4.1.3

Answering Section B - Checklist of Techniques

Test yourself

Paper 1, Section B: Writing Techniques

Make sure that you use some of the writing techniques that you have learned about when answering Section B. Put one or two in every paragraph.

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Alliteration

  • The same letter or sound at the beginning of words near to each other.
  • Please note, these are the same sounds, not necessarily the same letters (e.g. 'c' and 'k' may sound the same in some words).
    • E.g. The beautiful blue ocean blinked at the sun.
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Assonance

  • When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.
    • E.g. Although she was frail, she had a grace that trailed her everywhere.
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Onomatopoeia

  • When the way the word sounds imitates the sound it is describing.
    • E.g. Bang, crash, sizzle.
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Sibilance

  • A specific form of alliteration, which focuses on 's' sounds.
  • It relies on the repetition of soft consonant sounds in words to create a wooshing or hissing sound in the writing. The sounds used include 's', 'sh', 'c' and 'ch'.
    • E.g. The shark shot through the water, charging towards the shore.

Paper 1, Section B: Writing Techniques

Make sure that you use some of the writing techniques that you have learned about when answering Section B. Put one or two in every paragraph.

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Simile

  • A simile involves comparing one thing with another, using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
  • You are comparing the qualities of the two things.
    • E.g. in the phrase 'He was as fierce as a lion', you are comparing the anger and aggression of the lion with the anger and aggression of the man you are describing.
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Personification

  • Personification involves giving human characteristics to something non-human.
    • E.g. The waves danced on the shore.
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Metaphor

  • A figure of speech in which you say something is another thing. You compare the qualities of two things within this.
    • E.g. in 'the curtain of fog', you create the image of the fog falling down on the area as if it is a curtain being dropped over the place - this could also suggest that the fog is thick and difficult to see through.
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Emotive language

  • Emotive language is when language is used to create a strong emotional response.
  • This could be any emotion, such as anger, excitement, happiness, sadness, etc.
    • E.g. The sad, downcast dog drooped its little head.

Paper 1, Section B: Writing Techniques

Make sure that you use some of the writing techniques that you have learned about when answering Section B. Put one or two in every paragraph.

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Hyperbole

  • An exaggerated statement, not meant to be taken literally, but used to create a dramatic effect.
    • E.g. The whole world was watching me.
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Irony

  • The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning - saying the opposite of what is true/real.
    • In narrative writing, the writer may tell the story of a man who buys a gun to protect himself - ironically, someone then breaks into the man's home and kills him with the gun.
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Oxymoron

  • When two contrasting ideas are combined for dramatic effect or to create a comedic effect.
    • E.g. Loving hate.
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Pathetic fallacy

  • Pathetic fallacy is when a writer gives human emotions to things that are not human, such as objects, animals or, most commonly, the weather.
    • E.g. The night was unruly.
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Pun

  • A joke which exploits the different possible meanings of a word - it makes fun of the fact that there are other words which sound the same but have different meanings.
    • E.g. In the joke, 'The best way to communicate with a fish is to drop them a line', the pun comes from the double meaning of 'a line' - it can be either a fishing rod or a telephone.

Jump to other topics

1Key Terms

2Language Techniques

3Paper 1: Reading

4Paper 1: Writing

5Paper 2: Reading

6Paper 2: Writing

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