Language Features

Question 1

Adjectives and Adverbs

Answer 1

Adjectives are words that describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs.

Question 2

Connotation

Answer 2

Meaning that is suggested, rather than literal.

Question 3

Sensory details

Answer 3

Words and phrases that appeal to the reader’s senses, typically of sight and hearing, but also of touch, taste and smell.

Question 4

Anthropomorphism

Answer 4

Giving human qualities to an animal or object.

Question 5

Metaphor

Answer 5

A comparative device that describes one thing as being another.

Question 6

Metonymy

Answer 6

Using a word to represent a larger concept to which it is related, e.g. using ‘the bottle’ to refer to alcohol.

Question 7

Pathetic fallacy

Answer 7

Crediting nature with human traits, e.g. a description of the weather to symbolise a character’s emotional state

Question 8

Personification

Answer 8

Attributing human qualities to an object or phenomenon.

Question 9

Simile

Answer 9

A comparative device that describes one thing as being like another

Question 10

Symbol

Answer 10

An object or phrase that embodies a range of meanings that extend beyond its literal definition.

Question 11

Synecdoche

Answer 11

Using a part to represent a whole concept, or something specific to represent the general, e.g. using ‘hands’ to refer to workers.

Question 12

Zoomorphism

Answer 12

Giving a human animal-like qualities.

Question 13

Alliteration

Answer 13

Using words with the same initial sound in quick succession.

Question 14

Assonance

Answer 14

Using words with the same vowel sounds in quick succession.

Question 15

Cacophony

Answer 15

Combining words to create or imply a harsh or unpleasant sound

Question 16

Consonance

Answer 16

Using words with the same consonant sounds, typically at the end, in quick succession.

Question 17

Euphony

Answer 17

Combining words to create or imply a pleasing sound.

Question 18

Onomatopoeia

Answer 18

Words that sound similar to the sound they are meant to depict.

Question 19

Caesura

Answer 19

A break in the rhythm of a line, created by splitting a sentence or interrupting its regular rhythm, resulting in a dramatic pause.

Question 20

Rhythm

Answer 20

Patterns created through the arrangement of words according to syllables or the natural emphases created by their pronunciation.

Question 21

Irony

Answer 21

Using words with intended meanings that are different from, or even the opposite of, their literal meanings; is often conveyed by the tone of delivery.

Question 22

Allegory

Answer 22

Exploring a complex or abstract concept through the creation of a more concrete example

Question 23

Allusion

Answer 23

A casual reference to another literary work or real-world event.

Question 24

Anaphora

Answer 24

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Question 25

Colloquialism

Answer 25

Using vernacular or even slang language, often to appeal to the ‘everyday’ person

Question 26

Cumulation

Answer 26

Sometimes called the ‘rule of three’, cumulation refers to the accumulation (heaping up) of descriptive words or phrases.

Question 27

Hyperbole

Answer 27

A deliberate exaggeration not meant to be taken literally

Question 28

Litotes

Answer 28

An ironic understatement in which an idea is expressed as not being its opposite (e.g. ‘not at all bad’).

Question 29

Repetition

Answer 29

The use of a key phrase, idea or image at multiple points.