Imagery and Word-choice

Close Reading Skills

Imagery covers a few literary techniques which will pop up in both language and literary (textual) study.

Examples of imagery are:Simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia,

personification, alliteration etc

Simile – a comparison between two things using “like” or “as”.

E.g. He is as quiet as a mouse

Find a few examples yourself and note them down.

Metaphor – a direct comparison between two things with “like” or “as” missed out.

e.g. He is a greedy pig.

The comparison cannot be literal.

Personification – a metaphor which gives an inanimate object human qualities.

e.g. The car choked into life.

The effect of this is to bring the car to life and tell us how old the engine is and how much it is struggling. It tells us more than “The car engine started”.

Alliteration – the repetition of a series of words starting with the same consonant sound e.g.

Dark, dangerous dungeon.

The effect of this is to create a harsh sound and this reflects the sombre and serious subject matter.

Onomatopoeia – is a name given to words which imitate the sound they are describing

e.g. Crash, bang, woof

This gives the piece some life and the reader can almost “hear” the exact noise the writer is trying to convey. “Bang” is used to show how loud a noise might be.

Pun – a play on words which sound similar but have different meanings

E.g. One legged man fit to stand trial.

The effect is usually to bring humour to a piece of writing. This example was a headline in a newspaper!

Hyperbole – is deliberate exaggeration used to emphasise a point for a humorous effect.

E.g. I have a million things to do today.

The effect of this is that the writer has loads to do and will probably not achieve it by the end of the day. Of course, no-one will get through a million chores/tasks in one day.

Imagery Questions Quote the imageLiteral meaningFigurative meaningType of image (simile, metaphor,

personification)Answer question

Context Questions As well as showing you understand the

writer’s general meaning, you will also be asked more precise questions to show you understand particular words or phrases

In such questions you will be asked ; A) to explain the meaning of a word or phrase

and B) to show how you deduce the meaning from

its placing in the text. This involves identifying clues in the

sentences immediately surrounding the word.

Word Choice Questions Quote the word(s) Denotations (dictionary definition) Connotations (associated meanings) Answer questionContext Questions  State what the word(s) means Quote the word(s) or feature(s) that

helped you to figure out that meaning Answer the question