Literature vocabulary helps students explain how writing makes us think and feel—not just what happens in a story. A character’s movement may be described through gesture, a poem’s line break may change its pace, and a scene in a play may acquire dramatic irony because the audience knows something a character does not. This guide explains 200 literary terms for Singapore students learning prose, unseen poetry, drama and essay writing, with practical examples that do not depend on memorising passages.

For the 2027 Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate, G3 Literature in English is SEAB syllabus K331 (reference code 2065 for 2026 and earlier). Paper 1 assesses prose and unseen poetry; Paper 2 assesses drama. The study of set texts and their examination requirements differs from G3 Humanities (Social Studies, Literature in English) K337. This independent eduKate glossary is not an official prescribed 200-word list, and students must check the official K331 text list for their examination year.

Quick answers:

• Literary analysis means identify a choice → give evidence → explain its effect.
• Theme names an idea explored by a text; it is not just a one-word plot summary.
• For poetry, consider line breaks, sounds and images in relation to the poem’s meaning.
• For drama, imagine how an actor or director might make an implication visible or audible.
• A convincing personal response can acknowledge ambiguity, but it must be supported by the text.

1–10: Close reading and interpretation

1. close reading — Careful examination of a text’s language and structure.
2. interpretation — An argued account of what a text means.
3. ambiguity — Possibility of more than one plausible meaning.
4. nuance — A subtle difference of meaning or feeling.
5. implication — A suggestion beyond the surface statement.
6. connotation — Associations a word carries beyond its basic meaning.
7. denotation — A word’s direct dictionary meaning.
8. subtext — Unspoken meaning beneath dialogue or action.
9. inference — Conclusion based on textual clues.
10. multiple perspectives — Different viewpoints that can inform reading.

Try this: Identify one word, image or action in a short literary passage that illustrates a term.

11–20: Text, author and context

11. author — Person who writes a text.
12. narrator — Voice that tells a story.
13. speaker — Voice expressing a poem’s words.
14. playwright — Person who writes a play.
15. audience — People watching or hearing a performance.
16. reader — Person interpreting the written work.
17. context — Circumstances relevant to a text or its production.
18. setting — Time and place where a work takes place.
19. social convention — Common expectations within a community.
20. historical allusion — Indirect reference to an earlier event or period.

Try this: Explain the difference between describing what happens and analysing how it is presented.

21–30: Narrative point of view

21. first-person narration — Story told using I by a participating voice.
22. third-person narration — Story told using he, she or they about characters.
23. limited perspective — Narration restricted to a particular character’s knowledge.
24. omniscient narrator — Narrator able to know more than any single character.
25. unreliable narrator — Narrator whose account invites doubt or correction.
26. focalisation — Perspective through which events are presented.
27. narrative distance — How closely narration follows a character’s thoughts.
28. interior monologue — Presentation of a character’s inner thoughts.
29. free indirect discourse — Third-person narration incorporating a character’s own idiom.
30. stream of consciousness — Writing that follows the flow of thought and sensation.

Try this: Make a reasoned interpretation and find an exact detail that supports it.

31–40: Character and motivation

31. protagonist — Central character whose journey drives much of a story.
32. antagonist — Character or force opposing the protagonist.
33. foil — Character whose differences highlight traits in another.
34. round character — Character portrayed with complexity and contradictions.
35. flat character — Character developed around few dominant traits.
36. characterisation — Methods used to create a character’s identity.
37. motivation — Reason behind a character’s action.
38. internal conflict — Struggle within a person’s thoughts or values.
39. external conflict — Struggle with another person or outside force.
40. agency — A character’s capacity to make meaningful choices.

Try this: Describe an alternative reading and what evidence would favour or weaken it.

41–50: Plot and narrative sequence

41. exposition — Opening information that establishes a situation.
42. inciting incident — Event that initiates the main tension.
43. rising action — Events that intensify conflict.
44. climax — Point of greatest pressure or decisive change.
45. falling action — Events following the central turning point.
46. resolution — Outcome of a story’s central difficulty.
47. flashback — Movement to an earlier moment in the narrative.
48. foreshadowing — Early hint about a later event.
49. analepsis — Technical term for a flashback.
50. chronology — Sequence of events in time order.

Try this: Identify one word, image or action in a short literary passage that illustrates a term.

