Checkpoint 8 · Reading: understanding texts

Poetry and Drama: Elements, Types and How They're Asked

How poems are built (stanza, rhyme scheme, rhythm, enjambment, caesura, speaker), sound devices, every type of poem, and how a play script works, with original examples and exam-style practice.

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 8 English (Cambridge Lower Secondary 0861)

Why poetry and drama matter in Checkpoint 8

Most Checkpoint reading texts are prose: articles, reviews, travel writing, biographies and extracts from novels or short stories. But a reading text can also be a poem, a song, or a scene from a play, and a prose text can be compared with one. Questions on poetry and drama elements have appeared in past Checkpoint and Progression papers, and the same skills (spotting a feature, naming it and explaining its effect) are used across every reading question about language and structure.

This page gives you everything you need: how a poem is built, the sound devices poets use, the main types of poem, how a play script is laid out, the special words for drama, and how all of this is asked in the exam. Every poem and script on this page is either original or a short line from a famous poem written long ago.

You must be able to…	Example of what you might be asked (in our words)
name a feature	What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza?
find a feature	Find an example of alliteration in line 3.
explain an effect	Why does the poet repeat the word 'never'?
recognise a text type	Which features show that this text is a play script? Tick two.
interpret meaning	What does the speaker feel about leaving home? Give evidence.
explain structure	Why is the last stanza only one line long?

1. How a poem is built

Term	Meaning	How to spot it
Line (verse)	A single row of words in a poem. The poet chooses exactly where it ends.	Count lines from the top. Questions often say 'in line 4'.
Stanza	A group of lines, like a paragraph in prose.	A blank space separates stanzas.
Couplet / tercet / quatrain	A stanza of two / three / four lines.	Count the lines in one stanza.
Rhyme	Words that end with the same sound (night / light).	Look at the last word of each line.
Rhyme scheme	The pattern of rhymes at line endings, shown with letters (AABB, ABAB, ABCB).	Give the first ending A. Every line that rhymes with it is also A. The next new sound is B, and so on.
Internal rhyme	A rhyme inside a line, not only at the end.	'The rain on the lane'
Half-rhyme	Words that nearly rhyme, e.g. home / come (stone / alone is a full rhyme).	The sounds are close but not identical.
Rhythm	The beat of the poem when read aloud, made by stressed and unstressed syllables.	Tap the beat. Is it regular, like a march, or uneven, like speech?
Metre	A regular rhythm pattern. The best-known is iambic pentameter: ten syllables, five beats (da-DUM × 5).	'Shall I com-PARE thee TO a SUM-mer's DAY?'
Free verse	Poetry with no regular rhyme scheme or metre; it sounds like natural speech.	No pattern of rhymes, lines of different lengths.
Enjambment	A sentence runs on from one line to the next with no punctuation at the line end.	The line ends in the middle of a phrase.
Caesura	A pause in the middle of a line, usually made by a full stop, comma, dash or semicolon.	Punctuation in the middle of the line.
End-stopped line	A line that ends with punctuation and a natural pause.	A full stop or comma at the end of the line.
Refrain	A line or lines repeated through a poem, like a chorus.	The same words come back at the end of each stanza.
Speaker (persona)	The voice in the poem. It is NOT always the poet; it may be an invented character.	Ask: who is 'I' in this poem?
Tone	The speaker's attitude (bitter, hopeful, playful, nostalgic).	Look at word choice and punctuation.
Mood	The feeling the reader gets (peaceful, tense, gloomy).	How does the poem make you feel?
Theme	The big idea or message (loss, growing up, nature, change).	What is the poem really about, beyond the story?

Working out a rhyme scheme. Read this original poem. The last word of each line is marked with its letter.

The Last Day of Summer (original)

The pool is empty now. The chairs are stacked (A)
against the wall like sleepers, folded tight; (B)
the lifeguard's whistle hangs upon its hook (C)
and swings a little in the fading light. (B)
Tomorrow brings the uniform, the bell, (D)
the bus that coughs and rattles down the hill. (E)
But for an hour more the garden's mine — (F)
the swallows dart; the evening air is still. (E)

Rhyme scheme: ABCB, DEFE: only the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme (tight / light, hill / still). This loose, gentle rhyme suits the quiet, reflective mood. Notice also:

