Travel Writing
A travel blogger writes:
'You step off the train and immediately smell cinnamon, hear bicycle bells and feel the cold November air against your cheeks.'
What is the name of this technique?
Sensory Language
Consider the word 'snake'. It can make people think of danger, betrayal or fear, but its basic dictionary definition is a long, legless reptile.
What term describes the word’s literal meaning?
Denotation
The celebrity's publicist described the scandal as a 'beautiful disaster.'
What literary device is used here?
Oxymoron
What punctuation device is the drama queen of punctuation?
Dash
In Bruno Mars’s song, 'Grenade', the lyrics say:
'I’d catch a grenade for ya.'
What literary technique is used to emphasise the speaker’s intense feelings?
Hyperbole
A: Visit the market if you have time.
B: Don't leave Istanbul without losing yourself among the market's maze of colours, aromas and voices.
What type of verb is used in both sentences?
Imperative
Which word has the strongest negative connotation?
confident — arrogant — self-assured — assertive
Arrogant
A student arrives at school twenty minutes late and says:
'Perfect. I'm exactly where I wanted to be.'
What literary device did they use?
Verbal Irony
'The boat suddenly tilted to one side. 'Everyone stay where you are' shouted the captain. For a moment, nobody moved.
Which punctuation mark should be used after the captain’s command to emphasise the urgency of his warning?
Exclamation mark
The Capitol calls the brutal competition 'The Hunger Games,' using the harmless word 'games' to describe events in which people fight to the death.
What literary device makes the violence sound less disturbing?
Euphemism
A travel blogger begins a post with:
'Everyone tells you to visit the Eiffel Tower. I say skip it.'
What rhetorical strategy is the writer using?
Hook
A travel writer describes a crowded tourist area as:
'The streets were teeming with exhausted, frustrated tourists.'
What type of language is the writer using to deliberately create an emotional response in the reader?
Emotive Language
The politician described the government's decision as 'revenue adjustment' rather than admitting that taxes would increase.
What literary device is being used?
Euphemism
What punctuation mark is used to suggest hesitation.
Ellipsis
In Squid Game, the creators use children's games, colourful sets and cheerful music alongside violence, fear and death.
What literary device best describes the deliberate placement of these sharply contrasting elements to make the disturbing nature of the situation more powerful?
Juxtaposition
'With golden sunlight dancing across the canals, gondolas gliding silently beneath ancient bridges, and music drifting through the narrow streets, who would ever want to leave?'
What technique is used here?
Rhetorical question
A politician describes a protest as:
'a gathering of concerned citizens.'
A newspaper describes the same event as:
'a disruptive mob.'
What technique is the politician using to present the protest?
Positive Spin
'The bicycle couldn't stand on its own because it was two-tired.'
What literary device is used here?
Pun
Identify the punctuation mark used to insert an aside thought without making it part of the main grammatical structure.
Brackets
'Everyone fell silent when they heard that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned.'
What literary device is used here?
Allusion
A travel blog aimed at teenagers uses:
'The food scene here is absolutely insane!'
What term describes the level and style of language appropriate to a particular situation or audience?
Register
Read the following two descriptions:
A: The company decided to reduce its workforce after experiencing financial difficulties.
B: The company ruthlessly threw hundreds of innocent workers onto the streets while its wealthy executives continued to enjoy their luxurious lifestyles.
What type of language is being used in the second example?
Loaded language
'I had imagined Paris as romantic, elegant and effortlessly beautiful. Then I spent forty minutes trapped on a crowded Metro train while a man loudly argued with his dog.'
What literary device is created by the sudden shift from the writer's grand expectations to the disappointing reality?
Anti-climax
For our school trip, we needed to organise several things: booking the hotel, which had limited availability ___ arranging transport for thirty students, including three who required special assistance ___ preparing emergency contact information for every student ___ and checking that everyone had the correct travel documents.
What punctuation mark is missing between the items in this complex list?
Semicolon
In Selena Gomez’s latest album, 'Ojos Tristes' translates as 'Sad Eyes'. The title uses the eyes to represent the character’s deeper feelings of sadness.
What literary device is used when an object, image or physical feature represents a deeper idea or emotion?
Symbolism