51–60: Theme and larger concerns

51. theme — An idea or concern explored across a literary work.
52. central concern — Major issue that shapes a text.
53. identity — Understanding of who a person is.
54. belonging — Feeling of connection to a group or place.
55. alienation — Feeling separated from others.
56. loyalty — Steady commitment to a person or cause.
57. betrayal — Violation of trust.
58. justice — Principle of fair treatment and accountability.
59. prejudice — Prejudgement that may lead to unfair treatment.
60. reconciliation — Repair of a damaged relationship.

Try this: Explain the difference between describing what happens and analysing how it is presented.

61–70: Literary language and diction

61. diction — A writer’s particular choice of words.
62. register — Style of language suitable to the situation.
63. colloquialism — Informal phrase typical of everyday conversation.
64. dialect — Variety of a language associated with a group or region.
65. slang — Highly informal language used within particular communities.
66. jargon — Specialised vocabulary of an activity or profession.
67. archaism — A word or construction from an earlier language period.
68. euphemism — Milder expression replacing a harsher one.
69. understatement — Deliberate presentation of something as less intense.
70. hyperbole — Deliberate exaggeration for effect.

Try this: Make a reasoned interpretation and find an exact detail that supports it.

71–80: Figurative language and imagery

71. metaphor — Direct comparison presenting one thing as another.
72. simile — Comparison using like or as.
73. personification — Attributing human qualities to something non-human.
74. symbolism — Use of something concrete to represent a wider idea.
75. motif — Recurring feature contributing to a work’s meaning.
76. sensory imagery — Language appealing to sight, sound, touch, taste or smell.
77. visual imagery — Words that create a picture in the reader’s mind.
78. tactile imagery — Words evoking a sense of touch.
79. synesthesia — Description blending different sensory experiences.
80. pathetic fallacy — Attributing human feeling to nature or weather.

Try this: Describe an alternative reading and what evidence would favour or weaken it.

81–90: Irony and contrast

81. verbal irony — Words whose intended meaning differs from their literal meaning.
82. dramatic irony — A situation where audiences know more than a character.
83. situational irony — An outcome contrasting with expectation.
84. juxtaposition — Placing ideas or images together to highlight contrast.
85. antithesis — Balanced opposition of contrasting ideas.
86. paradox — An apparent contradiction that reveals a possible truth.
87. oxymoron — Combination of closely placed contradictory terms.
88. sarcasm — Sharp or mocking irony.
89. satire — Use of humour or criticism to expose flaws.
90. incongruity — Mismatch between elements that seem not to belong together.

Try this: Identify one word, image or action in a short literary passage that illustrates a term.

91–100: Sound and poetic effects

91. alliteration — Repetition of initial consonant sounds.
92. assonance — Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.
93. consonance — Repetition of consonant sounds.
94. onomatopoeia — Word that imitates a sound.
95. sibilance — Repeated hissing consonant sounds.
96. euphony — Pleasant or harmonious sound pattern.
97. cacophony — Harsh or discordant sound pattern.
98. internal rhyme — Rhyme occurring within a poetic line.
99. end rhyme — Rhyme at the ends of lines.
100. refrain — Repeated line or phrase in a poem.

Try this: Explain the difference between describing what happens and analysing how it is presented.

101–110: Poetic form and layout

101. stanza — Group of lines forming a unit in poetry.
102. couplet — Pair of poetic lines.
103. tercet — Group of three poetic lines.
104. quatrain — Group of four poetic lines.
105. sonnet — Fourteen-line poetic form with recognised structural traditions.
106. free verse — Poetry without a regular metrical pattern.
107. blank verse — Unrhymed iambic pentameter.
108. rhyme scheme — Pattern of line-end rhymes.
109. line break — Point at which a poetic line ends.
110. white space — Unprinted area contributing to a poem’s layout.

Try this: Make a reasoned interpretation and find an exact detail that supports it.

111–120: Rhythm, pace and line movement

111. metre — Recurring arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables.
112. iamb — Foot of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.
113. trochee — Foot of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one.
114. pentameter — Metrical line containing five feet.
115. rhythm — Pattern of movement created by speech sounds.
116. enjambment — Continuation of syntax beyond a line ending.
117. end-stopping — Poetic line ending at a syntactic pause.
118. caesura — Strong pause within a poetic line.
119. stress — Greater emphasis placed on a syllable.
120. pace — Perceived speed of a passage.

Try this: Describe an alternative reading and what evidence would favour or weaken it.

