Copy of `NLS Framework - Glossary of teaching terms`
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NLS Framework - Glossary of teaching terms
Category: Language and Literature > Grammar
Date & country: 15/12/2007, UK
Words: 223
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Writing Frame a structured prompt to support writing. A writing frame often takes the form of opening phrases of paragraphs, and may include suggested vocabulary. It often provides a template for a particular text type.
Word Class The main word classes are verb, noun, adjective, adverb, pronoun, determiner, preposition and conjunction. These are all dealt with separately in this glossary. Note that a word can belong to more than one class. For example: play verb (I play) or noun (a play) fit noun (a fit), verb (they fit) or adjective (I'm fit) until preposition (until Monda…
Vowel a phoneme produced without audible friction or closure. Every syllable contains a vowel. A vowel phoneme may be represented by one or more letters. These may be vowels (maid, or a combination of vowels and consonants (start; could).
Voice see active and passive
Trigraph three letters representing one phoneme: high; fudge.
Verb A verb is a word that expresses an action, a happening, a process or a state. It can be thought of as a 'doing' or 'being' word. In the sentence Mark is tired and wants to go to bed, 'is', 'wants' and 'go' are verbs. Sometimes two or more words make up a verb phrase, such as are going, didn't want, has been waiting. Most verbs (except modal verbs,…
Thesaurus a reference text which groups words by meaning. A thesaurus can help writers to select words, consider the full range of alternatives and vary words which are used frequently: said, went, nice.
Theme the subject of a piece of writing. This may not be explicitly stated, but can be deduced by the reader. For example, many traditional stories have similar themes: the triumph of good over evil, cunning over strength, kindness over beauty.
Text Type this term describes texts which share a purpose: to inform/persuade/describe. Whole texts or parts of texts with specific features - patterns of language, structure, vocabulary - which help them achieve this purpose may be described as belonging to a particular text type. These attributes are not obligatory, but are useful in discussing text and i…
Text language organised to communicate. Includes written, spoken and electronic forms.
Tense A tense is a verb form that most often indicates time. English verbs have two basic tenses, present and past, and each of these can be simple or continuous. For example: present past I play (simple) I played (simple) I am playing (continuous) I was playing (continuous)Additionally, all these forms can be perfect (with have): present perfect past p…
Tautology use of an extra word in a phrase or sentence which unnecessarily repeats an idea: this annual event is staged yearly, this unacceptably poor work is of a low standard.
Tanka Japanese poem based on the haiku but with two additional lines giving a complete picture of an event or mood. Traditionally, when a member of the Japanese court wrote a haiku for a friend, the receiver would add two lines and return it, giving a total of five lines with 31 syllables in the pattern 5 7 5 7 7.
Syntax Syntax is the study of sentence structure, ie how words are used together in a sentence.
Synopsis a brief summary or outline of a paragraph, chapter or book.
Synonym words which have the same meaning as another word, or very similar: wet/damp. Avoids overuse of any word; adds variety.
Syllable Each beat in a word is a syllable. Words with only one beat (cat, fright, jail) are called monosyllabic; words with more than one beat (super, coward, superficiality) are polysyllabic.
Suffix A suffix is a morpheme which is added to the end of a word. There are two main categories: a.      An inflectional suffix changes the tense or grammatical status of a word, eg from present to past (worked) or from singular to plural (accidents). b.      A derivational suffix changes the word class, eg from verb to noun (worker) or from noun to a…
Subject And Object In the sentence John kicked the ball, the subject is 'John', and the object is 'the ball'. The subject is the person or thing about which something is said. In sentences with a subject and an object, the subject typically carries out an action, while the object is the person or thing affected by the action. In declarative sentences (statements), t…
Stanza a verse or set of lines of poetry, the pattern of which is repeated throughout the poem.
Story Board a plan for a visual text (video, film, etc) which demonstrates the plot and critical events through a sequence of pictures. Children may do a story board after reading to demonstrate comprehension; story-boarding may also be used to plan a piece of writing.
Standard English Standard English is the variety of English used in public communication, particularly in writing. It is the form taught in schools and used by educated speakers. It is not limited to a particular region and can be spoken with any accent. There are differences in vocabulary and grammar between standard English and other varieties. For example, we w…
Spelling Log a personal, ongoing record of words which are being learnt. Pupils would decide, with the teacher's guidance, words to be learnt. These words would be kept in a folder so the pupil can work on them during the week with a partner or teacher, or at home. Once learnt, the words can be added to the pupil's record.
