IGCSE English Language B (9-1) SECTION A: NOTES

Sample Features for Writer’s Effect Questions (Questions 3 & 6)

Device Definition Example General Effect
1 Alliteration The repetition of an “The amazing To give the readers a fun
initial consonant adventures of reading experience/ to
sound. Atif Aslam.” describe something/ to
create a subtle rhyming.
“Bob the
Builder.”
2 Anecdote A short story about a “Timothy Ader To make the
real incident or lived in a writing/facts/information
person. shipping more reliable and
container and engaging by providing a
liked it.” third person experience.
3 Adjectives/Adverbs Modifiers “We were To describe something in
swimming in such a way that it creates
Adjectives modify a emerald green a clear mental
noun. waters.” visualization of the
writer’s experience to the
Adverbs modify verbs, “The ruby red readers.
adjectives and other wine was
adverbs. fantastic.”
4 Contrast Two opposing ideas “She said she To create irony/establish
placed together. won’t ever leave sarcasm.
me. Then she left
me.”

5 Colon Punctuation (:) “He had a lot of To provide extra

cars: six to be information about the
exact.” subject of the sentence.

“The rain meant To reveal something after

only one thing a suspense or a build-up.
for the farmers:
disaster.”
6 Dash Punctuation (–) “John – the only To provide extra
friend he had – information about the
was a good guy.” subject of the sentence.
7 Direct Speech A report of the exact “How’s life?” she To present an unaltered
words used by a asked me dialogue of a real person
speaker. enthusiastically. which gives the readers a
sense of realism and
engages them.
8 Direct Address You “…and we need To communicate more
your help to do with the readers and keep
so.” them engaged.

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©Muhammad Naimur Rahman
Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn
IGCSE English Language B (9-1) SECTION A: NOTES

To make the readers feel

as though the writer is
directly speaking to them.

To make the readers feel

that the information
provided is applicable to
them personally.
9 Emphasis Any word or sentence “he ‘loved’ her.” To create
in “quotes”, italics or emphasis/highlight a
bold. particular word/sentence
which interests the
readers by showcasing an
important/interesting
information for them to
focus on.
10 Ellipsis Punctuation (…) “What have you To show continuity after
done…” expressing his
sadness/fatigue/tiredness,
etc which reflects his raw
emotions to the readers.
11 Euphemism The substitution of an “Going to the To normalize something.
inoffensive term for other side” To be more respectful.
one considered instead of
offensively explicit. “death”

“Passed away”
instead of “died”
12 Examples “…for example, To support his
rising sea claims/explanation.
levels…”
13 Emotive language Language that evokes “He was To reflect his raw
an emotional response trembling with emotions/make the
from the reader. fear.” writing more interesting
and sensual, as it helps
“The flaring the readers to have a
agony threw me personal share of the
into panic.” emotions/feeling that the
writer is exposed to in the
writing.
14 Formal Language To make the text more
attractive to their
intended readers.
15 Hyperbole Exaggerated “I told you a To exaggerate/ emphasise
statements or claims million times not and reflect his raw
not meant to be taken to do that.” emotions/ feelings/
literally. experience to the readers,
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©Muhammad Naimur Rahman
Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn
IGCSE English Language B (9-1) SECTION A: NOTES

“These shoes are in a way which makes it

killing me.” more vivid to the readers
and interests them.
16 Irony/Sarcasm The use of words to “His argument To establish sarcasm.
convey the opposite of was as clear as
their literal meaning. muddy water.”
16 Informal “What’s up?” To show
Language/Colloquial friendliness/engage more
Language “Howdy!” with the readers.
17 Imagery/ Descriptive Visually descriptive or “She had pewter- To describe the writer’s
language figurative language. coloured hair set surroundings/scenery
in a ruthless which helps the readers to
permanent, a visualize the writer’s
hard beak, and experience more vividly.
large moist eyes
with the
sympathetic
expression of wet
stones."
18 Juxtaposition Two opposing In a story the To create contrast and
things/ideas placed male character is make for an interesting
together for a poor and the read.
contrasting effect. female character
is rich.
19 Lists / Listing / List of “There were To describe something/
words cows, sheep, give information about
goats, pigs, something.
chickens, ducks,
and camels.” To make it easier to
remember.