Caesura in line 1: the full stop after 'now' makes the reader pause, as if looking slowly around the empty pool.
Enjambment from line 1 to line 2 ('stacked / against the wall') and line 3 to 4 makes the description flow like a slow look across the scene.
Simile: the chairs are 'like sleepers', suggesting the summer itself has gone to sleep.
Personification: the bus 'coughs', making it seem old, tired and unwelcome, which hints at the speaker's feelings about going back to school.
Listing in line 5 ('the uniform, the bell') shows that school routine is coming back, item by item.
Single dash in line 7 adds emphasis: it puts weight on the final image and stresses how much the speaker wants to enjoy the last hour.
Semicolon in line 8 joins two closely related independent clauses ('the swallows dart' and 'the evening air is still'), linking the two calm details into one peaceful picture.
Tone: nostalgic and slightly sad, but calm. Theme: the end of freedom and the passing of time.

Enjambment and caesura in famous lines. In William Wordsworth's 'I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills', the sentence runs over the line break (enjambment), so the reader drifts on like the cloud. In Shakespeare's 'To be, or not to be: that is the question', the punctuation in the middle of the line (caesura) forces a pause, so the reader feels the character stopping to think.

How to explain an effect (poetry)

Name the feature → quote it → say what it suggests → say how it makes the reader think or feel → link to the poem's mood or theme. Example: 'The poet uses enjambment between lines 1 and 2 ("stacked / against the wall"). The line runs on without a pause, which slows the reader's eye across the empty scene and creates a calm, reflective mood.'

2. Sound devices

Poems are written to be heard. Poets choose words for their sound as well as their meaning. In the exam, you may be asked to find a sound device or explain its effect. Always link the sound to the meaning: hard sounds can feel harsh or violent. Soft sounds can feel gentle or calm.

Device	Meaning	Original example	Typical effect
Alliteration	Same consonant sound at the start of nearby words	the wild wind wailed	draws attention, creates rhythm. Hard sounds (b, d, k, t) can feel harsh
Sibilance	Repeated s / sh / soft c sounds	the silent sea sighed softly	calm, whispering, secretive or sinister
Assonance	Repeated vowel sounds inside words	the cold, slow road home	slows the line, can sound sad or dreamy
Consonance	Repeated consonant sounds inside or at the end of words	the black truck struck the rock	makes lines feel tight and connected
Onomatopoeia	A word that sounds like its meaning	the kettle hissed · the door creaked · boom	the reader hears the scene
Rhyme	Matching end sounds	the stars were bright / that winter night	makes a poem musical and memorable, can sound playful
Repetition	Repeating a word, phrase or line	run, run, run before the rain	emphasis, urgency, or a strong feeling
Refrain	A repeated line at the end of stanzas	'and still the river runs'	links stanzas, like a chorus in a song
Plosives	Hard sounds: b, p, d, t, k, g	the drums beat, the guns banged	anger, violence, energy

Famous examples (old poems): Alfred Tennyson describes an eagle that 'clasps the crag with crooked hands' (alliteration of the hard c sound, which makes the claws feel sharp and strong). Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes 'Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink' (repetition, which stresses the sailors' desperate thirst). Edgar Allan Poe's 'And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain' uses sibilance to create a soft, eerie whisper.

'Why does the poet use ___ in line X?' — all the possible answers. When a question asks why a poet (or playwright) uses a device, choose the effects that fit the poem and write them out with a quotation. This table gives every effect you can write for each device.

Device	All the possible effects you can write
Alliteration	draws the reader's attention to the words. Makes the line memorable. Creates rhythm or a musical sound. Hard sounds (b, d, k, p, t) suggest harshness, anger, violence or energy. Soft sounds (l, m, w) suggest gentleness or calm. Links the alliterated words together so their meanings join
Sibilance	creates a soft, hushed, whispering sound. Suggests calm, peace or gentle movement (sea, wind). Can suggest something secretive, sly or sinister (a hissing snake). Slows the pace
Assonance	slows the line down. Creates a sad, dreamy or thoughtful mood. Makes the line musical. Links the words that share the sound
Onomatopoeia	lets the reader hear the scene. Makes the description vivid and realistic. Brings the action to life. Can create a mood (a creak = tension, a splash = fun)
Repetition / refrain	emphasises a key idea or feeling. Shows how strong or desperate a feeling is. Creates rhythm like a chorus in a song. Links stanzas together. Makes the poem memorable. Can build urgency or tension
Rhyme	makes the poem musical and memorable. Links the rhyming words' meanings. Regular rhyme can feel playful, childlike or ordered. Rhyming couplets can give a strong, final ending
Enjambment	makes the poem flow quickly, like natural speech. Shows thoughts running on or overflowing. Builds speed or excitement. Creates suspense because the reader must move to the next line to finish the idea. Puts emphasis on the first word of the next line
Caesura	creates a pause. Shows hesitation or a character stopping to think. Adds emphasis to the words just before or after it. Breaks the rhythm to show shock, sudden change or a strong emotion
A very short line or one-line stanza	stands out on the page · creates a pause or dramatic effect · emphasises a key idea · can shock or surprise · gives a strong ending
Simile / metaphor	helps the reader picture something by comparing it with something familiar. Creates vivid imagery. Shows the speaker's feelings about the subject. Adds a positive or negative connotation
Personification	brings an object or nature to life. Makes the description vivid. Creates a mood (friendly, threatening). Shows the speaker's feelings about the thing described

