Literary Techniques Flashcards
Which sentence structure technique inserts extra information into a complete sentence using pairs of dashes, brackets or commas?
Parenthesis
What piece of punctuation is most commonly used to introduce lists, examples, quotes or explanations?
A colon
Which piece of punctuation can create balances by joining two closely related sentences? (Hint, it also separates items in a complex list)
A semi-colon
Name the technique: a word that mirrors the sound it makes.
Onomatopoeia
Which piece of punctuation conveys strength of feeling and is used for emphasis?
An exclamation mark
What’s the name for a question that does not require an answer?
A rhetorical question
What is this piece of punctuation called … ? It is used to show an unfinished thought or create a pause.
Ellipsis
Name this sentence type: Get out of here.
A command
What type of sentence is this? What time do you call this?
Rhetorical question
Name this sentence type: Boom!
An exclamation
What type of sentence is this? It is four o’clock.
A statement
What do you call an incomplete sentence with no verb?
A minor sentence
Name the three types of imagery.
Simile, Metaphor and Personification.
What is the name of the technique whereby writer’s tell a story to exemplify their points?
Anecdote
What is another name for exaggeration?
Hyperbole
A contrast is when the writer presents ______ ideas.
Opposing
What register would you use when speaking to the Queen?
A formal register
Tone describes the writer’s ___________.
Attitude
If the question asks you to identify or explain how must you answer this question?
Using your own words
What do the words “but”, “however” and “yet” all signal?
A change
What type of imagery compares two things by saying one thing is something else but it cannot literally be true? Example: The man roared at the boy.
Metaphor
Name the type of comparison that uses the words “like” or “as.” Example: The girl’s hair was like the sun.
Simile
Name the technique that gives human qualities to non living things.
Personification
Name this technique: The bee buzzed in the bushes. (repetition of consonant sound in two more words)
Alliteration
What technique combines two words that appear to contradict for effect? (example: bitter sweet)
Oxymoron
When writers present to different or opposing ideas side by side, what is this called?
Contrast/Juxtaposition