Speech, Speech Marks see direct speech and indirect speech
Sonnet a poem of 14 lines. May follow any rhyme scheme. Two examples of rhyme schemes: a.      Petrarchan rhyme: a b b a a b b a followed by two or three other rhymes in remaining six lines; b.      Elizabethan rhyme: a b a b c d c d e f e f g g
Skim read to get an initial overview of the subject matter and main ideas of a passage.
Slang words and phrases which are used in informal context, often linked with certain regions or used by people identifying with particular groups. May differentiate that group from others.
Singular And Plural Singular forms are used to refer to one thing, person etc. For example: tree, student, party. Many nouns (countable nouns) can be singular (only one) or plural (more than one). The plural is usually marked by the ending -s: trees, students, parties. Some plural forms are irregular. For example: children, teeth, mice. Other nouns (mass nouns) do no…
Simile the writer creates an image in readers' minds by comparing a subject to something else: as happy as a lark; as strong as an ox. Many similes are idiomatic: he smokes like a chimney.
Shared Writing a classroom process where the teacher models the writing process for children: free from the physical difficulties of writing, children can observe, and subsequently be involved in, planning, composition, redrafting, editing and publishing through the medium of the teacher. Shared writing is interactive in nature and is appropriate for teaching al…
Shared Reading in shared reading the teacher, as an expert reader, models the reading process by reading the text to the learners. The text chosen may be at a level which would be too difficult for the readers to read independently. The teacher demonstrates use of cues and strategies such as syntax, initial letter, re-reading. Learners have opportunities to join…
Shape Poem a poem in which the layout of the words reflects an aspect of the subject. There is a huge variety of shape poems. see calligrams, concrete poems
Sentence A sentence can be simple, compound or complex. A simple sentence consists of one clause: It was late. A compound sentence has two or more clauses joined by and, or, but or so. The clauses are of equal weight (they are both main clauses): It was late but I wasn't tired. A complex sentence consists of a main clause which itself includes one or more …
Semi-Colon (;) A semi-colon can be used to separate two main clauses in a sentence: I liked the book; it was a pleasure to read. This could also be written as two separate sentences: I liked the book. It was a pleasure to read. However, where the two clauses are closely related in meaning (as in the above example), a writer may prefer to use a semi-colon rather …
Segment to break a word or part of a word down into its component phonemes, for example: c-a-t; ch-a-t; ch-ar-t; g-r-ou-n-d; s-k-i-n.
Scan this word has two relevant meanings: a.      to look over a text very quickly, trying to locate information by locating a key word; b.      a line of poetry which conforms to the rhythm (metre) of the rest of the poem is said to scan.
Root Word a word to which prefixes and suffixes may be added to make other words; for example in unclear, clearly, cleared, the root word is clear.
Rime that part of a syllable which contains the vowel and final consonant or consonant cluster if there is one: at in cat; orn in horn; ow in cow. Some words consist of rime only: or, ate, eel. see onset
Riddle a question or statement, sometimes in rhyme, which forms a puzzle to be solved by the reader/listener.
Rhythm Rhythm is the more or less regular alternation of light beats and heavy beats (stresses) in speech or music. Some poetry uses very regular rhythm patterns.
Rhyme A rhyme occurs when words share the same stressed vowel phoneme, eg she/tea, way/delay and subsequent consonant(s) eg sheet/treat, made/lemonade and final unstressed vowel eg laughter/after.
Rhetorical Expression an utterance in which the meaning intended by the speaker/writer is an expression different from that which might be inferred by a listener who is unaware of the conventions of the language; for example Do you know his name? is a question which seems to require a yes/no response; in fact, the speaker is asking What is his name? Rhetorical expressi…
Report Text a non-chronological text written to describe or classify. The text often begins with a general classification, moving to a description of particular characteristics with a final summary. It is often written in the continuous present tense with generalised participants (people, cats, buildings). An example of this sort of text would include a repor…
Relative Pronouns who/whom, whose, which, that The person who did that … The thing that annoyed me was …
Reflexive Pronouns myself, herself, themselves etc I hurt myself. Enjoy yourselves!
Relative Clause A relative clause is one that defines or gives information about somebody or something. Relative clauses typically begin with relative pronouns (who/whom/whose/which/that): Do you know the people who live in the house on the corner? (defines 'the people') The biscuits (that) Tom bought this morning have all gone. (defines 'the biscuits') Our hotel…
Reference Text an information text organised in a clearly defined way, for example alphabetically, and used for study purposes.
