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Comprehension · Guide 4 of 6

Language and effect

Writers choose words to make you see, hear and feel things. These questions ask you to name the technique and, more importantly, explain its effect.

Ages 9 to 11
11+ Comprehension
Worked examples

What is it?

Language questions ask about the writer's choice of words: a simile, a metaphor, personification, a powerful verb or adjective. 'Effect' means what the words make the reader picture, think or feel.

Naming the technique might get a mark, but most marks go to explaining why it works in this passage.

Three techniques to know

Simile: Compares two things using 'like' or 'as'.; The boats tugged at their ropes like restless dogs.
Metaphor: Says one thing is another, without 'like' or 'as'.; The sea was a hungry wolf.
Personification: Gives a thing human (or animal) actions or feelings.; The lighthouse blinked awake.

How to spot it

'What technique is used in…?', 'Find a simile', 'Why has the writer used…?'.
'What effect does … have?', 'How does the writer make … seem…?', 'Explain what the phrase suggests'.

Step-by-step method

Step 1: Find the phrase and name the technique (simile, metaphor, personification, powerful verb).
Step 2: Say what is being compared to what, in plain words.
Step 3: Think: what does that thing make you picture or feel? (Restless dogs: eager, straining, hard to control.)
Step 4: Link it back to the passage: what does this tell us about the setting, character or mood?
Step 5: Write: technique + quotation + 'This suggests…' + effect on the reader.

Worked examples

Example 1: a simile

Question: Explain the effect of 'the fishing boats were tugging at their ropes like restless dogs'.

Step 1: Technique: a simile (it uses 'like').
Step 2: Compared: the boats and dogs straining at their leads.
Step 3: Effect: the boats seem alive and desperate to break free, which shows how strong the wind and waves are and makes the scene feel tense.

Answer: The simile makes the boats seem like living animals pulling to escape, showing how wild the storm is and building tension.

Example 2: personification

Question: How does the writer make the lighthouse seem alive?

Step 1: Technique: personification: 'blinked awake' and 'its long white arm'.
Step 2: Blinking and waking up, and having an arm, are human actions.
Step 3: Effect: the lighthouse seems like a watchful guard waking up to look over the sea, which reminds us that night has come and Grandad is still out there.

Answer: Personification ('blinked awake', 'arm') makes the lighthouse seem like a guard keeping watch, adding to the worried mood.

Example 3: a comparison without 'like'

Question: What does 'the sky had turned the colour of a bruise' suggest?

Step 1: It compares the sky to a bruise without 'like' or 'as', so it works like a metaphor.
Step 2: Bruises are dark purple and grey, and they come from being hurt.
Step 3: So the sky is dark and stormy, and the word 'bruise' hints that something bad or painful may happen.

Answer: The sky is dark purple and grey, and 'bruise' hints at danger or pain to come.

Common traps

Naming without explaining
'It's a simile' scores little on its own. Always say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
Vague effects
'It makes it more interesting' or 'it helps you imagine it' could be said about anything. Be specific to this phrase.
Mixing up simile and metaphor
Look for 'like' or 'as'. If they are there, it's a simile.

Top tips

Zoom in on one powerful word (e.g. 'tugging', 'bruise') and say what it suggests.
Useful phrases: 'This suggests…', 'This creates a sense of…', 'The reader imagines…'.

Practice questions

Read the passage

The Harbour

1The storm had been building all afternoon. By the time Maya reached the harbour, the sky had turned the colour of a bruise, and the fishing boats were tugging at their ropes like restless dogs.

2She pulled her coat tighter and scanned the quay for her grandfather's red boat. It wasn't there.

3Her stomach tightened. Grandad always came back before four o'clock; he said the sea kept its promises only until teatime. Maya checked her watch: ten past five.

4Behind her, the lighthouse blinked awake, sweeping its long white arm across the waves.

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