Punctuation in poems: what each mark can do

Full stop mid-line: creates a pause (caesura), adds finality or emphasis.
Colon: introduces a list, an explanation, emphasis, or extra information.
Semicolon: joins two independent clauses / two closely related ideas into one line.
Single dash: adds emphasis, or shows an interruption in mid-speech.
Pair of dashes or brackets: adds extra information.
Ellipsis (…): shows incomplete information, suspense or a pause, or an interruption.
Pair of commas: adds extra information; a comma can show contrast by context.

Remember: poems also use all the figures of speech you meet in prose: simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, hyperbole, oxymoron and symbolism. See the Language effects page for those.

3. Types of poem

Type	Key features	What to look for
Lyric	Short poem that expresses personal feelings. It is the most common type	an 'I' speaker, emotions, a single moment
Narrative	Tells a story with characters, setting and plot	events in order, past tense, often dialogue
Ballad	A narrative poem made to be sung. Short four-line stanzas, regular rhythm, often ABCB rhyme and a refrain	simple language, repetition, a dramatic or sad story
Sonnet	14 lines, usually iambic pentameter. Traditionally about love. English (Shakespearean) sonnet: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, ending in a rhyming couplet	count 14 lines. The final couplet often gives a twist or conclusion
Haiku	A Japanese form: 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, usually about nature or a season	a single clear image, no rhyme
Limerick	5 humorous lines, rhyme scheme AABBA. Lines 3 and 4 are shorter	a silly story with a funny last line
Free verse	No regular rhyme or metre, sounds like speech	lines of different lengths, effective line breaks
Ode	A poem that praises or celebrates a person, object or idea. Often addresses it directly ('O…')	admiring, serious tone · 'you' addressed to the object
Elegy	A poem of mourning for someone who has died. Usually reflective	sad, respectful tone. Memories. Sometimes comfort at the end
Acrostic	The first letters of each line spell a word downwards	read the first letters from top to bottom
Concrete (shape) poem	The words are arranged in the shape of the subject (a tree, a wave, a staircase)	the layout itself is part of the meaning

Short original examples of each form

Haiku (5-7-5)

Hot wind from the south (5)
lifts the dust along the Nile — (7)
one white sail, then none. (5)

The haiku captures one moment. The single dash adds emphasis to the final line, so the reader focuses on the sail disappearing, leaving an empty, lonely image.

Limerick (AABBA)

A girl who was learning to skate (A)
set off at a terrible rate. (A)
She spun round the rink (B)
much faster than you'd think, (B)
and ended up outside the gate. (A)

Bouncy rhythm, a silly story and a funny final line: all typical of a limerick.

Ballad stanza (ABCB)

The fisherman went out at dawn (A)
beneath a sky of grey; (B)
he waved goodbye to his small son (C)
and sailed across the bay. (B)

Simple words, a regular beat, a story told in order, and a hint of danger ('a sky of grey'): the start of a sad ballad.

Acrostic: NILE

Nightfall turns the water gold,
Islands of reed grow green and old,
Lanterns float on boats that pass,
Evening settles, smooth as glass.

Read the first letters downwards: N-I-L-E. This one also rhymes AABB.

Free verse

My grandfather's hands
are maps —
every line a road he walked,
every scar
a city he built
and left behind.

No rhyme or regular beat. The very short line 'are maps —' (the single dash adds emphasis) and the extended metaphor make the reader stop and look closely, showing love and respect.

