ENGLISH OLEVELS EXAM

REVISION NOTES.

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CONTENTS:
 Sensory Details Word list
 Signpost Language
 Rhetorical Devices
 Linkers
 Vocabulary
 Idioms and phrases
 DAFOREST, VAGTOKO, SIMPA, SHAMPOO

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Sensory Details Word List:

Keep the following list of words to help you improve your writing. Using sensory words can help you provide
more details and examples of your writing. Add his list as you learn more sensory words .

Sight Sound Touch Taste Smell

Bleary Bellow Balmy Appetizing Acrid

Blurred Blare Biting Bitter Aroma

Brilliant Buzz Bristly Bland Aromatic

Colourless Cackle Bumpy Creamy Fetid

Dazzling Cheer Chilly Delectable Foul-Smelling

Dim Clamour Coarse Delicious Fragrant

Dingy Clang Cold Flavourful Mouldy

Faded Crackle Cool Flavourless Inodorous

Faint Creak Crawly Gingery Ovigerous

Flashy Grumble Creepy Luscious Odour

Gaudy Gurgle Cuddly Nauseating Odourless

Glance Hiss Dusty Palatable Old

Gleaming Howl Feathery Peppery Perfumed

Glimpse Hush Feverish Piquant Pungent

Glistening Jaber Fluffy Refreshing Putrid

Glittering Mumble Furry Ripe Rancid

Gloomy Murmur Fuzzy Rotten Rank

Glossy Mutter Gooey Salty Reeking

Glowing Rant Greasy Savoury Scent

Grimy Rave Gritty Scrumptious Smell

Hazy Roar Hairy Sharp Spicy

Indistinct Rumble Hold Sour Sweet

Misty Rustle Icy Spicy Waft

Peer Screech Limp Spoiled Whiff

Radiant Shriek Lumpy Stale

Shadowy Shrill Moist Sugary

Shimmering Sizzle Oily Sweet

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 Sight Sound Touch Taste Smell

Shiny Snarl Powdery Tangy

Smudge Squawk Prickly Tasteless

Sparkling Squeal Scratchy Tasty

Streaked Swish Shivery Unappetizing

Striped Thud Silky Unripe

Tarnished Thump Slimy Vinegary

Twinkling Whimper Slippery Yummy

Yelp Spongy Zesty

Springy

Squashy

Sticky

Sweaty

Velvety

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Signpost Language
A good way to make your presentations effective, interesting and easy to follow is to use signpost language.
‘Signpost Language’ is the words and phrases that people use to tell the listener what has just happened and
what is going to happen next.

In other words, signpost language guides the listener through the presentation. A good presenter will usually
use a lot of signpost language, so it is a good idea to learn a few of the common phrases, even if you spend
more time listening to presentations than giving them! Signpost language is usually fairly informal, so it is
relatively easy to understand.

Signpost Language List

Section of Presentation Signpost Language

The topic/subject of my talk is…

I am going to talk about…

Introducing the topic
My topic today is…

My topic is concerned with…

I’m going to divide this talk into four parts.

There are a number of points I’m about to make.

Basically/Briefly, I have three things to say.

I’d like to begin with/start by…

Overview
Let’s begin/start by…
(Outline of First of all, I’ll…
presentation) …and then I’ll go on to

Then/Next…

Finally, /Lastly…

That’s all I have to say about…

We’ve looked at…

Finishing a section
So much for…

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 Moving on now to…

Turning to…

Let’s turn now to

The next issue/topic/area I’d like to focus on…

Starting a new section
I’d like to expand/elaborate on…

Now we will move on to…

I’d now like to discuss…

Let’s look now at…

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 Where does that lead us?

Let’s consider this in more detail.

What does this mean for?

Analysing a point Translated into real terms.

Why is this important?

The significance of this.

For example, …

A good example of this is…

Giving examples
As an illustration…

To give you an example…

To illustrate this point…

To sum up…

To summarise…

Right, let’s sum up, shall we?

Summarising and Let’s summarize briefly what we have looked at…
concluding
If I can just sum up the main points…

To conclude…

In short…

Simply put…

In other words, …
Paraphrasing and
So, what I’m saying is…
clarifying
To put it more simply…

To put it in another way…

I’m happy to answer any queries/questions.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Invitation to
Any questions?
discuss/ask questions
If you would like me to elaborate on any point, please ask.

Would you like to ask any questions?

