What Is the Easiest Way to Learn Subject Terminology?

Today we are tackling a commonly asked question: How on earth do I actually learn all this subject terminology?

Step 1: Learn Fewer Terms, Better

You do not need to memorise every single obscure word under the sun. Examiners are not handing out prizes for “most unusual technique spotted.”

Focus on the high-frequency terms that actually appear in real texts and past papers. For example:

• Language - metaphor, simile, personification, verb, adjective, adverb, lexical/semantic field

• Structure - shift in focus, narrative viewpoint, repetition, contrast, openings and endings

• Form - rhyme, enjambment, stanza, stage directions, soliloquy

Step 2: Make Flashcards — But With Examples

Writing “Metaphor = comparison without like or as” is not enough. You need a real sentence.

For example:

• Front: Metaphor

• Back: “The city was a monster devouring its people”  - shows danger and destruction.

Now, when you revise, you are learning both the definition and how to recognise it.

Step 3: Sort Into Categories

Split your terms into three buckets: language, structure, form.

That way, when you see “analyse the writer’s use of structure,” your brain instantly knows which bucket to reach into.

Step 4: Practise Little and Often

Do five minutes a day instead of an hour once a month. Your memory works better when you revisit small chunks regularly.

Even better? Test yourself by trying to find techniques in anything you read. I don't just mean books: cereal boxes; adverts on the side of the bus; dialogue in your video game. Wherever there is published writing, there is language, structure and form.

Top Tip

Do not just spot techniques; always tie them to meaning. Learn them in context, not in isolation. Otherwise, you will end up feature-spotting, and we know examiners hate that.

In Summary

The easiest way to learn subject terminology is not about cramming giant lists. It is about:

• Learning the most useful terms,

• Linking each one to an example,

• Sorting them into language, structure, and form,

• Practising spotting them in anything you read.

Do that, and you will not only remember them you will actually know how to use them.