121–130: Voice, address and tone in poetry

121. persona — Adopted speaking identity in a literary work.
122. apostrophe — Direct address to an absent person or abstract thing.
123. direct address — Words aimed explicitly at someone or something.
124. rhetorical question — Question designed for effect rather than an answer.
125. tone — Attitude communicated by a writer or speaker.
126. mood — Emotional atmosphere experienced by a reader.
127. lament — Expression of grief or loss.
128. celebration — Expression of praise or joy.
129. nostalgia — Longing for a remembered past.
130. defiance — Open resistance to authority or restriction.

Try this: Identify one word, image or action in a short literary passage that illustrates a term.

131–140: Drama structures and stagecraft

131. act — Major division of a play.
132. scene — Subdivision of a play’s action.
133. stage direction — Instruction describing movement, setting or delivery.
134. dialogue — Speech exchanged between characters.
135. monologue — Extended speech by one character.
136. soliloquy — Speech revealing a character’s thoughts, often alone.
137. aside — Short remark intended for audiences but not other characters.
138. entrance — Moment when a character comes on stage.
139. exit — Moment when a character leaves the stage.
140. blocking — Planned positioning and movement of actors.

Try this: Explain the difference between describing what happens and analysing how it is presented.

141–150: Performance and theatrical choices

141. gesture — Meaningful movement of the body.
142. posture — Position in which a person holds the body.
143. facial expression — Movement of the face conveying feeling.
144. pause — Deliberate moment of silence.
145. projection — Making speech audible to the audience.
146. lighting — Use of illumination to shape attention or mood.
147. sound design — Planned use of audible effects and music.
148. props — Objects used by performers during a play.
149. costume — Clothing contributing to character and setting.
150. set design — Creation of the play’s physical stage environment.

Try this: Make a reasoned interpretation and find an exact detail that supports it.

151–160: Relationships and social dynamics

151. power imbalance — Unequal ability to influence or control others.
152. authority — Recognised right or capacity to command.
153. dependence — State of relying on someone or something.
154. manipulation — Influencing people through unfair or hidden tactics.
155. compassion — Concern for another person’s suffering.
156. empathy — Ability to understand another’s feelings.
157. solidarity — Mutual support within a group.
158. isolation — Separation from people or communities.
159. vulnerability — Exposure to harm or emotional risk.
160. resilience — Capacity to endure and recover from hardship.

Try this: Describe an alternative reading and what evidence would favour or weaken it.

161–170: Conflict, choices and consequences

161. dilemma — Situation involving difficult choices.
162. moral conflict — Struggle between competing ethical demands.
163. sacrifice — Giving up something valuable for another purpose.
164. compromise — Settlement where competing sides yield something.
165. consequence — What follows from an action or event.
166. revelation — Disclosure of information that changes understanding.
167. reversal — A sudden change in a character’s fortune or circumstances.
168. recognition — A character’s important new understanding.
169. culpability — Responsibility for wrongdoing.
170. redemption — Recovery of moral standing through change or action.

Try this: Identify one word, image or action in a short literary passage that illustrates a term.

171–180: Literary essays and textual evidence

171. thesis — Main interpretation developed in an essay.
172. argument — Connected reasons defending a position.
173. topic sentence — Sentence introducing a paragraph’s analytical focus.
174. quotation — Exact words taken from a source.
175. textual evidence — Details from the work used to support interpretation.
176. close analysis — Detailed explanation of how a passage creates meaning.
177. elaboration — Further explanation developing a claim.
178. coherence — Logical organisation across ideas.
179. relevance — Direct connection to the question.
180. judgement — Considered conclusion supported by analysis.

Try this: Explain the difference between describing what happens and analysing how it is presented.

181–190: Comparing forms and interpretations

181. form — Overall literary type and shape.
182. structure — Organisation of parts within a text.
183. genre — Category of literature with related conventions.
184. convention — Recognisable practice associated with a genre.
185. adaptation — A retelling or transformation of an existing work.
186. intertextuality — Relationship between a text and other texts.
187. contrastive reading — Interpretation that places differences in focus.
188. reader response — Meaning shaped partly by the reader’s encounter.
189. alternative reading — A defensible interpretation differing from another.
190. qualification — Careful limitation of an interpretative claim.

Try this: Make a reasoned interpretation and find an exact detail that supports it.