Recount Text a text written to retell for information or entertainment. A fictional narrative recount may consist of scene-setting, a starting point, a problem, account and a conclusion. The language is descriptive, and there may be dialogue. Characters are defined and often named. A non-fiction recount may begin with a scene-setting introduction, and then ret…
Rap a form of oral poetry which has a very strong rhythm and rapid pace. Associated with Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean cultures, has now been assimilated into other literary traditions. Rap is often used in modern music.
Question Mark (?) A question mark is used at the end of an interrogative sentence (eg Who was that?) or one whose function is a question (eg You're leaving already?)
Punctuation Punctuation is a way of marking text to help readers' understanding. The most commonly used marks in English are: apostrophe, colon, comma, dash, ellipsis, exclamation mark, full stop, hyphen, semi-colon and speech marks (inverted commas).
Pun a play on words; use of words with similar sounds but different meaning to humorous effect. For example, grave has two possible meanings, which Shakespeare used in 'Romeo and Juliet'. Mercutio's final words were: 'ask for me tomorrow And you shall find me a grave man'; red and read sound the same, so the book is never red/the book is never read; I…
Proverb a saying, which may have changed little over time, which states a belief about the world: the early bird catches the worm; too many cooks spoil the broth; the grass is always greener on the other side.
Prose written language which does not follow poetic or dramatic forms.
Proof-Read to check a piece of work thoroughly before final publication.
Proper Nouns are the names of people, places, organisations, etc. These normally begin with a capital letter: Amanda, Birmingham, Microsoft, Islam, November.
Procedural Text see instruction text
Present Participle The present participle ends in -ing (working, reading, going etc). Although it is called 'present', it is used in all continuous forms: she is going, she was going, she will be going, she would have been going, etc. The -ing ending is also used for a verb functioning as a noun. For example: I enjoy reading, Reading is important. ('Reading' is used…
Preposition A preposition is a word like at, over, by and with. It is usually followed by a noun phrase. In the examples, the preposition and the following noun phrase are underlined: We got home at midnight. Did you come here by car? Are you coming with me? They jumped over a fence. What's the name of this street? I fell asleep during the film. Prepositi…
Prefix A prefix is a morpheme which can be added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. For example: inedible disappear supermarket unintentional
Predicate The predicate is that part of a sentence which is not the subject but which gives information about the subject. So, in the sentence Clare went to school, 'Clare' is the subject and 'went to school' is the predicate.
Possessive Pronouns mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, its Is this book yours or mine?
Portmanteau a word made up from blending two others: swurse = swear + curse; picture + dictionary = pictionary; smoke + fog = smog; breakfast + lunch = brunch.
Plural see singular
Poem a text which uses features such as rhythm, rhyme or syntax and vocabulary to convey ideas in an intense way. Poets may also use alliteration, figurative language and other techniques. Prose may sometimes be poetic in effect.
Phrase A phrase is a group of words that act as one unit. So dog is a word, but the dog, a big dog or that dog over there are all phrases. Strictly speaking, a phrase can also consist of just one word. For example, in the sentence Dogs are nice, 'dogs' and 'nice' are both one-word phrases. A phrase can function as a noun, an adjective or an adverb: a nou…
Phonological Awareness awareness of sounds within words - demonstrated for example in the ability to generate rhyme and alliteration, and in segmenting and blending component sounds.
Phoneme A phoneme is the smallest contrastive unit of sound in a word. There are approximately 44 phonemes in English (the number varies depending on the accent). A phoneme may have variant pronunciations in different positions; for example, the first and last sounds in the word 'little' are variants of the phoneme /l/. A phoneme may be represented by one…
Persuasive Text text which aims to persuade the reader. A persuasive text typically consists of a statement of the viewpoint, arguments and evidence for this thesis, possibly some arguments and evidence supporting a different view, and a final summary or recommendation. Connectives will be related to reasoning (therefore, however). An example of such a text would…
Personification a form of metaphor in which language relating to human action, motivation and emotion is used to refer to non-human agents or objects or abstract concepts: the weather is smiling on us today; Love is blind.
Personal Pronouns I/me, you, he/him, she/her, we/us, they/them, it I like him. They don't want it.
Person In grammar, a distinction is made between first, second and third person. One uses the first person when referring to oneself (I/we); the second person when referring to one's listener or reader (you); and the third person when referring to somebody or something else (he/she/it/they/my friend/the books etc). In some cases the form of the verb chan…
Passive see active
Past Participle The past participle often ends in -ed (worked, played) but many common verbs are irregular and have other endings, eg -t (kept), -n (flown), and -en (stolen). Past participles are used: a. after have to make perfect forms: I've worked, he has fallen, we should have gone b. after be (is/was etc) to make passive forms: I was asked, they are kept, it…
Parody a literary caricature: a version of a story or poem which emphasises particular aspects of language or form to humorous effect.
