Language devices Flashcards
What is figurative language?
where a writer goes beyond the literal (actual) meaning of a word or phrase.
What is alliteration?
repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words. For example: The man moved mountains.
What is assonance?
repetition of vowel sounds in words that start with different consonants. for example: Light the fire up high
What is consonance?
repetition of consonant sounds in words which are close together in a sentence.
For example: I think I thanked the wrong uncle
‘nk’ and ‘nc’ have been used several times
What is euphemism?
an indirect word / phrase used to replace on that is too offensive.
For example: I’m going to have to let you go (instead of sack you)
What is hyperbole?
delibrate exaggeration for effect.
For example: I’ve told you a million times, no Xbox after 12am!
What is idiom?
an expression that holds a different meaning to its literal meaning.
For example: Grandad kicked the bucket.
This means ‘died’, and does not actually mean bucket kicking.
What is a metaphor?
describing something by stating that is something else.
For example: He flew down the road in his car. He did not literally fly, but the metaphor suggests the idea that he drove so fast that it was like an aircraft’s speed.
SOMETIMES you will see a metaphor throughout a piece of writing - this is called an extended metaphor
What is personification?
giving human characteristics to something that is not human
For example: The tree danced playfully in the fire.
A tree cannot dance - this is a human characteristic.
What is onomatopoeia?
where the word imitates the sound of the thing it is naming.
For example: I saved my work with a click of the mouse. when you say the word ‘click’, it makes the sound of a click.
other examples are splash, bang, etc.
What is oxymoron?
placing two words together which are opposite to eachother.
For example: pretty ugly, fat skinny
What is pun?
a joke about words that sound alike (the same) but have different meanings
For example: Santa’s little helpers are called subordinate clauses
What is pathetic fallacy?
the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.
Example : ‘The wind whispered through the trees. ‘
What is sibilance?
the repetition of the soft -s and -sh sounds in words. For example: The silken sad uncertain rustling sound.
the -s and -sh can be anywhere in the word
What is a simile?
describing something by stating that it is like something else, using the word ‘as’ or ‘like’.
For example: he was as cold as ice.
