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Year 8

Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere

I can use figurative language to establish a foreboding atmosphere in my Gothic writing.

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Year 8

Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere

I can use figurative language to establish a foreboding atmosphere in my Gothic writing.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Figurative language is words or phrases that are meaningful, but not literally true.
  2. Figurative language can be used to create vivid imagery.
  3. When choosing an object for comparison, you need to consider the atmosphere you are trying to create.
  4. For Gothic descriptions, try to compare your setting to an object of fear or disgust so that you can unsettle the reader
  5. Always choose vocabulary that contributes to the atmosphere you are trying to create.

Keywords

  • Figurative language - words or language that are meaningful, but not literally true

  • Foreboding - a feeling that something bad will happen

  • Ethereal - extremely delicate and light in an otherworldly-way

  • Gnarled - knobbly, rough and twisted with age

  • Angular - having sharp angles or corners

Common misconception

Pupils do not understand that they have to think carefully about their use of figurative language and plan it before they begin writing.

Students need to consider carefully what kind of atmosphere they are trying to create. When comparing their setting to something else, the 'something else' needs to fit with the atmosphere they are aiming to create.


To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Before the writing task in learning cycle 2, it might be nice to brainstorm ideas with the class, so that they have as many options to choose from as possible when they come to writing their ideas up in the task. Get students to justify their object of comparison.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a simile?
when the weather reflects the mood (usually of the main character)
giving something that is not an animal, animal characteristics
Correct answer: using 'like' or 'as' to compare two things that are not the same
comparing two things that are not the same, by stating that one 'is' the other
when the word sounds like the noise it represents
Q2.
What is pathetic fallacy?
Correct answer: when the weather reflects the mood (usually of the main character)
giving something that is not an animal, animal characteristics
using 'like' or 'as' to compare two things that are not the same
comparing two things that are not the same, by stating that one 'is' the other
when the word sounds like the noise it represents
Q3.
Which of the following is an example of onomatopoeia?
shout
hurt
Correct answer: hush
quiet
Correct answer: screech
Q4.
Which of the following is an example of zoomorphism?
The lightning cracked like a whip overhead
Correct answer: The teacher hissed an inaudible silencing command in his direction
The trees danced freely in the warm summer breeze
Correct answer: She could see him, prowling through the aisles, his narrow eyes flashing
They came thundering down the corridor like a herd of wild elephants
Q5.
What might 'angular' mean?
soft and curved
smooth and flawless
Correct answer: having sharp turns or corners
unappealing and unattractive
stiff and still
Q6.
Starting with the first, put the following words in order from most loud to least loud.
1 - screeched
2 - screamed
3 - shouted
4 - spoke
5 - murmured
6 - whispered

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is 'figurative language'?
language that you have to decode to work out what the writer is trying to say
any language method that a writer can use
Correct answer: language that is meaningful, but not literally true
any language that creates vivid imagery in the reader's mind
Q2.
Which of the following are figurative language methods?
Correct answer: simile
onomatopoeia
Correct answer: zoomorphism
assonance
repetition
Q3.
What is a 'foreboding' atmosphere?
when the weather reflects the mood of the main character
a positive and reassuring atmosphere
Correct answer: a sense that something bad might happen
when the writer hints at what is to come
when the writer moves the text forward into the future
Q4.
Why is using figurative language useful in descriptive writing?
it makes your writing sound more sophisticated
it makes your reader like your characters more
Correct answer: it creates vivid imagery by giving the reader a point of comparison
it creates a sense of uncertainty for the reader
Q5.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'gnarly' correctly?
He lived about three miles away, in a gnarly neighbourhood.
Correct answer: The great trees had thick and gnarly branches.
Correct answer: The old man's gnarly fingers were knotted together tightly.
She had thick, fluttering eyelashes that were gnarly.
The dog's tail was gnarly and wagging.
Q6.
Imagine you are writing a Gothic description of a lady's face. Which of the following animals might you compare her face to?
a dolphin
Correct answer: a panther
a lion
a hawk