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Rhetorical Device(s) list:
1. Alliteration
Alliteration refers to the recurrence of initial consonant sounds. The phrase "rubber baby
buggy bumpers" is one example you might remember from your childhood. Alliteration is
often associated with tongue twisters for kids, but brand names commonly use this
technique too, such as American Apparel, Best Buy, and Krispy Kreme.
2. Allusion
Allusion is a reference to an event, place, or person. For example, you might say, "I can't
get changed that quickly, I'm not Superman!" Referring to something well known allows
the writer to make a point without elaborating in great detail.
3. Amplification
Amplification repeats a word or expression for emphasis, often using additional adjectives
to clarify the meaning. "Love, real love, takes time" is an example of amplification because
the author is using the phrase "real love" to distinguish his feelings from love that is
merely infatuation.
4. Analogy
An analogy explains one thing in terms of another to highlight the ways in which they are
alike. "He's as flaky as a snowstorm" would be one example of an analogy. Analogies that
are very well known are sometimes called idioms or figures of speech.
5. Anaphora
Anaphora repeats a word or phrase in successive phrases. "If you prick us, do we not
bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?" is an example from Shakespeare's Merchant of
Venice. The use of anaphora creates parallelism and rhythm, which is why this technique
is often associated with music and poetry. However, any form of written work can benefit
from this rhetorical device.
6. Antanagoge
Antanagoge places a criticism and compliment together to lessen the impact. "The car is
not pretty, but it runs great" would be one example because you're referring to the
vehicle's performance as a reason to excuse its unattractive appearance.
7. Antimetabole
Antimetabole repeats words or phrases in reverse order. The famous John F. Kennedy
quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country"
is a well-known example.

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 8. Antiphrasis
Antiphrasis uses a word with an opposite meaning for ironic or humorous effect. "We
named our Chihuahua Goliath" is an example because a Chihuahua is a very small dog and
Goliath is a giant warrior from the famous Bible story.
9. Antithesis
Antithesis makes a connection between two things. Neil Armstrong said, "That's one small
step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." This pairs the idea of one man's individual
action with the greater implication for humanity as a whole.
10. Appositive
An appositive place a noun or noun phrase next to another noun for descriptive purposes.
An example would be, "Mary, queen of the land, hosted the ball." In this phrase, "queen of
the land" is the appositive noun that describes Mary's role.
11. Enumeration
Enumeration makes a point with details. For example, saying "The renovation included a
new spa, tennis court, pool, and lounge" uses specific details to describe how large the
renovation was.
12. Epanalepsis
Epanalepsis repeats something from the beginning of a clause or sentence at the end.
Consider the Walmart slogan, "Always Low Prices. Always." The repeated words act as
bookends, driving the point home.
13. Epithet
An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase expressing a quality of the person or thing, such
as calling King Richard I "Richard the Lionheart." Contemporary usage often denotes an
abusive or derogatory term describing race, gender, sexual orientation, or other
characteristics of a minority group.
14. Epizeuxis
Epizeuxis repeats one word for emphasis. A child who says, "The amusement park was fun,
fun, fun" is using epizeuxis to convey what a wonderful time he had at the park.
15. Hyperbole
Hyperbole refers to an exaggeration. Saying "I have done this a thousand times" to
indicate that you're very familiar with a task is an example of hyperbole because it is
unlikely you've really performed the task a thousand times.

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 16. Litotes
Litotes make an understatement by using a negative to emphasize a positive. In this
rhetorical device, a double negative is often used for effect. So, saying someone is "not a
bad singer" actually means you enjoyed hearing them sing.
17. Metanoia
Metanoia corrects or qualifies a statement. "You are the most beautiful woman in this
town, nay the entire world" is an example of metanoia because the speaker is further
clarifying the extent of the woman's beauty.
18. Metaphor
A metaphor is a type of implied comparison that compares two things by stating one is the
other. "The eyes are the windows of the soul" means you "see" someone's emotional state
by looking into their expressive eyes-eyes are not literally windows.
19. Metonymy
Metonymy is a type of metaphor where something being compared is referred to by
something closely associated with it. For example, writers often refer to the "power of the
pen" to convey the idea that the written word can inspire, educate, and inform. A pen has
no power as an inanimate object, but the writer's words can reach a broad audience.
20. Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sound they describe, such as "plunk,"
"whiz," or "pop." This type of figurative language is often used in poetry because it
conveys specific images to the reader based on universal experiences. We are all familiar
with the "squeal" of tires as a vehicle stops abruptly or the "jingle" of car keys in your
pocket.
21. Oxymoron
An oxymoron creates a two-word paradox-such as "near miss" or "seriously funny." An
oxymoron is sometimes called a contradiction in terms and is most often used for
dramatic effect.
22. Parallelism
Parallelism uses words or phrases with a similar structure. "Like father, like son" is an
example of a popular phrase demonstrating parallelism. This technique creates symmetry
and balance in your writing.
23. Simile
A simile compares one object to another. "He smokes like a chimney" is one example.
Similes are often confused with metaphors, but the main difference is that a simile uses
"like" or "as" to make a comparison and a metaphor simply states the comparison.

