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REVISION NOTES

YEAR 6
UNIT TWO
LITERARY DEVICES AND THIER EFFECT

THE UNIT CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:


LITERARY DEVICES DEFINITION
DIFFERENT TYPES OF LITERARY DEVICES AND THEIR EFFECT
HOW LITERARY DEVICES APPEARED IN CAMBRIDGE LATEST EXAMS

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HOW TO USE THIS SHEET

THE SHEET IS DIVIDED INTO TWO CHAPTERS. THE FIRST CHAPTER FOCUSES
ON THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LITERARY DEVICES AND THEIR EFFECTS. IT
PROVIDES EXAMPLES TO HELP ILLUSTRATE THE DIFFERENT TYPES AND HOW
THEY CAN BE USED EFFECTIVELY.

THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE SHEET IS DEDICATED TO SHOWING HOW


LITERARY DEVICES HAVE APPEARED IN CAMBRIDGE LATEST EXAMS. THIS
SECTION PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO HOW LITERARY DEVICES ARE BEING
TESTED IN THESE EXAMS AND WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD EXPECT.

CHAPTER 1, LITERARY DEVICES AND THEIR EFFECT


CHAPTER 2, LITERARY DEVICES IN CAMBRIDGE LATEST EXAMS

INSTRUCTIONS
1) CAREFULLY READ AND UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LITERARY
DEVICES AND THEIR EFFECT

3) REVIEW CHAPTER TWO TO SEE HOW LITERARY DEVICES HAVE APPEARED IN


CAMBRIDGE LATEST EXAMS

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 1

LITERARY DEVICES
LITERARY DEVICES ARE TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS USED BY WRITERS
TO ENHANCE THE OVERALL IMPACT AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THEIR
WRITING. THEY ARE USED TO ADD DEPTH, MEANING, AND RICHNESS
TO A PIECE OF LITERATURE. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF
LITERARY DEVICES, EACH WITH THEIR OWN UNIQUE PURPOSE AND
EFFECT.

I-Figurative Language:
Remember: The effect of the literary devices depends on the context they are used in.
1-Metaphor: A comparison between two things without using "like" or "as."
Effect: Metaphors use an indirect comparison to link two seemingly unrelated things
creating a vivid image and enhancing the reader's understanding.
Example: "Life is a journey."
2- Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as."
Effect: Similes use a direct comparison to link two seemingly unrelated things to
create a vivid image and enhances the reader's understanding.
Example: " "Her eyes sparkled like diamonds."
3- Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Effect: This literary device is used to make non-human things more relatable or to
emphasize the importance of an idea or concept.
4- Hyperbole: An exaggerated statement used to emphasize a point or create humor.
Effect: This literary device is often used to grab the reader's attention, create
emphasis, or add humor to a text.
Example: "I've told you a million times to clean your room!"
5- Irony: A contrast between what is expected or intended and what actually occurs or
is said.
Effect: It can be used to create a sense of humor, surprise, or irony.
There are three types of irony:
Verbal Irony: This occurs when a speaker says something but means the opposite or
something different. It is often used for humorous or sarcastic effect.
Example: "Great, now it's raining again" said on a day when it has been raining non-stop
for days.

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 1

LITERARY DEVICES

Situational Irony: This occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected to
happen and what actually happens. It can be tragic or comedic.
Example: A firefighter's house burning down.
Dramatic Irony: This occurs when the audience knows something that the characters
in the story do not. It creates tension and suspense for the audience.
Example: In a horror movie, the audience knows that the killer is hiding in the closet,
but the character does not.
6- Oxymoron: A combination of two contradictory terms to create an effect.
Effect: This literary device is often used to emphasize a point or create a sense of
tension or contrast.
Example: deafening silence- farewell reception- amazingly awful
7- Idioms: phrases or expressions that have a figurative meaning that differs from
their literal meaning.
Effect: They help to clarify or emphasize a point, or create a more vivid image in the
reader’s mind.
Example: "Caught red-handed" - This phrase means to be caught in the act of doing
something wrong or illegal.
"Let the cat out of the bag": The literal meaning is to have red hands, as if from being
caught in the act of stealing red paint, but the figurative meaning is to be caught in
the act of any wrong or illegal doing.

