Poetic Techniques IGCSE

Language, Sound, Structure and Form

Metaphor

Stating one thing is another to suggest a hidden shared trait (e.g., "His heart of stone").

Similie

Comparing two things explicitly using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Quiet as a mouse").

Pathetic Fallacy

A specific type of personification where nature or the environment mirrors a character's internal psychological state or the poem's mood.

Semantic Field

A collection of words throughout the poem linked to a single, overarching theme or topic (e.g., anchor, tide, dock create a semantic field of the sea).

Connotation

The implied or emotional meaning/associations attached to a word, beyond its dictionary definition.