Ode (opening)

O faithful kettle, first awake each day,
you sing before the sun has cleared the sky;
you warm the house when winter winds are grey
and never ask for thanks, nor wonder why.

The speaker addresses the kettle directly ('O faithful kettle… you') and praises it. Personification ('first awake', 'you sing') makes an ordinary object feel like a loyal friend.

Elegy (opening)

Her chair still waits beside the window light,
her glasses folded on the open page;
the clock she wound so carefully each night
now slows, as if it, too, has come of age.

Objects left behind (the chair, the glasses, the clock) show the speaker's grief without saying 'I am sad'. The tone is gentle and respectful.

Sonnet example (William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18, first quatrain): 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? (A) / Thou art more lovely and more temperate: (B) / Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, (A) / And summer's lease hath all too short a date: (B)'. The whole sonnet has 14 lines and ends with the couplet 'So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.' The couplet gives the conclusion: the poem itself will keep the person's beauty alive forever.

Concrete poem: imagine the words 'drip… drip… drop… splash' printed one under another, sliding down the page like rain down a window. The shape of the words copies the movement of the water. If you see a strangely shaped poem, ask: what does the shape show?

كيف تفرّق بين أنواع القصائد بسرعة

عُدّ الأسطر: 14 سطرًا = sonnet، 5 أسطر مضحكة AABBA = limerick، 3 أسطر 5-7-5 = haiku.
اقرأ أول حرف من كل سطر: لو كوّن كلمة فهي acrostic.
تحكي قصة؟ narrative (ولو مقاطع رباعية بإيقاع منتظم وتكرار = ballad).
تمدح شيئًا وتخاطبه O… = ode. تبكي شخصًا مات = elegy. بلا قافية ولا وزن = free verse.
تذكّر: المتكلم في القصيدة (speaker) ليس دائمًا الشاعر نفسه.

4. Drama: how a play script works

A play script is written to be performed by actors, not just read. There is no narrator to describe characters, so everything the audience learns comes from what characters say (dialogue) and what they do (stage directions). Learn the layout as carefully as the features of a letter or a newspaper report.

Original extract: 'The Missing Medal'

Scene 2 · The school changing room, after the match. Late afternoon.

(Lockers line the back wall. A sports bag lies open on the bench. KARIM, 13, is searching through it, throwing out socks and a water bottle.)
KARIM: It was here. It was right here, in the side pocket.
(YOUSSEF enters, still in his football kit, holding a ball.)
YOUSSEF: Coach is waiting for the team photo. What are you doing?
KARIM: (without looking up) Nothing. Looking for my phone.
YOUSSEF: Your phone's in your hand.
(KARIM freezes. He slowly puts the phone in his pocket.)
KARIM: (to the audience) If he finds out I've lost Grandad's medal, the whole team will know by tonight.
YOUSSEF: Karim? Come on. Everyone's waiting.
KARIM: Go. I'll be there in a minute.
(YOUSSEF hesitates, then shrugs and exits. KARIM sinks onto the bench and puts his head in his hands. Lights fade.)

What makes this a play script? Look at each feature:

Feature	In the extract	Purpose
Scene heading	'Scene 2 · The school changing room, after the match.'	tells the director and reader where and when the scene happens
Character names in capitals on the left	KARIM:, YOUSSEF:	shows clearly who speaks each line
Dialogue with no speech marks	'It was here. It was right here…'	the words actors say. No inverted commas or 'he said' are needed
Stage directions in brackets (often italics), present tense	(KARIM freezes. He slowly puts the phone in his pocket.)	tell actors how to move, act or speak, and describe the set. They are not spoken aloud
Directions inside a line	(without looking up)	shows how a line is said, revealing feelings (here, guilt and avoidance)
Entrances and exits	'YOUSSEF enters', 'exits'	control who is on stage
Props	sports bag, socks, water bottle, phone, ball	objects actors use. They can carry meaning (the phone shows Karim is lying)
Lighting / sound cues	'Lights fade.'	create mood and end the scene
Aside	'KARIM: (to the audience) If he finds out…'	the audience hears Karim's secret worry, but Youssef does not: dramatic irony