To write in an organized
manner.
20 Litotes A figure of speech ”I don't deny that To downplay the
consisting of an it was wrong...” importance/significance
understatement in of something.
which an affirmative is “The trip wasn't a
expressed by negating total loss...”
its opposite.
“Not too bad”
21 Metaphor An implied comparison “He is a lion.” To describe the raw
between two unlike experience/ emotions and
things that actually feelings of the writer by
have something helping the readers to
important in common. compare with something
they can visualize better.

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©Muhammad Naimur Rahman
Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn
IGCSE English Language B (9-1) SECTION A: NOTES

22 Onomatopoeia The use of words that “The car To describe the sound
imitate the sounds honked.” with words, in a manner
associated with the that the reader gets a
objects or actions they “The rain pitter- good sensory idea of what
refer to. pattered on the the surroundings of the
shed.” narrator might be like.
23 Oxymoron A figure of speech in “There was a To create irony/establish
which contradictory little crowd.” sarcasm.
terms appear side by
side. To make it more
memorable/interesting.
24 Personification A figure of speech in “The tree danced To give his raw
which an inanimate back and forth in experiences the qualities
object is endowed the wind.” of something the reader
with human qualities can compare with and feel
or abilities. his raw experiences
better.
25 Personal Pronoun / I “I collected To showcase that the
First Person woods and was events are personal/to
about to start the make it easier to convey
fire.” his ideas.

To increase the writer’s

credibility/reliability.

To make it more
believable.
26 Patronising tone Looking down on “I’ve been there To establish that he knows
something. and I know. Don’t more and persuade and
send your kids to engage the reader.
Watford.”
27 Paradox A statement that “Drowning in the To make it more
appears to contradict fountain of memorable to the reader.
itself. eternal life.”

“Deep down,
you’re really
shallow.”
28 Rhetorical Question “What do we do To establish a sense of
now?” communication with the
readers which makes the
passage more personal
and engages the readers.
29 Rule of Three A trio of “…ate, slept and To present a list or a set of
events/characters/ read.” information in a way
Phrases, etc. “filter, wash, and which interests the
dry.” readers.
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©Muhammad Naimur Rahman
Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn
IGCSE English Language B (9-1) SECTION A: NOTES

30 Simile A stated comparison “The clouds were To help the readers reflect
(usually formed with like cotton his raw
“like” or “as”) candies.” experience/emotions and
between two visualize better by
fundamentally comparing with
dissimilar things that something similar that
have certain qualities they can visualize.
in common.
31 Short He did it. To create a sudden
Sentences/Paragraphs change of tone or
information / to create
drama or suspense which
interests the readers.
32 Subheadings/Bullet To make the text more
Points organized
To make the text neat and
clean, and more precise;
and better conveying of
the writer’s ideas.
33 Sources (Authentic) / “…was written To make the
Statistics / Facts about in the writing/facts/information
National more reliable and
Geographic engaging.
Magazine.”
34 Sense of Smell Sensory description “It smelled of To create a better
involving the smell. rotten timber.” understanding of the
writer’s atmosphere and
“…the pile of old surroundings.
clothes had a
smell of rotten
eggs.”
35 Third Person He/She/It “He was sitting To give the readers more
there with no idea about someone’s
worries, ignorant situation/surroundings.
of the fact that a
tiger was sniffing
its way towards
him, looking for
food.”
36 Tricolon/Triplets The writer uses three “every gun that is To present a
words, phrases or made, every description/information
sentences combined warship about something in a
to make a single, launched, every broad manner.
powerful expression. rocket fired
signifies…” To emphasise your point
in a pithy and memorable
way.

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©Muhammad Naimur Rahman
Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn
IGCSE English Language B (9-1) SECTION A: NOTES

37 Technical words/ Words or expressions “You won’t To reflect that he is an

Jargons used by members of a understand expert on the topic he is
profession. HTML and talking about and rely and
JavaScript if you engage the readers to his
don’t know what words.
C++ is…”
38 Tautology A statement that says “Forward To emphasise.
the same thing twice planning”
in different ways.
“It’s a free gift.”
39 Understatement A figure of speech in “The grave’s a To make it sound less
which a writer fine and private important or serious.
deliberately makes a place.”
situation seem less
important or serious
than it is.
40 Zoomorphism Animal characteristics “The roar of the To give his raw
given to objects or ocean.” experiences the qualities
humans of something the reader
“He was lurking can compare with and feel
like a beast the experience better.
waiting to devour
his enemy.”

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©Muhammad Naimur Rahman
Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn