AQA · English Language · 8700
GCSE English Language: Literary devices — language and imagery
Simile to semantic field: the language devices Paper 1 Question 2 and Paper 2 Question 3 ask you to name, quote and explain. Each card links to a short study note on its device. Written for AQA GCSE English Language (8700); the devices are the same on every board.
24 flashcards · Free to study · No account needed
Sign in and GCSE Zone remembers what you know: cards you have nailed drop out of your study until they are due again.
Study this deck
Preparing your cards…
All questions and answers
Read through the full deck, or practise recalling each answer above.
'The fog crept in like a thief' — which device is this?
Show answer
A simile: a comparison using 'like' or 'as'.
What is an extended metaphor?
Show answer
A metaphor developed over several sentences, a paragraph or a whole text.
'The classroom was a zoo' — which device is this?
Show answer
A metaphor: it states that one thing is another.
'The wind howled through the empty street' — which device?
Show answer
Personification: the wind is given a human action.
What is pathetic fallacy?
Show answer
The weather or natural world mirroring a character's mood or the atmosphere of a scene.
How does pathetic fallacy differ from personification?
Show answer
Pathetic fallacy is specifically weather or nature reflecting emotion; personification gives any non-human thing a human quality.
What is imagery?
Show answer
Language that appeals to the senses so the reader experiences the scene rather than being told about it.
What is symbolism?
Show answer
Using an object, colour or image to stand for a larger idea, such as a caged bird for lost freedom.
A group of words drawn from the same area of meaning is called a ?.
Show answer
semantic field
'Battle', 'siege' and 'surrender' scattered through a passage create what?
Show answer
A semantic field of war, making the events read like a conflict.
What is the difference between a word's denotation and its connotation?
Show answer
Denotation is its literal meaning; connotation is the ideas and feelings it suggests.
'Slim' and 'scrawny' denote the same thing — how do their connotations differ?
Show answer
'Slim' suggests health and attractiveness; 'scrawny' suggests weakness and neglect.
What is sibilance?
Show answer
Repeated 's' and 'sh' sounds that hiss or whisper — often sinister, secretive or soothing.
'The light of the fire is a sight' repeats which kind of sound?
Show answer
Vowel sounds — this is assonance.
'Crash', 'hiss' and 'thud' are examples of which device?
Show answer
Onomatopoeia: words whose sound imitates what they describe.
'I've told you a million times' — which device?
Show answer
Hyperbole: deliberate exaggeration not meant literally.
'Deafening silence' is an example of which device?
Show answer
An oxymoron: two contradictory words placed together.
What is juxtaposition?
Show answer
Placing contrasting ideas, images or characters side by side so each sharpens the other.
What is verbal irony?
Show answer
Saying one thing while meaning the opposite, such as calling a downpour 'lovely weather'.
What is situational irony?
Show answer
When what happens is the opposite of what was expected, like a fire station burning down.
What is dramatic irony?
Show answer
When the reader or audience knows something a character does not.
What is a euphemism?
Show answer
A mild or indirect expression in place of a blunt one, such as 'passed away' for 'died'.
What is a pun?
Show answer
A play on words using two meanings of one word, or two words that sound alike.
Why does naming a device without explaining its effect score few marks?
Show answer
AO2 rewards analysing the effect on the reader and the writer's purpose, not spotting features.
Want to create your own cards? Create a free account. AI generation uses credits.