Starter quiz
- In 'Neutral Tones', the quotation "starving sod" is an example of which language technique?
- simile
- rhyme
- alliteration ✓
- assonance
- repetition
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- 'Neutral Tones' was written during the ______ era.
- Elizabethan
- Jacobean
- Victorian ✓
- Edwardian
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- Which of the following words completes this quote from 'Neutral Tones': "We stood by a pond that ______ day"?
- autumn
- winter ✓
- spring
- summer
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- Which two of these quotes from 'Neutral Tones' contain a simile?
- "the sun was white, as though chidden of God" ✓
- "some words played between us to and fro"
- "The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing"
- "A grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing..." ✓
- "love deceives and wrings with wrong"
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- Hardy mentions two colours in 'Neutral Tones'. What are they?
- grey and white ✓
- black and red
- yellow and brown
- green and pink
- silver and gold
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- How many lines does 'Neutral Tones' have?
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16 ✓
- 18
-
Exit quiz
- Which of these techniques means 'attributing human characteristics to non-human entities for effect'?
- alliteration
- simile
- personification ✓
- metaphor
- symbolism
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- What is an oxymoron?
- a list of similar items, placed together for effect
- two words that have similar ending sounds
- combining two opposing ideas for effect ✓
- using 'like' or 'as' to compare two things to emphasise their shared qualities
- using two contrasting ideas at the beginning and end of a line of poetry
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- Which of the following quotes from 'Neutral Tones' is an example of an oxymoron?
- "grin of bitterness" ✓
- "like an ominous bird a-wing"
- "greyish leaves"
- "God-curst sun"
- "enough to have strength to die"
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- In 'Neutral Tones', Hardy suggests that the speaker blames __________ for the breakdown of their relationship.
- fate
- their partner
- love ✓
- that day
- themself
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- Complete this sentence: Hardy's use of pathetic fallacy, __________ and __________ in stanza 1 of 'Neutral Tones' creates a pessimistic tone.
- an oxymoron
- colour imagery ✓
- symbolism ✓
- alliteration
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- Why might you use square brackets ([]) in your analytical paragraph?
- to correct your own spelling mistake
- to slightly modify a quote to fit the structure of your sentence ✓
- to add in something your forgot to include earlier
- to add extra detail to your explanation
- to include a quote from the poem
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Hardy uses colour imagery to create a bleak and barren emotional landscape.
- Hardy uses an oxymoron to convey the hostile and hopeless nature of the relationship.
- Hardy uses personification to suggest how he feels misled by love.
- Hardy uses ominous imagery to show how the relationship was ill-fated.
- Analytical paragraphs should consider a writer’s meaning, use of language and purpose.
Common misconception
You need to include a reference to the wider context in every analytical paragraph.
The best analytical responses only include relevant pieces of context and weave it subtly throughout. It is important to include context in your answer but it isn't necessary to include it in every paragraph.
Keywords
Ominous - foreboding; suggests something bad will happen.
Hostile - unfriendly or unwelcoming.
Oxymoron - a language technique which combines two opposite ideas.
Colour imagery - vivid descriptions of colours to evoke emotions or ideas.
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