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Metalanguage Vocabulary Match

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Metalanguage Vocabulary Match

Read the mini-scene, then solve each task. Use precise metalanguage and quote evidence where asked. Australian spelling is used.

The storm warning

Read this original scene. It contains several examples of metalanguage in action.

The sky was a bruised purple, and the clouds sulked above the oval. “This storm is a monster,” said Talia. Rain hammered the footpath like a thousand tiny drums. A fierce gust snatched her umbrella, and the streetlights blinked nervously. “Is anyone really going to walk home in this?” Talia asked. She believed the weather had turned dangerous, but the council’s alert stated that damaging winds were expected after 6 pm. Talia grabbed her bag and hurried towards the library.

Name the language move

Choose or write the metalanguage term that best fits each example. Terms may be used more than once.

1.Match each term to its definition: metaphor; simile; emotive language; opinion; pathetic fallacy; rhetorical question; triple.

metaphor
simile
emotive language
opinion
pathetic fallacy
rhetorical question
triple

A group of three, or three times as much
A personal belief or judgement
Words chosen to stir a reader’s feelings
A comparison that says one thing is another
A question asked for effect, not an answer
Nature or weather is given human feelings
A comparison using “like” or “as”

2.In “This storm is a monster”, identify the technique and explain briefly how it shapes the reader’s impression of the storm.

3.Which phrase from the scene is a simile?

“the clouds sulked”
“like a thousand tiny drums”
“the streetlights blinked nervously”
“damaging winds were expected”

4.Name the technique in “the clouds sulked”. Explain what human feeling is given to nature.

5.“A fierce gust snatched her umbrella” uses the word “fierce”. What effect might this emotive word have on the reader?

6.“Is anyone really going to walk home in this?” is a rhetorical question. What idea does Talia want the reader to consider?

7.Which statement is an opinion rather than a verifiable fact?

The alert stated that damaging winds were expected after 6 pm.
Talia hurried towards the library.
The weather had turned dangerous, Talia believed.
Rain fell on the footpath.

8.Write the triple of action verbs used to describe what the gust did to Talia’s umbrella and what Talia did next. What is the effect of grouping three actions?

9.Rewrite “The rain fell on the road” using a simile that makes the storm sound intense. Then label the technique you used.

10.The final sentence mentions the library. Is this an opinion or a fact within the scene? Give a reason for your answer.