Synonyms for said

Tone | Synonyms

Neutral | stated, mentioned, told, explained, added

Happy | exclaimed, cheered, laughed, rejoiced

Sad | muttered, whispered, sobbed, lamented

Angry | shouted, snapped, barked, yelled, argued

Surprised | gasped, exclaimed, stammered, blurted out

Formal | declared, announced, claimed, asserted, informed

Soft/Quiet | murmured, whispered, mumbled, sighed

Synonyms for quote

Use | Synonyms

As a noun ("a quote") | citation, excerpt, extract, saying, passage

As a verb ("to quote someone") | cite, mention, refer to, repeat, recite

FICTION TEXTS

'WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU' BY SUSAN HILL

1. Imagery and Sensory Description:

- "The house felt like a ship at sea, battered by the gale that came roaring across the open
marsh."

- "Windows were rattling everywhere and there was the sound of moaning down all the
chimneys of the house and whistling through every nook and cranny."

- "I had the impression of someone who had just that very second before gone past me on
their way from the top of the stairs to one of the other rooms."

- "The tumult of the wind, like a banshee, and the banging and rattling of the window in its
old, ill-fitting frame."

- These quotes use vivid sensory language and imagery (sight, sound, touch) to create a tense
and eerie atmosphere, enhancing the reader's emotional response.
2. Personification:

- "The tumult of the wind, like a banshee..."

- "The wind boomed and roared without..."

- The wind is given human-like qualities, being compared to a banshee, a supernatural being,
and also described as roaring and booming. This adds to the haunting tone.

3. Contrast and Juxtaposition:

- "The house felt like a ship at sea, battered by the gale... It was unlikely to blow away tonight."

- The comparison between the house and a ship at sea sets up a contrast between the
vulnerability of the ship in the storm and the perceived strength of the house, creating a sense
of unease and building tension. The statement "unlikely to blow away" suggests the narrator's
attempt to calm himself, yet the context implies fear and uncertainty.

4. Flashback and Nostalgia:

- "And then, those memories of childhood began to be stirred again and I dwelt nostalgically
upon all those nights when I had lain in the warm and snug safety of my bed in the nursery at
the top of our family house in Sussex..."

- The use of flashback and nostalgia serves to highlight the contrast between the narrator's
past experiences of comfort and safety and the present eerie situation.

5. Internal Conflict and Dissonance:

- "But then they ceased. There was no living occupant of Eel Marsh House other than myself
and Samuel Daily's dog. Whatever was about, whoever I had seen, and heard rocking, and who
had passed me by just now, whoever had opened the locked door was not 'real'."

- "At that moment I began to doubt my own reality."

- These sentences convey the narrator's internal conflict and uncertainty, creating a sense of
confusion and fear that heightens the suspense.

6. Repetition for Emphasis:

- "I heard that child's terrible cry borne on the gusts towards me."

- The repetition of the cry of the child throughout the passage intensifies the haunting,
persistent nature of the supernatural or psychological threat the narrator faces.
7. Metaphor:

- "The house felt like a ship at sea, battered by the gale."

- Comparing the house to a ship at sea emphasizes the vulnerability of the house in the face of
nature’s power, symbolizing the narrator's sense of helplessness in the situation.

8. Foreshadowing:

- "There was no child. I knew that. How could there be? Yet how could I lie here and ignore
even the crying of some long dead ghost?"

- The mention of "some long dead ghost" foreshadows the supernatural elements that will
unfold later, hinting at the presence of a ghost or spirit in the story.

9. Tone and Mood:

- The tone shifts from initial calm and nostalgia to anxiety and fear. This is evident when the
narrator initially feels safe and nostalgic but is later shaken by the haunting cries and the eerie
presence in the house.

- "I had the impression of someone who had just that very second before gone past me..."

- This creates a chilling, suspenseful mood, enhancing the reader's engagement with the sense
of mystery and fear.

10. Structural Features:

- Pacing: The passage starts slowly, describing the weather and the narrator’s thoughts, then
gradually builds to a faster pace as the tension heightens. The pacing reflects the narrator's
emotional journey from calmness to panic.

- Short sentences: "No. But what was 'real'?"

- This sentence creates a jarring effect, capturing the narrator's sudden realization and his
mental disarray. Short, abrupt sentences contribute to the suspense.

- Symbolic Structure: The house shifts from a symbol of safety to one of fear, mirroring the
narrator’s psychological unravelling.

- Opening and Closing Motifs: The story begins with a secure environment but ends with
uncertainty and fear, emphasizing the narrator’s shift from comfort to dread.

11. Psychological Drama:

- The internal monologue reveals the psychological turmoil of the narrator, adding depth to
the emotional tension.

'NIGHT' BY ALICE MUNRO

1. Quote:

“The roads would be closed, there was no question of digging out a car anyway, and some
horses had to be hitched up to make their way into town to the hospital.”

Analysis:

Language Style: Informal and conversational. The casual tone suggests a reflective memory
rather than a dramatic recounting.

Imagery: "The roads would be closed" and "some horses had to be hitched up" evoke a vivid
image of a rural, bygone era with a sense of hardship.

Juxtaposition: The contrast between modern and traditional forms of transport (car vs. horses)
highlights the disruption caused by the snowstorm.

