Match each prose extract below to the dominant literary device or stylistic feature of diction it demonstrates.
- The old locomotive grunted, groaned, and spat a thick plume of black soot into the night air as it dragged its aching body up the steep incline.Personification
- The court bailiff announced the judgment in pristine, archaic legalese, shrouding plain facts in elaborate cloaks of pompous erudition.Pedantic/Formal Diction
- Standing alone in the chaotic silence of the ruined compound, the exile contemplated his bitter joy.Oxymoron
- Her words were a sharp razor's edge that cleanly sliced through every comforting illusion he had built over the years.Metaphor
Answer
The passage describing the locomotive's physical suffering matches Personification; the passage detailing archaic legalese matches Pedantic/Formal Diction; the passage featuring 'chaotic silence' and 'bitter joy' matches Oxymoron; and the passage comparing words directly to a razor's edge matches Metaphor.
Each extract uniquely aligns with its designated device or style element: human bodily attributes given to a machine represent personification; elevated scholarly word choices represent pedantic/formal diction; adjacent opposing words form an oxymoron; and direct non-similative figurative assertion constitutes a metaphor.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Literary Devices, Diction, and Style in Prose