Language Devices for All Exam Boards

This page provides a detailed list of 25 language devices crucial for literary analysis and creative writing. Each device is explained with a definition and examples to illustrate its use in literature.

1. Pathetic Fallacy: The text defines pathetic fallacy as the use of weather or atmosphere to describe mood.

Example: Rainy weather symbolizing sadness or a dark night representing supernatural elements.

2. Personification: This device involves giving human qualities to non-human objects or ideas.

Example: "The tree is waving to John as he drives away."

3. Simile: Defined as a comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

Example: "His facial vision looked like a falcon's eye."

4. Metaphor: A direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

Example: "He is an orc."

5. Extended Metaphor: The text explains how to develop a simple metaphor into an extended one by elaborating on the comparison.

Example: "Life is a rollercoaster" extended to describe the ups and downs of life in detail.

6. Oxymoron: Defined as two opposite words placed side by side.

Example: "The small giant."

7. Juxtaposition: Explained as an elaboration on an oxymoron.

Example: A description of a small giant struggling to reach a high shelf.

8. Symbolism: Objects representing deeper meanings.

Example: The moon and star symbolizing Islam, or a dagger symbolizing death in Macbeth.

9. Semantic Field: Words linked to a specific idea or theme.

Example: PPE, 2m distance, and hand sanitizer linked to COVID-19.

10. Irony: Unexpected events that surprise characters.

11. Rhetorical Question: A question not requiring an answer.

12. Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect.

Example: "I am going to eat the whole restaurant."

13. Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds.

Example: "I am too cool for school."

14. Alliteration: Words in a row beginning with the same letter.

15. Sibilance: Words in a row with the 's' sound.

Example: "The snake was slowly hissing."

16. Euphemism: Indirect expressions for sensitive topics.

Example: "He is not with us anymore" to refer to death.

17. Emotive Language: Words that evoke emotional responses in readers.

18. Onomatopoeia: Words that phonetically imitate sounds.

Example: "Boom, bang, skirr, pop."

19. Rule of Three / Power of Three / Triplets: Three words or phrases in a row describing something.

Example: "The table is black, hard, and wide."

20. Facts/Stats: Use of evidence to support claims.

21. Plosive: Repetition of harsh sounds like 'P', 'D', 'B'.

22. Zoomorphism: Giving animal features to a person.

Example: "John barked at me" instead of "John shouted at me."

23. Opinion: (Not elaborated in the text)

24. Repetition: Repeated use of words for effect, considered both a language device and a structural element.

25. Parts of Speech: The text briefly mentions nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Highlight: This comprehensive list covers a wide range of literary devices, from basic figurative language to more complex rhetorical and structural techniques, providing students with a solid foundation for literary analysis and creative writing.

Vocabulary: Extended metaphor is a metaphor that is sustained throughout a piece of text, providing a more complex and detailed comparison than a simple metaphor.

Definition: Semantic field refers to a set of words related to a specific subject or theme, helping to create cohesion and reinforce key ideas in a text.