Language Devices

Question 1

What is a metaphor?

Answer 1

A comparison where something is described as something else. Example: Her voice was music to his ears.

Question 2

What is a simile?

Answer 2

A comparison using like or as. Example: He was as brave as a lion.

Question 3

What is alliteration?

Answer 3

Repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of words. Example: Big brown bears bounce.

Question 4

What is personification?

Answer 4

Giving human characteristics to non-human things. Example: The wind whispered through the trees.

Question 5

What is hyperbole?

Answer 5

Exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

Question 6

What is onomatopoeia?

Answer 6

A word that imitates a sound. Example: Bang! Crash! Sizzle!

Question 7

What is an oxymoron?

Answer 7

A phrase that combines contradictory terms. Example: Deafening silence.

Question 8

What is irony?

Answer 8

When the opposite of what is expected happens. Example: A fire station burns down.

Question 9

What is juxtaposition?

Answer 9

Placing two contrasting elements side by side. Example: A beggar next to a wealthy man.

Question 10

What is symbolism?

Answer 10

Using objects or images to represent ideas. Example: A dove symbolizing peace.

Question 11

What is emotive language?

Answer 11

Language that provokes an emotional response. Example: Innocent children suffering.

Question 12

What is a rhetorical question?

Answer 12

A question asked for effect

Question 13

What is anaphora?

Answer 13

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or clauses. Example: We shall fight. We shall rise. We shall win.

Question 14

What is repetition?

Answer 14

Deliberate use of the same word or phrase more than once. Example: Alone

Question 15

What is imagery?

Answer 15

Descriptive language appealing to the senses. Example: The scent of roses in the warm air.

Question 16

What is a colloquialism?

Answer 16

Informal

Question 17

What is a euphemism?

Answer 17

A mild word used to replace a harsh or blunt one. Example: Passed away instead of died.

Question 18

What is an allusion?

Answer 18

A reference to another text

Question 19

What is a pun?

Answer 19

A humorous play on words. Example: Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

Question 20

What is tone?

Answer 20

The writer’s attitude conveyed in the text. Example: Sarcastic

Question 21

What is mood?

Answer 21

The atmosphere or feeling created for the reader. Example: Tense

Question 22

What is assonance?

Answer 22

Repetition of vowel sounds within words. Example: Hear the mellow wedding bells.

Question 23

What is consonance?

Answer 23

Repetition of consonant sounds

Question 24

What is the rule of three (triplet)?

Answer 24

Using three elements for effect or emphasis. Example: Blood

Question 25

What is enjambment?

Answer 25

When a sentence runs over into the next line of poetry. Example: I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.

Question 26

What is a caesura?

Answer 26

A pause within a line of poetry. Example: To err is human; to forgive

Question 27

What is contrast?

Answer 27

Using opposing ideas to highlight differences. Example: Light vs darkness.

Question 28

What is foreshadowing?

Answer 28

Hinting at future events in a narrative. Example: A storm gathering before tragedy.

Question 29

What is ambiguity?

Answer 29

A phrase or word with more than one meaning. Example: The chicken is ready to eat.

Question 30

What is direct address?

Answer 30

Speaking directly to the reader or audience. Example: You need to act now.