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 1

LITERARY DEVICES

II. Sound Devices


1- Alliteration: The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of
multiple words in a phrase or sentence.
Effect: Creates a musical quality and makes the text more memorable.
Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
2- Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds at the end or in the middle of
words.
Effect: Creates a musical quality and makes the text more memorable.
Example: Mike likes his new bike.
Note that ‘Sibilance’ is a special type of alliteration or Consonance that involves the
repetition of the "s" and "sh" sounds in a series of words. It is a sound device that is
often used to create a hissing or whispering effect in a text. Sibilance is often used to
create a mood or atmosphere, such as a sense of secrecy or danger.
Example: "She sells seashells by the seashore."
3- Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words.
Effect: Creates a musical quality and makes the text more memorable.
Example: The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
4- Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate the sound they describe.
Effect: Creates a sensory experience such as the sound of animals or natural
phenomena. Onomatopoeia can be used to create a specific mood or atmosphere in a
text.
Example: The bees buzzed around the flowers.
5- Rhyme: A sound device that involves the repetition of similar sounds in a text.
Effect: Rhyme is often used to create a musical quality, make a text more memorable,
and add variety.
Example: Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.
-Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary.

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 1

LITERARY DEVICES

IV. Narrative Devices


1- Foreshadowing: Hinting at events that will occur later in the story.
Effect: Builds tension and suspense in the reader.
Example: Little did he know, this would be the last time he saw her.
2- Flashback: Interrupting the chronological order of events to go back and describe a
past event.
Effect: It is often used to provide background information, as well as to reveal
character motivations and emotions helping a better understanding of the story
incidents.
Example: As he looked at the photo, he was transported back to that summer day
when they first met.
3- Flashforward: hinting at future events that will have a significant impact on the
plot. It involves a scene or event that jumps forward in time from the present story to
show an event that will occur in the future. It is the opposite of a "flashback.”
Effect: They can be used to show the consequences of a character's actions, or to
reveal a character's fate before the story reaches its conclusion.
Example: He told her that he would be leaving her a large inheritance that would
change her life forever.
V. Rhetorical Devices
1- Repetition: involves repeating a word, phrase, or idea for emphasis.
Effect: emphasize a point, to create a rhythm or flow to the writing, or to make a text
more memorable.
Example: “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."
2- Rhetorical questions: questions that are not meant to be answered, but are used to
make a point or to create an effect and engage the reader.
Example: “Isn't it time for us to stand up and fight for what is right?"

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 2

LITERARY DEVICES QUESTIONS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN


CAMBRIDGE CHECKPOINT LATEST EXAMS
(FROM PROGRESSION TESTS 2023 TILL 2021 EXAMS)

·Progression Test 2023, Paper 1, Text B


Question: Look at the second paragraph. Which literary technique is used in this
paragraph? Tick one box.
“It seems only right that Belfast gets to tell its part in the ship’s story. In the
museum itself, every little detail from the ship’s design to its sinking has been
covered. It really immerses you, both in the extent of the human tragedy and the
industrial history of the era.”
Answer: Personification

·Progression Test 2023, Paper 2


Question: Look at lines 17–29. What literary technique is close-clipped an example of?
“‘Shush,’ Helena murmured, reaching through the brass bars and running a finger
down her parrot’s shimmery green-blue tail feathers. Mr Westcott had called her
mother’s parrot ‘a bird’. Except he wasn’t just any old bird. Orbit was a Blue-fronted
Amazon. It was important Mr Westcott knew that, but Helena sensed now was not
quite the right time to give him a lesson on exotic creatures.”
Answer: alliteration

·April 2022, Paper 1, Text A


Question: Find an example of onomatopoeia in the first paragraph (lines 1–4).
“Want to be an astronaut? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t want to float around in
space, gazing back at our gorgeous blue planet in the distance and zooming to work on
a speeding rocket? But it can be tough out there. Have you got what it takes to fly in
space?”
Answer: zooming.

