Exercices C2 : les effets de style en anglais (corrigé)

Ces exercices vous permettent de mettre en pratique votre connaissance des figures de style en anglais abordées dans le cours. Identifiez, complétez et analysez des exemples tirés de textes littéraires, discours et chansons.

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Exercice 1 — Identifier les figures de style

Pour chaque extrait en anglais, choisissez la figure de style correctement illustrée parmi les quatre propositions.

1. "The world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players." (Shakespeare) — What stylistic device is primarily used here?
2. "I've told you a million times to clean your room!" — What stylistic device does this sentence illustrate?
3. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." — What stylistic device is at work in this sentence?
4. "The wind whispered through the trees." — What stylistic device does this phrase demonstrate?

Correction

1. Metaphor — the world is directly compared to a stage without using 'like' or 'as', making it a metaphor.
2. Hyperbole — the expression 'a million times' is a deliberate and extreme exaggeration used for emphasis.
3. Alliteration — the repeated 'p' sound at the beginning of successive words creates a clear alliterative effect.
4. Personification — the wind is given the human ability to whisper, attributing a human characteristic to a natural element.

Exercice 2 — Associer définition et figure de style

Associez chaque définition à la figure de style en anglais qu'elle décrit. Rédigez votre réponse sous forme de phrase complète.

1. Match this definition with the correct stylistic device: 'A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction, such as "deafening silence" or "living death".'
2. Match this definition with the correct stylistic device: 'The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences, as in Martin Luther King's "I have a dream".'
3. Match this definition with the correct stylistic device: 'A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt, such as saying "passed away" instead of "died".'
4. Match this definition with the correct stylistic device: 'A comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as", such as "Her voice is as smooth as silk".'

Correction

1. Oxymoron — this device places two contradictory or opposing terms side by side to create a striking and paradoxical effect.
2. Anaphora — this device involves the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive sentences or clauses for rhetorical effect.
3. Euphemism — this device softens or masks a harsh reality by replacing a direct or uncomfortable term with a gentler, more indirect expression.
4. Simile — this device makes an explicit comparison between two different things by using the connecting words 'like' or 'as'.

Exercice 3 — Compléter les figures de style

Complétez chaque phrase en anglais en choisissant le mot ou groupe de mots qui permet d'identifier ou de compléter correctement la figure de style mentionnée.

1. "Life is ___ a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get." (Forrest Gump) — This sentence is a simile because it uses the word ___ to draw a comparison.
2. "She sells seashells by the ___shore." — The repetition of the 's' sound at the beginning of each word is a classic example of ___, a stylistic device that creates rhythm and musicality.
3. "The classroom was ___ a graveyard — not a single student dared to speak." — The direct equation of the classroom with a graveyard, without using 'like' or 'as', makes this sentence a ___.
4. "I ___ a dream. I ___ a dream that one day this nation will rise up." (Martin Luther King) — The repetition of the same phrase at the start of each sentence is the hallmark of ___, a powerful rhetorical device.

Correction

1. "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get." — This sentence is a simile because it uses the word 'like' to draw an explicit comparison between life and a box of chocolates.
2. "She sells seashells by the seashore." — The repetition of the 's' sound at the beginning of each word is a classic example of alliteration, a stylistic device that creates rhythm and musicality.
3. "The classroom was a graveyard — not a single student dared to speak." — The direct equation of the classroom with a graveyard, without using 'like' or 'as', makes this sentence a metaphor.
4. "I have a dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up." — The repetition of the same phrase at the start of each sentence is the hallmark of anaphora, a powerful rhetorical device.