5. Drama terms you must know

Term	Meaning
Playwright	the writer of a play
Cast list (dramatis personae)	the list of characters at the start of the script, sometimes with a short description
Act	a major section of a play, like a chapter
Scene	a smaller section inside an act, usually one place and one time. A new scene often means a change of place or time
Prologue	an introduction before the main action, sometimes spoken to the audience to give background
Exposition	the opening part that introduces characters, setting and situation
Climax	the most tense, dramatic moment, the turning point
Resolution	the end, where the main problem is settled
Dialogue	the conversation between characters, which makes up most of a script
Stage directions	instructions in brackets/italics about movement, tone, set, lighting and sound. Never spoken
Monologue	a long speech by one character to other characters on stage
Soliloquy	a speech in which a character, usually alone, speaks private thoughts aloud
Aside	a short comment to the audience that other characters on stage do not hear
Dramatic irony	the audience knows something a character does not (we know Karim has lost the medal; Youssef does not)
Props	objects used on stage
Set	the scenery and furniture that show the place
Cue	a signal (a line or action) for an actor to speak or for lights/sound to change

Device	Who is the character speaking to?	Are other characters on stage?
Monologue	other characters	yes, and they hear it
Soliloquy	themselves (the audience overhears)	usually no one else
Aside	the audience directly	yes, but they do not hear it

Script vs prose: converting between them

Prose uses inverted commas, reporting verbs ('he muttered'), a narrator and past tense. A script uses names + colons, no inverted commas, and present-tense stage directions. If you are asked how a scene would change as a story, say: a narrator would describe the setting and feelings directly, speech would go inside inverted commas with reporting verbs, and stage directions would become description (e.g. '(KARIM freezes)' → 'Karim froze, his heart pounding.').

6. How poetry and drama are asked in the reading paper

The question stems below are written in our own words, but they show the kinds of task you can meet. Notice that each one is still testing the same core skills as every other reading question: find, name, explain the effect.

Question type (in our words)	How to answer	Marks it usually carries
What is the rhyme scheme of stanza 1?	Letter each line ending (A, B, C…). Write the pattern, e.g. ABCB.	1
Find an example of alliteration / onomatopoeia / repetition in stanza 2.	Copy the exact words from the right stanza. Nothing else.	1
Why does the poet repeat the line '…'?	Effect: emphasis / builds a feeling / acts like a chorus + what feeling it creates.	1-2
Why does the poet use a very short final line / stanza?	It stands out, creates a pause, shock or a strong ending. Link to the meaning.	1-2
Which TWO features show this text is a play script? Tick two.	Stage directions in brackets · character names before lines · no speech marks · scene headings. Avoid features of prose (narrator, inverted commas).	1
What does this stage direction tell you about the character's feelings?	Name the feeling (e.g. guilty, nervous) + refer to the action/tone in the direction.	1-2
Explain the effect of the enjambment / caesura in lines…	Enjambment: flow, speed, or running-on thoughts. Caesura: pause, hesitation, emphasis. Link to mood.	1-2
What impression of the speaker / character do you get? Give evidence.	Point + quotation + explanation. One idea per mark.	2-3
Who is the speaker / Is the speaker the poet?	Look for clues ('I', age, situation). Remember the speaker may be an invented character.	1

أخطاء شائعة في أسئلة الشعر والمسرح

تسمية الأداة فقط بدون شرح أثرها: يجب أن تقول ماذا يشعر أو يتخيل القارئ.
نقل كلمات من مقطع (stanza) غير المطلوب في السؤال.
الخلط بين monologue و soliloquy و aside: اسأل نفسك لمن يتكلم الشخص، ومن معه على المسرح؟
نسيان أن توجيهات المسرح (stage directions) لا تُقال بصوت عالٍ وتُكتب بالمضارع.

7. Practice questions

Use the poems and the play extract on this page, and the new short texts below.

Text A (original poem): 'Market Morning' — 'Clang go the shutters, clatter go the carts; / the oranges glow in their pyramid hearts. / A seller sings out what his apples are worth / and the smell of warm bread rolls over the earth. / Clang go the shutters. The city has woken. / Not one single word of the night has been spoken.'

