Language techniques and effects: how to analyse
A detailed glossary-style resource to support GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature students in their analysis of a range of literary and language techniques used by fiction and non-fiction writers. Students consider the possible effects of each of the techniques in terms of engaging the reader’s attention.
What's included
The teaching resource includes definitions of a range of literary devices to help English students when analysing a piece of writing or a literary work, including:
- metaphor
- simile
- personification (giving non-human or inanimate objects human characteristics)
- sensory details
- alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds)
- onomatopoeia.
There are accessible explanations of each of the nine literary techniques, with example quotations, and students are encouraged to make notes on the possible effects of the techniques in the reader’s mind.
Available to download as a printable PDF (free for all users) or an editable Word document version (exclusive to subscribers).
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Language techniques glossary
|
Technique |
Explanation |
Example |
|
|
Simile |
comparison using like, as, or as though |
She floated in like a cloud. |
|
|
Metaphor |
comparison whereby one thing is said to be another |
The cat's eyes were jewels, gleaming in the darkness. |
|
|
Personification |
a form of metaphor giving human qualities to animals or objects |
The daffodils nodded their yellow heads. |
|
|
Sensory detail |
descriptive detail which appeals to the senses |
The aroma of spice curled through the air. |
|
|
Tricolon (rule of three) |
groups of three related words or phrases placed together |
Peeling paint, patches of mould and a stale smell greeted me. |
|
|
Repetition |
repeating a word or phrase for effect |
She ate and ate and ate. |
|
|
Alliteration |
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of neighbouring words |
It was a dark, depressing place, full of damp corners. |
|
|
Onomatopoeia |
words which imitate the sounds they describe |
The burning wood crackled and hissed. |
|
|
Contrast |
noticeable difference between subjects / ideas which are being described |
The path twisted through the forest; the road was as straight as an arrow. |
|
|
Powerful vocabulary |
powerful or unusual verbs, adverbs, nouns or adjectives to describe actions or things. |
He charged ferociously into the pitch-black room. |
|
Emotive language |
words or phrases which stir our feelings |
brutal, agonizing, sunny, gentle |
|
Noticeable punctuation |
dashes, exclamations, ellipses |
He ran – for his life. They were gaining on him! He might not make it ... |
|
Sentence Structure |
length or construction of sentences for effect |
a) a very short sentence
b) a long, complex sentence |
|
Exaggeration |
exaggerating an idea for effect |
The mouse ate a mountain of cheese. |
|
Informal language |
casual, relaxed language e.g. slang, dialect and colloquialisms |
‘mate’, ‘aint’ and ‘nowt’ |
|
Rhetorical question |
a question designed to make us think or react |
How could she have followed me? |
|
Unusual vocabulary |
noticeable words or phrases, e.g. specialist terminology |
He’d always been a geek; he thought in gigabytes. |
|
Symbolism |
use of symbols to represent deeper ideas, thoughts or feelings |
The fox slid into the undergrowth as Maria sneaked away from the house. |
|
Wordplay |
words / phrases used in a clever or witty way, e.g. puns |
Why can’t hedgehogs just share the hedge? |
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