Punctuation
Fix the punctuation to remove ambiguity:
After cooking the family went to the garden to eat the delicious meal.
Which literary device uses two negative meaning words to make something less significant?
Litotes.
What does the phrase 'his voice cracked slightly' imply about his emotional state?
suggests nervousness, emotion, or strain.
Read the excerpt:
Friendship is like a bridge that links people from all types of walks, helping them support each other in difficult times.
What is the main idea?
Friendship connects people and helps them support each other.
Identify the error in this sentence:
She was going to the mall yesterday.
Error: “was going” → should be “went.”
Which punctuation is best used to add additional information for emphasis?
a dash
Identify the device AND explain its purpose: He drowned in a sea of grief.
Metaphor - Shows overwhelming emotion; “drowned” suggests suffocation/loss of control.
The hallway was silent. Then—footsteps. Slow. Heavy. Getting closer. She pressed herself against the wall, waiting, holding her breath. And suddenly, the noise stopped.
Identify how the writer builds tension through sentence structure.
Short sentences/fragmented sentences
Read the sentence:
She frowned at the invitation, then folded it carefully and put it away.
What can you infer about her feelings toward the invitation?
She dislikes or is hesitant about the invitation.
Identify and correct the error in this sentence:
If I knew about the test, I would study yesterday.
Give three functions of an ellipsis ('...').
1. To show a pause for suspense.
2. To show a trailing thought.
3. To omit items in a list to shorten it.
What is a pathetic fallacy? Give a sentence with using the literary device.
When weather or nature reflects the mood of a scene or character.
Explain how the writer creates a sense of foreboding using word choice:
Dark clouds gathered like an approaching army, swallowing the last traces of light.
Words like “swallowed” and “approaching army” suggest threat, creating foreboding.
Interpret meaning from context:
The classroom was buzzing with whispers and giggles as the teacher scribbled on the board.
What does “buzzing” suggest about the atmosphere?
“Buzzing” suggests a lively, noisy, and excited classroom atmosphere.
What is a gerund? Give a sentence with a gerund in it.
A noun that is formed by an -ing verb.
Identify the punctuation in the sentence below and explain its effect:
"The old house (which had been abandoned for years) creaked under the wind."
Bracket/Parantheses
Adds extra information about the house which is less important to the meaning of the sentence.
Analyse two different devices in the following excerpt and explain their combined effect:
Excerpt:
The moon hung like a silver lantern in the sky, while the shadows crawled slowly across the ground.
Simile (“like a silver lantern”) + personification (“shadows crawled”); creates a haunting, suspenseful atmosphere.
Explain how the two contrasting images create the mood:
Bright lanterns swayed above the market stalls while, just beyond the glow, the alley lay cold and silent.
Contrast between bright, lively market and dark, silent alley creates tension/mystery (mood).
Excerpt: The alley was dark and silent, except for the faint drip of water from a broken pipe.
How do the writer’s word choices create a suspenseful or eerie tone?
The writer’s choice of words (“dark,” “silent,” “faint drip”) create suspense and an eerie tone.
State the type of sentence shown below and justify your answer.
"Although the morning fog lingered over the fields and the wind carried a sharp chill, the children continued their game, and their parents, who had been discussing plans for the upcoming festival, watched quietly from the porch."
Sentence type: Compound-complex sentence
It contains coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (Although, and)
It contains dependent and independent clauses ('Although the morning...', 'the children continued their game')
Rewrite the following paragraph using advanced punctuation (colons, semicolons, dashes) for clarity:
We searched the entire house but nothing looked out of place we checked the kitchen the basement even the attic yet the strange humming sound continued nobody knew where it came from.
We searched the entire house, but nothing looked out of place; we checked the kitchen, the basement, even the attic—yet the strange humming sound continued: nobody knew where it came from.
(comma, semi-colon, dashes, colon)
Read the excerpt below and identify the three literary devices used. Name each device and explain briefly how it is used:
"I stood at the door, thinking I might wait forever, though only a few minutes passed. The warning on the gate claimed it was a challenge for the bravest, yet inside, the room was small and quiet. Somehow, the scene was strangely funny."
Hyperbole – “I might wait forever” exaggerates the perception of time to emphasize impatience or anxiety.
Understatement – “the room was small and quiet” downplays the tension suggested by the warning.
Oxymoron – “strangely funny” combines contradictory ideas to subtly highlight the unexpected humor of the situation.
Read the excerpt below and answer the question that follows:
"The wind clawed at the shutters. The rain lashed at the windows. Every shadow seemed to twist and shiver across the walls. She hugged herself, listening to the house groan under the storm, a chill crawling up her spine."
Explain how the writer creates a sense of fear and tension in this paragraph using sentence structure, word choice and imagery.
Word choice: “clawed,” “lashed,” “twist and shiver” create a sense of aggression and danger. “chill crawling up her spine” conveys physical fear.
Sentence structure: mix of short and long sentences to create tension and give descriptions
Imagery: depicts the rain, wind and shadow as monstrous creatures.
Text Excerpt (for reference):
"As the train clattered along the tracks, Amira stared out of the window, feeling the chill of the autumn wind on her face. She wondered if leaving her hometown had been the right decision. The streets she had grown up in now seemed smaller, almost stifling, yet the unfamiliar city ahead promised a freedom she had never known."
In your own words, explain how Amira feels about leaving her hometown.
1) Amira feels uncertain or conflicted about leaving her hometown.
2) She feels nostalgic or constrained by memories of her hometown.
3) She is curious or hopeful about the new city.
Identify, correct and state the types errors in the sentence below:
"The team of player were practicing hard yesterday they hopes to wins the match, but the coach don't think they are ready."
“player” → “players” (plural noun)
“hopes” → “hoped” (tense agreement)
“wins” → “win” (verb form after “to”)
“dont” → “doesn’t” (subject–verb agreement)