191–200: Revision and unseen-text strategies

191. annotation — Brief notes added while reading.
192. paraphrase — Restate a passage’s sense in different words.
193. summarise — Express main content briefly.
194. predict — Suggest what may come next using clues.
195. trace — Follow how a pattern develops across a text.
196. synthesise — Combine separate observations into an interpretation.
197. evaluate — Judge the effectiveness of a literary choice.
198. revise — Review and improve work.
199. retrieve — Recall information from memory.
200. transfer — Apply a learned skill to a new text.

Try this: Describe an alternative reading and what evidence would favour or weaken it.

How Literature vocabulary becomes close reading

Example 1: saying “the mood is sad” is not yet analysis

Consider this invented two-line poem: “The last light slipped beneath the door / while empty cups cooled on the floor.” The visual imagery of the fading light and abandoned cups may create a quiet or desolate mood. The verb slipped could suggest how gently the light disappears. A precise answer does not simply announce “the poet uses imagery”; it explains the particular image and how the words help shape a reader’s impression. Other interpretations may be possible, but they must arise from the details.

Example 2: metaphor and personification are not decoration

In the invented line “The city swallowed her footsteps,” the city is given the human or animal capacity to swallow; this is personification and may also be discussed as a metaphor. It could imply that the individual feels lost among buildings and crowds. That interpretation should not be presented as the only possible reading without considering the surrounding poem. Naming a technique is a beginning, not the end of analysis.

Example 3: a line break changes reading

Take the invented lines “I kept the letter / beneath the stone.” Ending a line after letter briefly focuses attention on the object before the next line reveals where it is hidden. The enjambment carries the sentence across the break; the arrangement could create a moment of anticipation. Students should read lines aloud and ask whether the break produces hesitation, surprise, emphasis or another effect in that context. Not every line break automatically signals tension.

Example 4: characterisation comes from choices and contradiction

A character might publicly promise honesty yet hide a letter from a friend. This contrast may suggest fear, self-interest, a moral dilemma or an attempt to protect someone. To interpret the character fairly, examine what they say, what they do, what they know and what others reveal about them. A reader can show empathy without approving an action. Labelling a character simply “bad” or “good” often misses the complexity that the text deliberately creates.

Example 5: dramatic irony depends on unequal knowledge

Imagine a play in which the audience has already seen a character place an important document in a drawer. Another character confidently announces that the document has been destroyed. This produces dramatic irony because the audience possesses information the speaker lacks. A performance could emphasise that irony through a pause, a glance towards the drawer, or the audience’s memory of an earlier scene. Analyse the actual text and staging cues rather than inventing effects as if they were proven.

Example 6: the same dialogue can be staged differently

Suppose a character says, “You came back.” Said with relief and a small smile, the line could express affection. Delivered through clenched teeth with a long pause, it may suggest fear or resentment. Tone, gesture, posture and blocking are resources through which performers shape a line’s impact. When discussing a prescribed play, distinguish explicit stage directions from your own plausible staging interpretation.

What counts as a developed literary paragraph?

A useful structure is interpretation → textual evidence → close analysis → connection to the question. For example, rather than saying, “The writer shows loneliness through imagery,” explain which image suggests separation, how the diction or structure encourages that reading, and what it reveals about the character or central concern. It is not necessary to list three devices if one is analysed carefully. Close attention to wording should always serve a defensible argument.

Quotation must be accurate and proportionate. A short phrase can be powerful when the student explains its effects. Long quotations inserted without analysis rarely help. Avoid invented quotations from the prescribed text or claims about a speaker’s intentions that the work cannot support. The guide’s invented practice lines are provided for explanation only; they are not passages from any SEC set text.

Unseen poetry: a reading process that works without guessing themes first

1. First reading: read the whole poem to establish the broad situation, voice and emotional direction. Note who is speaking and what changes, but resist naming a grand theme from one isolated word.
2. Second reading: underline repeated images, contrasts, surprising verbs, sound patterns and line breaks. Check which of these choices is relevant to the question.
3. Third reading: test two possible interpretations. Does the evidence sustain both? Does the ending complicate an earlier feeling? Do not remove ambiguity merely to sound certain.
4. Written response: organise two or three analytical points, each with focused textual evidence, close explanation and a clear return to the precise question.

An unseen poem cannot be “memorised” in advance, but skills such as paraphrasing, noticing tone shifts and explaining imagery can be practised on new short poems. Choose works the learner can discuss without assuming every symbol carries a secret fixed meaning.