Text A: What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
Show answer
AABBCC (carts/hearts, worth/earth, woken/spoken). It is written in rhyming couplets.
Text A: Find TWO examples of onomatopoeia.
Show answer
'Clang' and 'clatter'.
Text A: Find an example of alliteration and explain its effect.
Show answer
'Clang… clatter… carts' (hard c sounds). Possible effects (any that fit): the harsh, repeated sounds copy the loud, busy noises of the market opening so the reader can almost hear it. They draw attention to the start of the poem. They create a lively, energetic rhythm. They link the noises together into one busy scene.
Text A: Why does the poet repeat 'Clang go the shutters'?
Show answer
All possible effects: it acts like a refrain or chorus. It emphasises the key idea that the market is opening and the day is starting. It frames the poem (beginning and end match), giving a sense of completeness. It creates a lively, musical rhythm. It makes the poem memorable.
Text A: Identify the figure of speech in 'the smell of warm bread rolls over the earth' and explain it.
Show answer
Personification / metaphor: the smell is described as moving like a wave rolling over the land. This suggests the smell is strong and spreads everywhere, creating a warm, welcoming mood.
Text A: Find an example of caesura and say what it does.
Show answer
'Clang go the shutters. The city has woken.' Possible effects of the caesura (full stop mid-line): it creates a pause. It emphasises the short statement 'The city has woken'. It marks a sudden change from night to day. It breaks the bouncy rhythm to give a moment of finality.
'The Last Day of Summer': What does the personification of the bus ('coughs and rattles') suggest about the speaker's feelings?
Show answer
The bus seems old and unpleasant, which suggests the speaker does not want summer to end and is not looking forward to going back to school.
Which type of poem is each? (a) 3 lines, 5-7-5 syllables, about a river. (b) 14 lines with a final rhyming couplet. (c) 5 funny lines, AABBA. (d) A poem praising the moon, beginning 'O silver moon…'. (e) A poem mourning a lost friend.
Show answer
(a) haiku (b) sonnet (c) limerick (d) ode (e) elegy.
'My grandfather's hands / are maps —' What is the effect of the line break after 'hands'?
Show answer
Possible effects: the enjambment creates suspense, because the reader must move to the next line to discover what the hands are. It puts emphasis on the first words of the next line, 'are maps'. The very short line stands out and makes the reader pause on the surprising metaphor. The reader thinks about how much life and history the hands show.
True or false: the speaker in a poem is always the poet. Explain.
Show answer
False. The speaker (persona) can be an invented character, an animal or even an object; you must not assume it is the poet.
'The Missing Medal': Tick TWO features that show this is a play script. A) It is written in the past tense. B) Character names appear before each line. C) Speech is inside inverted commas. D) Stage directions are given in brackets. E) A narrator describes the characters' thoughts.
Show answer
B and D.
'The Missing Medal': What does the stage direction '(without looking up)' suggest about Karim?
Show answer
He is avoiding eye contact because he feels guilty, embarrassed or is hiding something (he is lying about looking for his phone).
'The Missing Medal': Name the device used when Karim speaks 'to the audience' and explain its effect.
Show answer
An aside. Possible effects: the audience learns his private thoughts and secret (the lost medal) while Youssef does not, creating dramatic irony. It makes the audience sympathise with Karim. It builds tension, because we wait to see if Youssef will find out. It creates a closer relationship between the character and the audience.
'The Missing Medal': What is the effect of the line 'Your phone's in your hand.'?
Show answer
It is short and blunt; it catches Karim in his lie and creates a moment of tension and slight humour. The stage direction that follows ('KARIM freezes') shows he has been found out.
Explain the difference between a monologue and a soliloquy.
Show answer
A monologue is a long speech to other characters who are on stage and can hear it. A soliloquy is a character speaking private thoughts aloud, usually alone on stage.
Rewrite this script line as prose: 'YOUSSEF: (impatiently) Come on. Everyone's waiting.'
Show answer
Example: "Come on," Youssef said impatiently. "Everyone's waiting." (Inverted commas, a reporting verb and the adverb turn the stage direction into narration.)
Why do play scripts write stage directions in the present tense?
Show answer
Because they describe what happens on stage at the moment of performance, as instructions to actors and directors.
Coleridge wrote 'Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink.' Name the device and explain its effect.
Show answer
Repetition of 'water'. Possible effects: it emphasises that the sailors are surrounded by sea on every side. It shows how desperate their thirst is, as if they cannot stop thinking about water. It creates a slow, heavy rhythm that suits their suffering. It highlights the cruel irony that they cannot drink any of it.

All pages in this course

Start here: the exam

Reading: grammar & punctuation

Reading: understanding texts

Paper 1 writing: non-fiction

Paper 2 writing: fiction