming last words) or alternate (where the first and third lines rhyme) or another scheme.

second person
A second-person viewpoint (or ‘perspective’) is when a writer addresses the reader using ‘you’ and ‘your’.

semantic field
A semantic field is a group of words related by meaning, used to reinforce themes or ideas in a text.

sibilance
Sibilance is the repetition of ‘s’, ‘sh’, or ‘z’ sounds, often creating a soft, hissing, or sinister effect.

signify
signify means to represent, indicate, or stand for something, often conveying a deeper meaning or symbolism beyond its literal sense.

simile
Similes are figures of speech that describe things more vividly by comparing them to other things using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

sonnet
A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a specific structure and rhyme scheme, often exploring the theme of love.

Standard English
Standard English is the variety of English used in formal contexts, not using dialect, colloquialisms, or slang.

stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness describes a form of writing that suggests the natural way thoughts and ideas pass through someone’s mind. It tends to be unstructured.

superlative
Superlative describes an adjective or adverb used to express that a thing or person has more of a certain quality than anything or anyone else in the same type, for example, ‘They were the greatest showman’.

supernatural
The supernatural refers to something that cannot be explained by science. It can relate to God, spirits, monstrous entities, etc.

symbolism
Symbolism is the use of symbols: things in a text that represent an abstract idea or feeling, such as a rainbow to represent hope.

synecdoche
A synecdoche is a word or phrase in which a part of something is used to refer to the whole (for example, ‘the crown’ is used to refer to the ‘monarch’) or the whole of something is used to refer to a part (for example, ‘the law’ is used to refer to ‘a police officer’).

third person
A third-person viewpoint (or ‘perspective’) is the narrative viewpoint in which an author assumes knowledge of all characters and writes about them using the pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, or ‘they’.

transience
Transience describes something that is temporary or short-lived.

volta
A volta is the ‘turn’ in a poem, marking a shift in tone, argument, or perspective.