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 2

LITERARY DEVICES QUESTIONS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN


CAMBRIDGE CHECKPOINT LATEST EXAMS
(FROM PROGRESSION TESTS 2023 TILL 2021 EXAMS)

·April 2022, Paper 2


Question: What is ‘It was as if the drum were begging him to play it’ (lines 16–17) an
example of? Tick two boxes.
Answer: • simile
• personification.

·Progression Test 2022, Paper 1, Text B


Question: Look at the last paragraph (lines 16–18). In the last sentence, how does the
writer emphasise the excitement of seeing wildlife?
“The key for the urban wildlife watcher is just to keep your eyes open. And when you
spot something, try to find out a bit about it and enjoy it for its own sake. It’s alive, it’s
here and it’s fascinating!”
Answer: use of repetition / repeats it’s
(There are other possible answers, but they are related to punctuation and sentence
structure)

·Progression Test 2022, Paper 2


Question: Look at lines 1–8. The phrase ‘bright as knives’ is a simile. What does ‘bright
as knives’ tell us about the fish?
Answer: The fish / The fins / They are shiny/dazzling.
• The fish have fins which shine / flash / glitter.

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 2

LITERARY DEVICES QUESTIONS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN


CAMBRIDGE CHECKPOINT LATEST EXAMS
(FROM PROGRESSION TESTS 2023 TILL 2021 EXAMS)

·April 2021, Paper 1, Text A


Question: Look at the introduction (lines 1–3). Give one example of a two-word phrase
that rhymes.
“News for Kids (NfK) gets a sneak peek of a new robot exhibition in Chicago,
Illinois.
By News for Kids reporter Peter Shaw”
Answer: sneak peek.

·April 2021, Paper 2


Question: Look at lines 14–17. Look at this phrase: ‘… cooker standing silent …’ (Line 16)
What is the phrase above an example of? Tick one box.
Answer: personification.

·October 2021, Paper 1, Text A


Question: The writer wants you to remember the name Mercury Travel.
Explain how the writer emphasises the name in the text. Give two explanations.
Answer: The writer repeats the name / uses repetition / mentions the name numerous
times / it’s in every paragraph/section.
(The other ways are related to punctuation and style)

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LITERARY DEVICES , CHAPTER 2

LITERARY DEVICES QUESTIONS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN


CAMBRIDGE CHECKPOINT LATEST EXAMS
(FROM PROGRESSION TESTS 2023 TILL 2021 EXAMS)

·October 2021, Paper 2


Question: Look at this sentence: ‘By the end of the day, there was only a straggle of
trees
clinging to one small mountain.’ (Lines 23–24). What is the phrase clinging to one
small mountain an example of? Tick one box.
Answer: personification.
Question: Look at lines 31–33. Give an example of onomatopoeia from these lines.
“Grandfather would pretend to cower. ‘All the animals hid. Not even the tiger or
the bear were a match for this monster. But just then a small bee flew out from
the forest and buzzed in front of Tam-laai’s face.”
Answer: buzz(ed)

·Sample Test 2020, Paper 2


Question: Look at lines 1–5. Which two literary techniques are used in lines 3–4? Tick ()
two boxes.
‘This is Flambards, miss.’
“Some big chestnut trees lined the long drive: a great heap of rotted leaves lay
tumbled below, with burst conkers* all over the gravel, their shells shrivelled like little
brown oranges. The man stopped the horse in front of the door, and helped Christina
down. Nobody seemed to be waiting for her.”
Answer: • alliteration
• simile

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