Figurative Language English

This set of flashcards covers vocabulary and key concepts from the Year 7 English lesson on using figurative language for effect, based on Mr. Gojko Ostojic's lecture.

Figurative Language

Language used deliberately for effect to create mood and atmosphere in descriptive writing, including techniques like similes and metaphors.

Mood

The clear and consistent atmosphere (such as fear, mystery, excitement, or tension) created by a writer's choice of language.

Simile

A type of figurative language that compares one thing to another using 'like' or 'as', such as 'guarding its secrets like a jealous dragon'.

Metaphor

A technique that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true, for example, calling a heartbeat 'a reckless drum'.

Personification

Giving human qualities or emotions to non-human things, such as 'the handle trembled' or the wind being an 'angry beast'.

Hyperbole

A figurative language technique that uses deliberate exaggeration for effect.

Sensory Details

Specific descriptions that focus on what can be seen, heard, felt, smelt, or tasted to ground the reader in the moment.

Simple Words

Common terms like 'very', 'really', 'big', and 'scary' that should be avoided in favor of more precise, evocative word choices.

Sentences of Mixed Length

A writing technique where short sentences are used for tension and longer sentences are used for detailed description.

Cliché

Overused expressions such as 'as cold as ice' or 'heart pounding like a drum' that should be avoided or adapted creatively.

Jealous Dragon

The simile used in the model paragraph to describe how the locked door guarded its secrets.

Spilled Ink

The imagery used in the model paragraph to describe how shadows pooled at the narrator's feet.

Reckless Drum

The metaphor used to describe the narrator's heartbeat in the face of the locked door.

Selective Use

The practice of using figurative language in specific moments rather than in every sentence to maintain effectiveness.

Succes Criteria

The standard by which a student's work is judged, including using language correctly, creating mood, and explaining choices.

Atmosphere

The overall feeling of a scene, such as the 'heavy and watchful' silence described in the model paragraph.

Model Paragraph

An example text provided to help students identify types of figurative language, mood, and the effect on the reader.

Warning Siren

A simile used to improve a boring sentence by describing the wind as it 'shrieked'.

Invisible Battle

A description used for trees writhing in the wind to improve a basic sentence.

Writing Task Requirements

A list of rules including using at least 4 figurative techniques, avoiding clichés, and underlining examples.