2. Quote:

“It was just lucky that there were horses still around – in the normal course of events they
would have been given up, but the war and gas rationing had changed all that, at least for the
time being.”

Analysis:

Historical Context: The mention of war and gas rationing provides a socio-political backdrop,
highlighting the historical setting.

Colloquialism: The use of "just lucky" conveys an informal, almost dismissive attitude toward a
serious situation.

Irony: The phrase "just lucky" reflects an ironic take on the necessity of horses, indicating the
speaker's disconnection from the gravity of the situation.

3. Quote:

“Did more appendixes have to be taken out then? I know it still happens, and it is necessary – I
even know of somebody who died because it did not happen soon enough – but as I remember
it was a kind of rite that quite a few people my age had to undergo...”

Analysis:

Repetition: "I know" emphasizes the speaker's certainty and experience.

Reflective Tone: The question "Did more appendixes have to be taken out then?" sets up a
reflective mode, pondering the past in a detached way.

Tone and Irony: The description of the operation as a "rite" with a sense of inevitability reflects
the normalization of the medical procedure at the time.

4. Quote:

“I lay, minus my appendix, for some days, looking out a hospital window at the snow sifting in a
sombre way through some evergreens.”

Analysis:

Imagery: "Snow sifting in a sombre way" creates a melancholic image, amplifying the speaker’s
isolation and perhaps unease after surgery.

Personification: The use of “sifting” as a description of the snow makes it seem almost
deliberate, adding an emotional tone to the natural scene.

5. Quote:

“The thought of cancer never entered my head and she never mentioned it. I don’t think there
could be such a revelation today without some kind of question, some probing about whether it
was or it wasn’t.”

Analysis:

Contrast (Past vs. Present): The speaker contrasts how cancer was treated in the past (as
something not openly discussed) with the present (where it would provoke questioning),
highlighting changing societal attitudes.

Subtle Social Commentary: By comparing the past and present, the speaker comments on the
secrecy and taboo surrounding certain topics in the past.

6. Quote:

“I might do it not for any jealousy, viciousness or anger, but because of madness, which could be
lying right beside me there in the night.”
Analysis:

Stream of Consciousness: This sentence captures the speaker’s disturbed thought process,
revealing inner turmoil and fear in a chaotic manner.

Diction: "Madness" is a powerful word choice that highlights the intensity of the speaker’s
internal conflict and the irrational nature of the thoughts.

Metaphor: The personification of "madness" as something lying beside the speaker introduces a
psychological element, making the internal conflict feel almost external and unavoidable.

7. Quote:

“People have these kinds of thoughts or fears if you like, but there’s no real worry about it, no
more than a dream.”

Analysis:

Reassurance: The father’s tone is reassuring but dismissive, downplaying the speaker’s troubling
thoughts and reflecting the attitudes toward mental health in that era.

Simile: "No more than a dream" compares the thoughts to something fleeting and intangible,
suggesting that they should be disregarded as inconsequential.

8. Quote:

“The east side of our house and the west side looked on two different worlds, or so it seemed to
me.”

Analysis:

Contradiction/Contrast: The statement sets up a stark contrast between the two sides of the
house, which may symbolize different aspects of the speaker’s life or emotional state.

Imagery and Symbolism: The "two different worlds" could be a metaphor for the speaker’s inner
conflict or the distinction between the public and private aspects of life.

Reflective Tone: The phrase "or so it seemed to me" signals that this is a subjective perception,
offering insight into the speaker’s mindset.

9. Quote:

“I became able to find my way around more easily; even the inside of those rooms became
more visible to me and yet more strange.”
Analysis:

Oxymoron: "More visible...more strange" uses an oxymoron to suggest a paradox: familiarity

Psychological Insight: This sentence reflects the speaker’s internal shift, from being familiar with
the environment to feeling alienated within it.

10. Quote:

“I could make out the tongue-in-groove kitchen ceiling put in when the house was built maybe a
hundred years ago...”

Analysis:

Nostalgia: The mention of a “hundred years ago” evokes a sense of nostalgia for the past and
adds depth to the setting, hinting at the family’s long history in the house.

Attention to Detail: The specific mention of the kitchen ceiling illustrates the speaker’s acute
awareness of their surroundings, possibly reflecting their heightened sensitivity in moments of
distress.

11. Quote:

“I could not continue walking, the whole rhythm of it had been broken.”

Analysis:

Metaphor: "The whole rhythm of it had been broken" metaphorically expresses a disruption in
the speaker's internal state, indicating an emotional or psychological disturbance.

Alliteration: The use of the hard "b" sound in "broken" emphasizes the abruptness of the
interruption, mirroring the emotional impact.

Structural Features:

Non-linear Narrative: The story jumps between different memories and moments in time (past
surgery, family life, and inner turmoil), reflecting the fragmented nature of the speaker's
thoughts.

Vivid Scene Descriptions: The narrator uses detailed descriptions of both external (snow, trees)
and internal (mental state) landscapes to create a sense of place and psychological depth.

First-Person Perspective: The narrative is told from a personal perspective, which allows for a
deeper understanding of the speaker’s inner conflict and emotional state.

Pacing: The passage shifts between moments of stillness and rapid internal movement,
mirroring the speaker's restless mind.