CAIE Checkpoint

Literary Techniques
English Imagery-Vivid descriptions of senses

‘The sunset was the most gorgeous thing I

have ever seen; the clouds were outlined

with pink and gold glitter.’

‘You fought like a lion on the !eld.’

things

‘The snow is a white blanket.’

Personi!cation-Giving a human quality to

something non-human

‘The lightning danced across the dark night

sky.’

Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds

occurring at the beginning of words or within

words

‘She sells seashells on the seashore.’

Exaggeration/Hyperbole: A statement that

represents something as better, bigger,

worse, etc than it really is

‘I have a million assignments to complete

today.’

Onomatopoeia: The use of words that mimic

sounds

‘The corn went pop in the microwave.’

Irony: A result opposite to what might have

been expected o ‘Yesterday the police station

got robbed!’

Sarcasm: Words that are in contrast to their

usual meaning

A man replies to a telecommunicator, who

calls him while he is having his dinner,

“Thanks for calling! I hate having my dinner

when it is hot!”

Having a good grip on vocabulary is

important. Hence, it is advisable to know

synonyms of basic words you might be asked

to give synonyms for a word or words from

the text.

Strong adjectives are used to emphasize or

arouse a particular mood.

Reading
Overview
To score well in Section A(Reading) of the

Paper 1 and Paper 2 it is important to be able

to critically read the passage and recognize

the purpose, tone, language, structure, and

e"ect of it.

When you are answering comprehension

questions remember:

Some questions require answers in your

own words.

Some questions need you to support your

answer with evidence/quotes from the text.

Some questions want you to use both.

Use full sentences where necessary.

Don’t spend more than 30 minutes on this

section!

The three common purposes of a text are:

To Inform-Provide information about a

topic(Usually in Paper 1)

To Persuade-To convince the reader to

agree with the author’s views on a

subject(Usually in Paper 1)

To Entertain-To amuse and fascinate the

readers(Usually in Paper 2)

Understanding an outline, which is made up

of a primary idea followed by a numbered list

of supporting details, makes it easier to

understand the purpose of the text. An

outline can be found out by looking for list

words and addition words like:

Several kinds of

Various causes

One

First of all

Also

A writer’s tone displays his or her view

towards a subject, which is often expressed

through his or her choice of words.

Identifying the genre of the text can make it

easier to understand the tone.

Here are a few genres:

Adventure

Comedy

Fantasy

Horror

Mystery

Science Fiction

Informal Style

Addresses the reader directly

Simple sentences

Formal Style

Third person

Complex sentences

Here are a few possible tones:

Admiring

Amused

Angry

Bitter

Confused

Concerned

Cruel

Excited

Frustrated

Pessimistic

Urgent

Worried

Understanding the explicit meanings

Explicit meanings are obvious meanings.

Techniques such as Skimming (brie#y

reading) and Scanning (closely reading) can

help identify the main ideas of the text,

useful for the summary.

Understanding the implicit meanings

Implicit meanings are underlying or indirect

meanings.

Writers use various stylistic features of

language

Punctuation and Structures

that stands out.

Capital Letters (The whole word) – Are used to

lay emphasis.

Colon – Is used to make the reader pause or

start a list. It is also used for relating to or

expanding on information before it.

Commas – They are used in lists; they are

used to mark clause divisions.

Dash – It is to insert additional information.

Ellipsis – Are used to make the reader

continue reading; the intentional omission of

words; a pause in speech; an un!nished

thought; a sentence that trails into silence.

Exclamation Mark – Used to excite the senses

and show something is surprising or forceful.

Semicolon – It can join two clauses to

substitute a conjunction and to separate

information in a sentence.

Speech marks – Used to show dialogue.

Long sentences- To create a feel of relaxation

or reaching a climax.

Short sentences- To quicken the pace.

Connectives- to sequence events and to show

the order of occurrence.

Passive form- It describes the process,

highlighting it than the character

Active form- To describe the subject in detail.

Sub-headings- To draw attention to or

highlight speci!c information in a text and

make it easier to follow.

Sentence types- Simple, Compound and

Complex

Simple- Create tension and quicken pace.

Compound- It joined by a conjunction such

as ‘and’ or ‘but’, providing more information

or give an extra viewpoint.

Complex- Provides extra detail and

information.

Poetry

Stanza is a sequence of poetic lines

grouped together.

Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds.

Rhythm in the poetry is made by the

arrangement of stressed and unstressed

syllables in a line.

Meter is the simple rhythmic structure of

lines in a verse.

Couplet is a two line stanza.

Tercet is a three line stanza.

Quatrain is a four line stanza.

Cinquain is a !ve line stanza. o Sestet is a

six line stanza.

Octave is an eight line stanza.

Types of poems:

Narrative- Tells a story and has a plot.

Lyric- Portrays powerful emotions.

Descriptive- Describes the atmosphere

and society the poet is living in.

Types of poem structures:

Free verse- Does not have de!nite

structure and rhyme scheme.

Sonnet- Consists of 14 lines and has a

speci!c rhyme scheme.

Elegy- Poem lamenting the dead.

Ballad- Story narrated in form of a lyrical

poem.

Villanelle- It has !xed form has 2 rhymes

and 19 lines.

Ode- Praises a speci!c person, thing or

event.

Features of Important
Formats
Diary:

Written in informal style.

Uses opinions and facts.

Uses !rst person pronouns.

Magazine Article:

Has a headline and subheadings.

Newspaper Report:

Written in third person.

Has a headline.

Descriptive/Narrative:

Uses imagery.

Usually in third person

Extra Tips
While solving the comprehension:

First, brie#y read through the passage.

Read the questions and underline

information which seems important in the

passage.

Answer the questions

If you do not understand the meaning of a

word, stay calm. You can get contextual

meanings by:

Punctuation- Meaning of unfamiliar words are

given after the word separated by commas,

dashes or parenthesis.

Contrast or Antonym- The unfamiliar word is

shown to be di"erent from or unlike, another

word and is often opposite. They use words

like ‘although’, ‘however’ and ‘otherwise’.

Example- The unfamiliar word is cleared up by

using signal words, like, ‘such as’ and ‘for

instance’.