Literary Techniques
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Imagery-Vivid descriptions of senses
 ‘The sunset was the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen; the clouds
were outlined with pink and gold glitter.’
Simile-Direct comparison between two things
 ‘You fought like a lion on the field.’
Metaphor-Indirect comparison between two things
 ‘The snow is a white blanket.’
Personification-Giving a human quality to something non-human
 ‘The lightening danced across the dark night sky.’
Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words
or within words
 ‘She sells seashells on the seashore.’
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: A statement that represents something as better,
bigger, worse etc than it really is
 ‘I have a million assignments to complete today.’
Onomatopoeia: The use of words that mimic sounds
 ‘The corn went pop in the microwave.’
Irony: A result opposite to what might have been expected o ‘Yesterday the
police station got robbed!’
Sarcasm: Words that are contrast of their usual meaning
 A man replies to a telecommunicator, who calls him while he is having
his dinner, “Thanks for calling! I hate having my dinner when it is hot!”
Having a good grip over vocabulary is important, hence, it is advisable to
know synonyms of basic words you might be asked to give synonyms for a
word or words from the text.
Strong adjectives are used to emphasize or arouse a particular mood.
Reading
Overview
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To score well in Section A(Reading) of the Paper 1 and Paper 2 it is important
to be able to critically read the passage and recognize the purpose, tone,
language, structure, and effect of it.
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When you are answering comprehension questions remember:
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Some questions require answers in your own words.
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Some questions need you to support your answer with
evidence/quotes from the text.
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Some questions want you to use both.
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Use full sentences where necessary.
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Don’t spend more than 30 minutes on this section!
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The three common purposes of a text are:
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To Inform-Provide information about a topic(Usually in Paper 1)
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To Persuade-To convince the reader to agree with the author’s views
on a subject(Usually in Paper 1)
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To Entertain-To amuse and fascinate the readers(Usually in Paper 2)
Understanding an outline, which is made up of a primary idea followed by a
numbered list of supporting details, makes it easier to understand the purpose
of the text. An outline can be found out by looking for list words and addition
words like:
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Several kinds of
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Various causes
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One
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First of all
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Also
A writer’s tone displays his or her view towards a subject, which is often
expressed through his or her choice of words.
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Identifying the genre of the text can make it easier to understand the tone.
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Here are a few genres:
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Adventure
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Comedy
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Fantasy
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Horror
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Mystery
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Science Fiction
Informal Style
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Addresses the reader directly
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Simple sentences
Formal Style
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Third person
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Complex sentences
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Here are a few possible tones:
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Admiring
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Amused
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Angry
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Bitter
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Confused
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Concerned
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Cruel
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Excited
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Frustrated
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Pessimistic
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Urgent
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Worried
Understanding the explicit meanings
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Explicit meanings are obvious meanings.
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Techniques such as Skimming (briefly reading) and Scanning (closely
reading) can help identify the main ideas of the text, useful for the
summary.
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Understanding the implicit meanings
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Implicit meanings are underlying or indirect meanings.
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Writers use various stylistic features of language
Punctuation and Structures
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Brackets – Used to give additional information that stands out.
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Capital Letters (The whole word) – Are used to lay emphasis.
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Colon – Is used to make the reader pause or start a list. It is also used for
relating to or expanding on information before it.
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Commas – They are used in lists; they are used to mark clause divisions.
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Dash – It is to insert additional information.
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Ellipsis – Are used to make the reader continue reading; the intentional
omission of words; a pause in speech; an unfinished thought; a sentence that
trails into silence.
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Exclamation Mark – Used to excite the senses and show something is
surprising or forceful.
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Semicolon – It can join two clauses to substitute a conjunction and to
separate information in a sentence.
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Speech marks – Used to show dialogue.
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Long sentences- To create a feel of relaxation or reaching a climax.
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Short sentences- To quicken the pace.
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Connectives- to sequence events and to show the order of occurrence.
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Passive form- It describes the process, highlighting it than the character
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Active form- To describe the subject in detail.
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Sub-headings- To draw attention to or highlight specific information in a text
and make it easier to follow.
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Sentence types- Simple, Compound and Complex
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Simple- Create tension and quicken pace.
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Compound- It joined by a conjunction such as ‘and’ or ‘but’, providing
more information or give an extra viewpoint.
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Complex- Provides extra detail and information.
Poetry
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Stanza is a sequence of poetic lines grouped together.
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Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds.
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Rhythm in the poetry is made by the arrangement of stressed and
unstressed syllables in a line.
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Meter is the simple rhythmic structure of lines in a verse.
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Couplet is a two line stanza.
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Tercet is a three line stanza.
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Quatrain is a four line stanza.
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Cinquain is a five line stanza. o Sestet is a six line stanza.
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Octave is an eight line stanza.
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Types of poems:
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Narrative- Tells a story and has a plot.
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Lyric- Portrays powerful emotions.
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Descriptive- Describes the atmosphere and society the poet is
living in.
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Types of poem structures:
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Free verse- Does not have definite structure and rhyme scheme.
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Sonnet- Consists of 14 lines and has a specific rhyme scheme.
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Elegy- Poem lamenting the dead.
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Ballad- Story narrated in form of a lyrical poem.
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Villanelle- It has fixed form has 2 rhymes and 19 lines.
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Ode- Praises a specific person, thing or event.
Features of Important Formats
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Diary:
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Written in informal style.
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Uses opinions and facts.
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Uses first person pronouns.
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Magazine Article:
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Has a headline and subheadings.
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Newspaper Report:
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Written in third person.
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Has a headline.
Descriptive/Narrative:
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Uses imagery.
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Usually in third person
Extra Tips
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While solving the comprehension:
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First, briefly read through the passage.
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Read the questions and underline information which seems important
in the passage.
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Answer the questions
If you do not understand the meaning of a word, stay calm. You can get
contextual meanings by:
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Punctuation- Meaning of unfamiliar words are given after the word separated
by commas, dashes or parenthesis.
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Contrast or Antonym- The unfamiliar word is shown to be different from or
unlike, another word and is often opposite. They use words like ‘although’,
‘however’ and ‘otherwise’.
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Example- The unfamiliar word is cleared up by using signal words, like, ‘such
as’ and ‘for instance’.