UNFAMILIAR LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES: LIST
TECHNIQUE
DEFINITION
EXAMPLE
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for effect
Billions of dollars of tax
payers’ money is being
wasted
Imperative
Giving an order
Go now!
Rhetorical question
Asking a question that doesn’t
require an answer
Are you sick of politics?
Personal pronoun
Using words such as I, we, you,
us, them etc. Often used to
make an audience feel
included.
Together, we can make a
difference.
Contrast
A use of words that contrast
with each other to create a
balanced effect
We must make the crooked
paths straight, make the
lofty mountains low and
turn hate into love.
Emotive language
Language used to create an
emotional reaction in an
audience
The barbaric practice of
smacking defenceless
children is tantamount to
child abuse.
Colloquialisms
An informal word or phrase
that is more common in
conversation.
The “she’ll be right, mate”
attitude of New Zealanders
is a part of our genetic
makeup.
Alliteration
Repetition of sounds at the
start of a word
So many stinking cigarettes.
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
within a word
The fat cats of the business
world.
Repetition
Repetition of words and / or
phrases
Education, education,
education.
Simile
Comparison using like or as
As smart as a fox
Metaphor
Transferring the qualities from
one thing to another
The welfare state is a cruel
master.
Cliché
An expression that has been
overused and has therefore
lost its meaning
Her eyes sparkled like stars
Pun
A play on words or a double
meaning
These sausages are the top
dogs
Personification
Giving non human things
human qualities
The wind’s slap and scream
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for effect
There are at least fifty
million reasons why I should
leave.
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like the
sound they make.
Bang, crash, zip, hiss
Rhyme
Words that sound the same at
the end of poetry lines
There was a longfish,
whose tail with a swish
did propel him further.
Rhythm
Pattern of beats or sounds
NA
Stanza
A block of poetry. Sometimes
called a verse
NA