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MOST IMPORTANT LANGUAGE
TECHNIQUES FOR AQA ENGLISH
LANGUAGE PAPER 1
You do NOT need to memorise 50 techniques. These are the ones that actually come up constantly and get marks.
1. Metaphor
Comparing something WITHOUT “like” or “as”.
Example:
“The city was a jungle.”
Meaning: The city is dangerous/wild.
2. Simile
Comparison using “like” or “as”.
Example:
“He ran like the wind.”
Effect: Creates vivid imagery.
3. Personification
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Example:
“The wind screamed.”
Effect: Makes the setting feel alive or emotional.
4. Pathetic Fallacy ⭐ VERY IMPORTANT
Weather reflecting mood/emotion.
Example:
“Dark clouds gathered overhead.”
Effect: Creates tension or sadness.
5. Sensory Imagery
Appeals to senses:
● sight ● sound ● smell ● touch ● taste
Example:
“The bitter smoke burned his throat.”
Effect: Helps reader imagine scene vividly.
6. Powerful Verbs ⭐ HUGE MARKS
Example:
“He staggered” instead of “walked”
10. Contrast
Opposite ideas together.
Example:
calm setting → sudden chaos
Effect: Highlights change/tension.
11. Semantic Field ⭐ GRADE 8/
TECHNIQUE
Group of related words.
Example: Words about war:
“battle”, “guns”, “soldiers”
Effect: Creates a war-like atmosphere.
12. Symbolism
Something represents deeper meaning.
Example:
Light = hope Darkness = fear
13. Onomatopoeia
Words sounding like sounds.
Example:
“bang”, “crash”, “buzz”
Effect: Makes scene vivid.
14. Short Sentences ⭐ IMPORTANT
Example:
“He stopped.”
Effect: Creates tension/drama.
15. Rhetorical Question
Example:
“What was hiding in the dark?”
Effect: Engages reader/builds mystery.
16. Juxtaposition ⭐ HIGH LEVEL
Two opposite things placed together.
Example:
“The child laughed beside the burning building.”
Effect: Highlights contrast/shock.
SECRET EXAM TIP
You DO NOT get marks for JUST spotting techniques.
BAD:
“This is a metaphor.”
GOOD:
“The metaphor suggests the setting is dangerous and uncontrollable.”
THE GOLDEN ANALYSIS FORMULA
Technique → Quote → Effect
Example:
The writer uses personification in “the wind screamed” to create a frightening atmosphere, making the setting feel aggressive and alive.
QUICK STRUCTURE TECHNIQUES TOO
These are for Q3:
● Foreshadowing ● Flashback ● Cliffhanger ● Shift in focus ● Zooming in/out ● Cyclical structure
LAST THING
If you can’t spot fancy techniques…
Analyse:
● verbs ● adjectives ● imagery
