ABSTRACT
Many of these can be used to analyse poetry as well as write it.
Onomatopoeia – words which describe the sound they make, e.g. snap, crackle and pop.
Simile – comparing an object or an idea using ‘like’ or ‘as’, e.g. As slow as a glacier or like a slow glacier.
Personification – animals or objects are given human characteristics, e.g. The trees reached out to grab the terrified hobbits; Fear ran riot through the minds of the waiting soldiers.
Metaphor – draws a verbal picture and states what something is, whereas a simile states that it is like it. Metaphors are more positive – they don’t just compare things; they say one thing is another and use the word ‘is’ to strengthen the comparison, e.g. Curiosity is a magical world waiting to be discovered.
Alliteration – each word starts with the same letter. Not every word has to start with the same letter unless you are trying to emphasise the point; sometimes it needs to be more subtle, e.g. The tortuous tornado tore through the trees. Flying freely through the carefree clouds. Care has to be taken to ensure that the alliteration enhances the style and effectiveness of the sentence and is not simply ‘showy’, too deliberately applied or self-conscious. It should be pleasing to the reader, particularly when read aloud.
Hyperbole – an exaggeration that is obviously untrue yet, again, it should enhance the impact and emphasise the meaning of the sentence, e.g. It is so cold that I saw a polar bear wearing a thick coat, scarf, gloves and a woolly hat.
Idiom – The Cambridge Dictionary states that an idiom is ‘a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own’. For example, I’m all 155ears or at the drop of a hat. Also, it is a way of speaking within the framework of a main language that is natural or peculiar to a particular group of people or locality.
Cliché – a saying that has been so overused that it has lost its impact and, as a result, has become boring and nearly meaningless. For example, at the speed of light.
