English Language Techniques Flashcards
Personification
Giving an inanimate object or animal human like qualities/emotions.
“The tree danced happily in the breeze.”
Alliteration
A phrase where the words start with the same letter to create an effect.
“Great goal”
Onomatopoeia
A phrase or word that describes sound.
“The thunder cracked and screamed through the night”
Simile
When you describe or compare something to another thing.
“The mountain was like a guardian angel”
Metaphor
When you describe or compare an object, animal or human to something. (Not using like, as, was)
“The swan is an angelic create”
Sibilance
Where you repeat several different words that all begin with letters that make a hissing sound (S,Z etc)
“Sam zipped in his ship while sipping seat salt”
Rhetorical question
A question that you say out loud but you don’t expect an answer
“Why did you crash your car!?”
Colloquial language
Informal language that you’d say to your friends.
“Hey mate, wassup?”
Hyperbole
When you exaggerate something, very descriptive
“I could EASILY read over a thousand books in one night!”
Imagery
When you describe something to the reader so that they can get image of what your describing in their head.
“The plush golden beaches with the soft velvet sand.”
Noun
Refers to all of the nouns, can be any noun.
“The man loved to walk down the road”
Verb
A doing word that describes what someone is doing
“Running down the road”
Adjective
Describes a noun.
“The beautiful car”
Adverb
Describes what a verb is doing
“Running fast…”
Repitition
Repeating a phrase for added effect
“Go! Go! Go!”
