techniqyes

Metaphor

Direct comparison between two things. Explain what qualities or ideas the comparison suggests.

Simile

Comparison using “like” or “as”. Explain what qualities are transferred through the comparison.

Imagery

Descriptive language that creates a sensory or mental image and develops a particular feeling or idea.

Visual imagery

Language that creates an image for the reader, helping represent an experience, setting or emotion.

Auditory imagery

Language appealing to sound, often creating atmosphere or emphasising voices, noise or silence.

Symbolism

An object, place or image represents a larger abstract idea.

Personification

Gives human characteristics to something non-human, shaping how the audience perceives it.

Repetition

Repeats a word, phrase or idea to emphasise its significance.

Contrast

Highlights differences between two ideas, characters, experiences or settings.

Juxtaposition

Places contrasting ideas or images close together to emphasise their differences.

Diction

Deliberate word choice. Analyse the connotations of a specific noun, verb or adjective.

Emotive language

Language designed to provoke an emotional response from the audience.

Rhetorical question

A question asked for effect rather than an answer, often revealing uncertainty or challenging the audience.

Inclusive language

Pronouns such as “we”, “us” and “our” create unity or a shared experience.

Imperative

Command language that can create authority, urgency or pressure.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used to emphasise an idea or emotion.

Allusion

A reference to another text, event, religion, mythology or cultural idea that adds meaning through association.

Irony

A contrast between what is expected or stated and what actually occurs or is meant.

Paradox

An apparently contradictory statement that reveals a deeper idea or truth.

Oxymoron

Two apparently contradictory words placed together to create a particular meaning.

Motif

A recurring image, symbol or idea that reinforces a major concern of the text.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds. Analyse it only when the sound contributes to meaning or emphasis.

Sibilance

Repetition of “s” or “sh” sounds, which can create softness, secrecy, tension or menace depending on context.

Enjambment

A sentence continues across a poetic line break, potentially creating movement, instability or continuation.

Caesura

A strong pause within a poetic line, often creating hesitation, disruption or emphasis.

Fragmented syntax

Broken or incomplete sentence structures that can represent confusion, instability or psychological disturbance.

Short sentence

A brief sentence that can create emphasis, urgency, certainty, shock or finality.

First-person narration

Use of “I” gives direct access to an individual’s subjective perspective and experiences.

Characterisation

The construction of a character through actions, thoughts, dialogue and description.

Setting

The environment of the text, which can reflect mood, identity, conflict or psychological states.

Tone

The attitude or emotional quality of the speaker or composer, such as hopeful, bitter, reflective or uncertain.

Shift in tone

A change in attitude or emotion that can reveal transformation, conflict or changing understanding.

Technique purpose

A technique is not the argument; it explains how the composer constructs the meaning you have identified.

Safe fallback technique

Diction. Analyse the connotations of a specific word if you cannot confidently identify another technique.