English lesson plan · 12th grade (Year 13 in England) · 45 minutes
Advanced figures: metonymy, synecdoche, apostrophe, conceit, allegory, bathos
Vocabulary
CCSS L.11-12.5.ACCSS RL.11-12.4England: A-level English LiteratureEngland: AP LiteratureEngland: GCSE English Literature
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Advanced figures: metonymy, synecdoche, apostrophe, conceit, allegory, bathos.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Euphemism, oxymoron, paradox and understatement; Naming language techniques (GCSE)
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Word cards, A thesaurus or dictionary, A short text with the target words, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Euphemism, oxymoron, paradox and understatement; Naming language techniques (GCSE)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which figure of speech matches this description? A compact phrase that combines opposite ideas, such as 'cruel kindness'. (understatement / oxymoron / paradox / euphemism) → oxymoronPrompt: Ask: does it soften, combine opposites in two words, seem self-contradictory as a whole idea, or downplay?
- Which technique matches this description? Repeating 's' and 'sh' sounds, often to create a soft or sinister effect. (metaphor / personification / juxtaposition / sibilance) → sibilancePrompt: Recall the key test for each technique: like/as? human actions? weather? s-sounds? exaggeration? contrast?
- Which figure of speech is used here? Less is more. (understatement / euphemism / oxymoron / paradox) → paradoxPrompt: Two contradictory words side by side → oxymoron; a whole statement that seems impossible → paradox.
Hook · 5 min
- Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
- Share the objective: Advanced figures: metonymy, synecdoche, apostrophe, conceit, allegory, bathos. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which figure of speech matches this description? A sudden, often comic, drop from the serious to the trivial.
- Step 1: Advanced figures substitute (metonymy, synecdoche), address (apostrophe), compare ingeniously (conceit), encode ideas (allegory) or deflate (bathos).
- Step 2: bathos: A sudden, often comic, drop from the serious to the trivial.
- Step 3: So the answer is: bathos
- Answer: bathos
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which figure of speech matches this description? A sudden, often comic, drop from the serious to the trivial. (bathos / metonymy / apostrophe / synecdoche) → bathosPrompt: Part for whole → synecdoche; associated thing → metonymy.
- Which figure of speech is used here? She finally bought her own set of wheels. (bathos / conceit / metonymy / synecdoche) → synecdochePrompt: Is a part standing for the whole, or a related thing standing for something else?
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Type the figure of speech (in English) that matches this description. Referring to something by a closely associated thing, not a part of it. → metonymyPrompt: Part for whole → synecdoche; associated thing → metonymy.
- Which figure of speech matches this description? Referring to something by a closely associated thing, not a part of it. (metonymy / apostrophe / synecdoche / allegory) → metonymyPrompt: Part for whole → synecdoche; associated thing → metonymy.
Watch out for
- Picking a "bigger" synonym that doesn't fit the meaning.
- Ignoring the clues in the rest of the sentence.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Euphemism, oxymoron, paradox and understatement.
- Use concrete materials: word cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-12.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder