stylistic devises

Question 1

allusion

Answer 1

A reference, sometimes indirect, to a person, place, theory etc. which the reader is assumed to have some knowledge of.

Question 2

irony

Answer 2

A device where words conveying a meaning different from the apparent meaning are used, sometimes to emphasise a point or a situation.

Question 3

rhetorical question

Answer 3

This is a literary device used to indicate a question to which no answer is expected.

Question 4

cliche

Answer 4

A stereotyped expression which is overused, e.g. “the dawn of a new era”.

Question 5

choice of words

Answer 5

The selection of individual words to create specific effects.

Question 6

personification

Answer 6

A device whereby an inanimate object is given a human quality. e.g. The coals settled comfortably in the fireplace.

Question 7

parallelism

Answer 7

A balance of two or more similar words, phrases, or clauses. Parallelisms may also be known as parallel structure or parallel construction

Question 8

metaphor

Answer 8

A comparison but this time one thing becomes another in every sense, except the literal. There is no “like” or “as” acting as links. e.g. The man was a mountain.

Question 9

enumeration

Answer 9

list of words connected by a comma. e.g. They had to think of the laws, the consequences, the public, their economy

Question 10

hyperbole/ exaggeration

Answer 10

The use of intentional hyperbole to create an effect. e.g. … heard thousands of fans beating on the doors, ready to die if they did not set eyes on their idol.

Question 11

onomatopoeia

Answer 11

A device whereby the sound of the word accords with the meaning. e.g. Splash!

Question 12

alliteration

Answer 12

e.g. The silken ship sailed silently through the sea.

Question 13

repetition

Answer 13

The simple repetition of a word, within a sentence or a poetical line, with no particular placement of the words, this is to make emphasis.

Question 14

register

Answer 14

high/ low (formal or informal language)

Question 15

simile

Answer 15

A literary device whereby two things are compared to each other, linked by words “as” or “like”. e.g. The litter drifted round the playground like butterflies lost in flight.

Question 16

ellipsis

Answer 16

An intentional omission of a word or a phrase. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought.

Question 17

symbol

Answer 17

Refers to something that stands for or represents something else. e.g. A nation’s flag is literally a piece of cloth with a distinctive design but it is also a symbol of that country’s identity.

Question 18

tone

Answer 18

This is the emotional feel of the passage, the unspoken voice of the writer. e.g. amused, angry, sympathetic, approving, cynical, indifferent