Part Of Speech see word class
Parenthesis A parenthesis is a word or phrase inserted into a sentence to explain or elaborate. It may be placed in brackets or between dashes or commas: Sam and Emma (his oldest children) are coming to visit him next weekend. Margaret is generally happy — she sings in the mornings! — but responsibility weighs her down. Sarah is, I believe, our best student. …
Paragraph a section of a piece of writing. A new paragraph marks a change of focus, a change of time, a change of place or a change of speaker in a passage of dialogue. A new paragraph begins on a new line, usually with a one-line gap separating it from the previous paragraph. Some writers also indent the first line of a new paragraph. Paragraphing helps wr…
Parable a short story told to illustrate a moral lesson or duty. Parables are often associated with the New Testament; however, many stories, including modern texts, may be classed as parables. see fable
Palindrome a word or phrase which is the same when read left-right or right-left: madam; mum; dad; eve; pup; Madam, I'm Adam.
Opinion a belief held by an individual or group of individuals for which there is insufficient evidence for it to be accepted as fact. May be presented as fact in writing.
Onset the onset of a word or syllable is the initial consonant or consonant cluster: clang; trike; sun. Some words or syllables have no onset: or; out; end; at; on; earth. see rime
Onomatopoeia words which echo sounds associated with their meaning: clang, hiss, crash, cuckoo.
Ode lyric poem usually addressed to the subject, so written in the second person. There is no fixed rhyme or rhythm pattern. Language may be unusual, perhaps self-consciously 'poetic': Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness... (Keats, 'On a Grecian Urn').
Obituary public notice of the death of an individual. May include an account of the life of the person.
Object see subject
Noun Phrase is a wider term than 'noun'. It can refer to a single noun (money), a pronoun (it) or a group of words that functions in the same way as a noun in a sentence, for example: a lot of money my younger sister a new car the best team in the world Similarly, a noun clause functions in the same way as a noun. For example: The story was not true. (noun…
Noun A noun is a word that denotes somebody or something. In the sentence My younger sister won some money in a competition, 'sister', 'money' and 'competition' are nouns. Many nouns (countable nouns) can be singular (only one) or plural (more than one). For example sister/sisters, problem/problems, party/parties. Other nouns (mass nouns) do not normal…
Non-Chronological Writing writing organised without reference to time sequence. Typically, writing organised by characteristics and attributes, for example, a report on a town might be organised into population, situation, facilities.
Narrative Text text which re-tells events, often in chronological sequence. May be purely fictional, or include some information. May be in prose or poetic form.
Narrative Poem a poem which tells a story: 'Hiawatha', 'Charge of the Light Brigade'. Often a ballad.
Myth an ancient traditional story of gods or heroes which addresses a problem or concern of human existence. May include an explanation of some fact or phenomenon.
Morpheme the smallest unit of meaning. A word may consist of one morpheme (house), two morphemes (house/s; hous/ing) or three or more morphemes (house/keep/ing; un/happi/ness). Suffixes and prefixes are morphemes.
Monologue a text spoken by a lone speaker. In dramatic situations, this may be a 'one person show'; in other situations, it may refer to a speaker who monopolises the conversation.
Modelling In literacy, this refers to demonstration of an aspect of reading or writing by an expert for learners. This would support direct instruction.
Modal Verb The modal verbs are: can/could will/would shall/should may/might must/ought These auxiliary verbs are used to express such ideas as possibility, willingness, prediction, speculation, deduction and necessity. They are all followed by the infinitive, and ought is followed by to + infinitive: I can help you. We might go out tonight. You ought to eat …
Mnemonic a device to aid memory, for instance to learn particular spelling patterns or spellings: I Go Home Tonight; There is a rat in separate.
Metaphor where the writer writes about something as if it were really something else. Fowler describes it as an 'imaginative substitution'. For example: he is an ass; love's meteor. A poisoned apple passed along from generation to generation (McGough).
Metalanguage the language we use when talking about language itself. It includes words like sentence, noun, paragraph, preposition. Those who understand these concepts are able to talk about language quite precisely; thus, acquisition of metalanguage is seen as a crucial step in developing awareness of and proficiency in communication, particularly written lan…
Logogram a symbol or character which represents a morpheme or word. A logographic system contrasts with an alphabetic-phonetic system, such as English, in which symbols relate to sounds rather than meaning. There are a number of logograms which would be instantly recognisable to those using alphabetic systems, for example £, &, %.
