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English•SHS Register, Style & Rhetoric

Figures of speech

Senior High 6 questions
AI-drafted from platform data — specialist review scheduledBy DigiTransact Mastermind editorial teamLast updated
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What figures of speech means

This skill helps you spot the special language writers use to compare ideas, add life, or create emphasis. It matters because these expressions often appear in poems, stories and comprehension passages, where you need to explain meaning clearly.

What you will practise

  • Identify similes with 'like' or 'as' in short sentences
  • Spot metaphors that say one thing is another
  • Recognise personification in human actions given to objects
  • Notice hyperbole used for strong exaggeration
  • Choose the correct figure of speech from exam-style questions

Before you start

You should already know the meanings of common words and be able to read short sentences carefully. It also helps if you can tell the difference between literal meaning and imaginative language.

Not confident yet? Work through Register and tone first.

Worked example

One question from this skill's own question bank, shown with its full working.

Question

"The wind whispered through the trees" is an example of:

  • simile
  • personification
  • hyperbole
  • onomatopoeia
Answer: personification

Working: The wind is given a human action (whispering).

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Do not confuse simile with metaphor; check for 'like' or 'as'.
  • Do not treat every strong description as hyperbole; look for exaggeration.
  • Do not miss personification when non-human things act like people.
  • Do not answer too quickly; read the whole sentence before choosing.

Curriculum and exam alignment

Ghana GES SHS syllabusWASSCE

This topic usually comes in the SHS English work on literary devices, language use and interpretation. At SHS 1-3 level, it supports the kind of reading and objective questions you may meet in WASSCE.

Curriculum notes are a general guide to where this work normally sits. Always check the syllabus your school or examination body is currently using.

Related skills

Other SHS Register, Style & Rhetoric skills in English, at the same point in the course.

Other English topics

Early Reading and WritingSHS English and LiteratureAcademic and Professional WritingGrammarVocabularyReading Comprehension

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Exams that assess figures of speech

Senior High work on this skill feeds directly into these exam papers. Each page lists the English topics that appear on it.

WASSCEWASSCE practice questionsFree WASSCE practice across the subjects at this stage, with worked answers.GESGES practice questionsFree GES practice across the subjects at this stage, with worked answers.BECEBECE practice questionsListed as a related subject on the BECE practice page.

How this page was produced

This text was drafted with AI assistance from the questions and topics already stored on the platform. A subject-specialist review is scheduled but has not yet been recorded, so we do not claim it here.

Written by
DigiTransact Mastermind editorial team
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Practise figures of speech

6 questions with a worked answer after every attempt, and a SmartScore that tracks how close you are to mastery.

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