Language devices Flashcards
Pathetic Fallacy
When the weather or the atmosphere describes the mood.
It can give clues to the reader or foreshadow.
Personification
When a non-human is given human qualities.
Personification can make descriptions of non-human entities more vivid, or can help readers understand, sympathize with, or react emotionally to non-human characters.
Simile
Compare two things using like or as.
Metaphor
Compare two things using is or are
Extended metaphor
When a metaphor is explained
Oxymoron
When you have two opposite words side by side.
oxymoron functions as a means of getting the reader’s attention through the pairing of opposing or contradictory words. Reading these words together will often cause a reader to pause and think about what the writer is trying to convey.
Juxtaposition
Explaining an oxymoron.
When a writer juxtaposes two elements, they invite the reader to compare, contrast, and consider the relationship between those elements more closely.
Symbolism
When objects present meaning.
Symbolism allows writers to express complex ideas while giving the reader a visual, sensory experience.
Semantic field
When words across the extract link to one idea.
provides subtle indications to a reader as to what may be about to happen.
Irony
When events even surprise the characters
Rhetorical question
questions that don’t require answers
It allows the reader a moment to pause and think about the question.
Hyperbole
When we overexaggerate.
It helps to emphasise your point by over-stressing the qualities involved.
Assonance
Repetition of the vowel sound.
used to place stress on the words to focus the reader’s attention toward certain images and form an atmosphere to complement the words being read or heard.
Alliteration
When words in a row begin with the same letter.
used to place stress on the words to focus the reader’s attention toward certain images and form an atmosphere to complement the words being read or heard.
Sibilance
When words in a row begin with the letter S or have the S sound.
adds rhythm and musicality to a piece of text by suggesting which syllables a reader should emphasize.
