How to Play
- Give each student (or pair) a bingo card with nine of the 24 devices (printable template on the PDF).
- Read out the definitions in random order. Students tick off the device if they have it.
- First to get three in a row shouts BINGO! First to tick off all nine wins the full house.
- Quick-fire recap at the end: ask three students to give an example from the set text for one of the devices on their card.
The 24 Devices
| Device | Definition |
|---|---|
| Simile | A comparison using 'like' or 'as'. |
| Metaphor | A direct comparison saying one thing is another. |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to non-human things. |
| Alliteration | Repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of words. |
| Onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. |
| Hyperbole | A deliberate, dramatic exaggeration. |
| Oxymoron | Two contradictory words placed together. |
| Sibilance | Repeated 's' or 'sh' sounds for a hissing effect. |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds within words. |
| Pathetic fallacy | Weather or nature reflecting human emotion. |
| Juxtaposition | Placing two opposing ideas side by side. |
| Symbolism | Using an object to represent a bigger idea. |
| Imagery | Language that creates a picture in the mind. |
| Irony | A gap between what is said and what is meant. |
| Euphemism | A softer word for something unpleasant. |
| Rhetorical question | A question asked for effect, not an answer. |
| Repetition | Deliberate repeating of a word or phrase. |
| Enjambment | A line of poetry that runs on without a pause. |
| Caesura | A deliberate pause in the middle of a line. |
| Foreshadowing | A hint of something that will happen later. |
| Motif | A recurring image or idea in a text. |
| Anaphora | Repetition at the start of successive lines. |
| Zoomorphism | Giving animal qualities to humans or objects. |
| Tricolon | A list of three for emphasis. |
Differentiation Ideas
Support
- • Use only 12 simpler devices for KS3
- • Provide the full definitions glossary on the desk
- • Pair students so they can discuss before ticking
- • Use visuals on the card instead of just words
Stretch
- • Ask winners to give an original example of the device
- • Add rarer devices (polysyndeton, asyndeton, litotes)
- • Run a second round where students write the definitions themselves
- • Link each device to a quotation from the current text
Use in Classroom - Tips
- Pre-cut cards: Cut the bingo cards in advance. It saves valuable lesson time.
- Reuse cards: Laminate for reuse across classes.
- Prize, not trinket: The fastest way to get engagement is a tiny token prize - a stamp or a house point.
- Follow-up task: Winners write a four-sentence paragraph using three of the devices from their card. Keeps stretch going.