Prose: distinguish narrator, character and author

A narrator is the voice telling a story. It is not automatically identical to the author, and it may misunderstand events or conceal information. A first-person narrator who says “I had no choice” is expressing one perspective; a reader may question that claim if the story has shown other possible actions. Unreliable narration should be argued from discrepancies or limitations in the text, not assigned to every narrator who expresses an opinion. This distinction is particularly important in passage-based questions that ask why a writer reveals information in a particular order.

Drama: read the play as performance

Drama involves words, but also silence, presence and movement. Stage directions can shape meaning as strongly as spoken dialogue. When reading a confrontation, note who interrupts, who remains silent, where each person stands and what the audience is permitted to see. A monologue is not automatically a soliloquy; an aside changes who is supposed to hear the remark. Good theatre analysis connects a particular feature to character relationships, power or the unfolding conflict.

The 2027 K331 assessment format

The official G3 Literature in English K331 syllabus states that students take two papers in separate sittings, answering four questions in total. Paper 1: Prose and Unseen Poetry lasts 1 hour 40 minutes and carries 50%; students select one prose question and one unseen-poetry question. Paper 2: Drama lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and carries 50%; students answer one compulsory passage-based question and one essay question on the selected play. The syllabus sets out prescribed texts and assessment criteria. The official list must be checked before buying a particular edition or revision guide.

Four-week vocabulary-to-interpretation plan

1. Week 1 — Close reading and prose: use words from interpretation, narration and character. Write one analytical paragraph that explains an exact word choice and a plausible alternative reading.
2. Week 2 — Poetry: learn key terms for imagery, line structure, voice and sound. Annotate three short unseen poems and write responses to different prompts without using a memorised theme checklist.
3. Week 3 — Drama: practise stage directions, movement, irony and power dynamics. Read a scene aloud in two different ways and discuss what textual evidence supports each staging choice.
4. Week 4 — Essays: use unseen extracts or the correctly prescribed text to answer mixed questions. Mark where a claim lacks evidence, where an example is summarised rather than analysed and where the answer drifts away from the question.

Ten terms per short session is a possible starting load, but students should prioritise concepts they cannot apply. A student who knows what metaphor means but cannot discuss its effect needs practice in interpretation, not another long list of rhetorical devices.

Common Literature mistakes worth repairing

• Technique spotting: “this is a simile” does not explain why the comparison matters.
• Plot summary instead of analysis: recounting events is not the same as explaining literary choices.
• One theme forced onto every poem: follow the evidence and the actual question.
• Confusing author and narrator: a character’s belief is not automatically the author’s position.
• Overconfident symbolism: an object may carry several associations or none that the passage can support.
• Ignoring theatrical performance: dialogue alone does not capture every dramatic effect.
• Invented quotation: if exact wording cannot be recalled, do not pretend to quote the set text.

Frequently asked questions

Are all 200 words tested in K331?

No. The terms are a learning toolkit. The official K331 syllabus, set-text list and assessment objectives define the actual examination requirements.

Does K331 Literature in English include unseen poetry?

Yes. Paper 1 includes unseen poetry alongside a prose section, while Paper 2 focuses on drama.

Is K331 the same as Humanities (Social Studies, Literature in English) K337?

No. They are separate subjects with different arrangements. Use the right subject code when selecting course materials.

How many quotations should a good essay use?

Use enough precise evidence to defend each main point. There is no universal ideal count: relevance and depth of analysis matter more than quotation volume.

Can students disagree with a standard interpretation?

Yes, if they demonstrate attentive reading and support their interpretation with sound reasoning and textual detail.

How can parents help if they have not studied the set texts?

Ask the child what a line means, which words support the reading, and whether another interpretation is possible. These questions develop reasoning without requiring the parent to know the book in advance.

Official reading and related eduKate guides

Consult SEAB’s 2027 G3 syllabus index and the 2027 K331 Literature in English syllabus and prescribed texts. Students working on general close reading can also use the G3 English Language 200-word guide for inference, register and textual evidence, while remembering that K300 and K331 assess different skills and genres. The goal is not to sound technical. It is to explain, with sensitivity and precision, how the text creates meaning.

eduKate Punggol, November 2026. Original learning glossary with invented practice lines. It is not an official prescribed word list, a set-text reproduction or a guarantee of results.