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Linkers:

Meaning Sentence Connectors Subordinates Phrase linkers

Therefore Because Because of

As a result Since As a result of

Cause and
effect Consequently As Due to

As a consequence Thereby Leading to

Hence Owning to

Thus

Conclusively

In conclusion

Inevitably

Comparison Likewise As Like

Similarly Similar to

In the same way

Contrast in However Although Despite

expectation Nevertheless Even though Despite of

Yet Though In spite of

Still Despite the fact But

On the contrary But

Unfortunately

Originally

Surprisingly

Ideally

Apparently

Contrast in On the other hand While unlike

comparison In contrast Whereas

Conversely

Contrast in Instead Instead of

action

Emphasis In fact

Indeed

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Emphasis As a matter of fact

That is

Essentially

Initially

Interestingly

Fortunately

Inevitably

Main Reason Primarily

Most important

Confirmation Typically In accordance with

confirms
Usually

Traditionally

Normally

Naturally

Clearly

Clarification In other words Summing up i.e.

That is

To sum up

In summary

Generalization In general
Generally

Generally speaking

In a broader context

In a broader perspective

Specialization In particular

Particularly

Specifically,

Additional Moreover With In addition to

information Besides Besides

Additionally

In addition

Furthermore

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Continuation In this context With
of explanation In this connection

In this respect

Here

Condition In that case If

Otherwise Provided that

Now When

Given While

Until

As long as

Now that

Once that

Without Regardless Even though Regardless of

condition Despite Despite of

Example For example Exemplified by Like

For instance Illustrated by Such as

As shown by Shown by e.g.

As exemplified by Be it

As illustrated by

Qualification At least

Ordering First, second, … Before Before

Then After After

Next

Now

Continuing

Further

Finally,

Reintroduction Regarding

For

In connection with

Focusing on

With respect to

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Vocabulary:
1. Assassin: Murderer
2. Liquidated: to sell something to get money
3. Competent: having enough skills and knowledge
4. Hoodlums: violent criminals
5. Embezzlers: thief
6. Fleeing: leaving a place quickly because you are scared something dangerous might
happen
7. Thugs: violent criminals
8. Labyrinthine: a complicated series of path; maze
9. Descendants: children
10. Twitch: a short sharp pull
11. Gaudy: too brightly coloured tastelessly
12. Hardy: strong to survive in difficult conditions.
13. Gallop: to ride a horse fast
14. Hotchpotch: a rough mixture of everything
15. Riffraff: people of lower status
16. Rigid: stiff and difficult to move
17. Premier: most important
18. Cardinal: major
19. Suffice: to be enough of something
20. Miscreant: a person who does wrong
21. Burgle: to enter a building illegally
22. Retribution: severe punishment for severe offence
23. Lawlessness: a place where law does not exist
24. Untamed: uncontrolled
25. Sprawling: spreading in an untidy manner
26. Abandon: to leave
27. Province: rea of a local government
28. Shun: to avoid
29. Plague: any infectious disease
30. Revels: festivity
31. Notoriety: fame for being bad
32. Topography: physical features of an area
33. Galore: in large quantities
34. Veritable: impressive
35. Exotic: from foreign country
36. Dangling: to hang or swing freely.
37. Stalk: to exist in an unpleasant way
38. Shabby: in poor condition
39. Disrepute: something that lost its respect
40. Crooked: bent or twisted
41. Scoundrel: a man who treats others in a dishonest way

