Verbal Language Features: Meanings and Examples

Writers use these features to help us as readers imagine, feel, and experience the situation or moment they are writing about. When you recognise one of these language features, ask yourself why the writer included it in the text.

Simile: A comparison btn one thing and another using like or as.
e.g. he is as fast as a cheetah.
Metaphor: Compare or contrast 2 things. e.g The sun is a gold coin.

Personafication: Giving human features to an object. e.g. The wind was whistling.

Assonance: The rhyming of vowel sounds e.g. right, bright,

Repetition: Repeating something e.g No! no! no!

Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like their meaning e.g. buzz, plop, crash , boom...

Alliteration:The initial letter of words (consonants) are repeated e.g Cool calm collected

Irony: Sarcasm used to dilute true meaning. e.g saying what a lovely day when its raining, calling a big guy 'Tiny'.

Cliche: An expression that is overused. e.g. Thumbs up, the boy gets the girl at the end of the film...

Rhetorical question: A question that doesn't need an answer. e.g. making a speech and you say "is that correct?"

Pun: A play on words. e.g. make like a tree and leave.

Synonyms: words that mean the same. e.g. happy, elated, pleased...

Antonyms: words that mean the opposite. e.g. left/right, up/down/ hot/cold

Imperative: Telling you to do something. e.g. Be quiet!

Hyperbole: A deliberate exageration. e.g. I have a mountain of homework.



There are many more (short and complex sentences for example), but you don't need to know them all. Try and become as familiar as you can with them and before long you will be able to identify some within texts.