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Word Choice & Figurative Language
Examiners love figurative language questions because they have right answers AND deeper answers. Naming the technique gets you a mark; explaining the effect gets you the top band. This clinic teaches both — naming first, then the effect.
Lesson 1 — Simile vs metaphor
A simile compares two things using "like" or "as". "Her hair was like a waterfall." A metaphor compares two things directly, without "like" or "as". "Her hair was a waterfall." Same image, different technique. If you see "like" or "as" — simile. Otherwise, metaphor. One more technique to recognise: hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration for effect — "I have told you a million times" — and is never meant literally.
The classroom was a beehive: every desk humming, every child busy, no one sitting still.
Which technique is the writer using here?
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Hyperbole