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42. Acquitted: not declared guilty by court
43. Magistrate: an official judge to decide guilty
44. Gunned: shot
45. Misogynist: a person who hates women
46. Myriad: countless or extremely large in number
47. Discredit: to harm the reputation or respect for someone
48. Virulent: extremely severe or harmful in its effects
49. Swoop: move rapidly downwards in air
50. Attorney: a person, typically a lawyer, appointed to act for another in business or legal
matters
51. Imbecile: a stupid person
52. Bequeath: pass (something) on or leave (something) to someone else
53. Estate: an extensive area or land in the country
54. Affluent: having a great deal of money
55. Deft: neatly skilful ad quick in one’s movement
56. Aptitude: to be good in something
57. Waft: to pass gently through the air
58. Vulnerable: unguarded
59. Jut: to extend out or project in space
60. Jabber: to talk in a noisy, excited or declamatory manner
61. Exhilarate: make (someone) feel very happy< animated or elated
62. Sabotage: deliberately destroy something
63. Impending: about to occur
64. Replenish: fill something that had been previously emptied
65. Adversary: rival
66. Ignite: to start or burst into flames
67. Aberrant: different form of accepted rules
68. Serendipity: good luck, expected fortunate discoveries
69. Demeanour: outward behaviour or bearing
70. Wade: walking in shallow water

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Idioms and Phrases:
1. All at sea: in a confused, disordered state
2. Against the clock: in a great hurry to complete something before deadline
3. Add insult to injury: to further a loss; to make a situation worse.
4. Achilles’ heel: a fatal weakness in an otherwise strong person or thing
5. About time: almost time
6. A wolf in sheep’s clothing: someone who uses the pretence of kindliness to disguise
their evil intent
7. A thorn in my flesh: a persistent and difficult to ignore annoyance
8. A hot potato: a current issue which many people are talking about and which is
controversial
9. A fish out of water: someone in an unfamiliar circumstance
10. A feather in one’s cap: a symbol of achievement
11. Big fish in a small pond: an important person but on so within a small area of influence
12. Bite the dust: die, especially in a violent or sudden way
13. Bite your tongue: avoid speaking
14. Blessing in disguise: an apparent misfortune that works to the eventual benefit of the
recipient
15. Blood is thicker than water: family loyalties are stronger than those to other people
16. Cat got your tongue: a question addressed to someone who is inexplicably silent
17. Chew someone out: verbally scold someone
18. Cop an attitude: adopt an aggressive stance
19. Cross your fingers: to hope something happens
20. Cry wolf: intentionally raise a false alarm
21. Don’t bite the hands that feed you: don’t hurt someone who helps you
22. Don’t cry over spilt milk: don’t fret pointlessly about some mistake or loss when it
can’t be remedied
23. Don’t give up the day job: said to someone who is a poor performer at a task-
suggesting that they wouldn’t be able to succeed at it professionally
24. Dropping like flies: many people either falling ill or dying
25. Down to the wire: not decided until the very last minute
26. Taste of your own medicine: mistreatment you receive in retaliation to that you gave
to others
27. The apple of my eye: someone who is cherished above all others
28. Throw the towel in: give up
29. Tongue in cheek: humorously, not to be taken seriously
30. The ball is in your court: its your turn to make the decision

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Language Devices:
While writing, it’s best to use language devices to enhance the quality of your writing. Using
language devices gives the reader an opportunity to understand the piece of writing more.

Language Examples
Devices:
D-Direct speech Now listen to me, ”All all alone” is not a policy in partnership
A-Alliteration business. Before you take a decision, you have to call a meeting and
exchange your views. That’s what I understand about partnership.
F-Facts
Just imagine your business is asking you to do something
O-Opinion immediately. Don’t rush and run for the solution half fed and
R-Rhetorical q. fatigued. You know 99% of the business fail because of impulsive
E-Emotive lang decision. From now on just forget the past and look forward, look
S-Statistics positive and look successful.
T-Triple
SI- Simile She was as beautiful as the fairies. Millions of lives were nothing
M-Metaphor compared to her. She and her sister were the perfect definition of
‘‘fair is foul and foul is fair’’. Her sister was an angel and she was a
P-Personification
devil. She could eat out a person for the smallest mistake. She
A-Alliteration burned down many houses out of rage. Everyone feared her like
scared mice when they get caught. All the residents fled to her
sister’s kingdom where hey lived a happy life whilst she mourned
for her loss.

S-Sight As the gleaming light shone directly at his face, he ran away from
S-Smell the scene. All the police officials got suspicious. They tried to locate
him but failed miserably. They even got their special dogs who could
S-Sound
sniff and navigate someone. I grabbed some ice-cream so that I
T-Taste could enjoy the movie even better. The sweetness of the ice-cream
T-Touch complimented the suspense of the movie. I increased the volume
(5 senses) so that I could hear the dialogues better.

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