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Synecdoche - GCSE English Language Definition

Reviewed by: Nick Redgrove

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Synecdoche is a figurative language device. It is when a part of something is used to represent the whole, or the whole is used to represent a part. For example, saying “all hands on deck” means all sailors, not just their hands.

Writers use synecdoche to create vivid images or make their writing more engaging. It can also make language more informal or expressive, especially in speech or descriptive writing.

Example of synecdoche in a GCSE text

In a descriptive writing task for GCSE English Language, a student might write: “The city slept under thousands of roofs.” Here, “roofs” is a synecdoche that stands for homes or people, helping to create a poetic and imaginative picture of the sleeping city.

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Nick Redgrove

Reviewer: Nick Redgrove

Expertise: English Content Creator

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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