How to practice: This set collects only the Read Aloud question type from the real DET (Duolingo English Test) — DET Speaking questions. No grading, no timer — solve it yourself, then tap each question to reveal the answer or model response.
Q1 · Read Aloud
The function of metaphor in literary language extends far beyond mere ornamentation; it is the primary mechanism through which abstract concepts are made tangible and unfamiliar experiences are rendered comprehensible. When a poet describes grief as a stone lodged in the chest, the reader is not simply invited to appreciate a clever comparison but to understand something about the physical weight and immobility of sorrow that direct description could not achieve. Canonical works of literature derive much of their enduring power from precisely this capacity to illuminate the interior dimensions of human experience through the precise deployment of figurative language.
Show Pronunciation Tips
metaphor (stress: MET-uh-for) — three syllables, stress on first; ornamentation (stress: or-nuh-men-TAY-shun) — five syllables, stress on fourth; tangible (stress: TAN-jih-bul) — 'g' is soft; canonical (stress: kuh-NON-ih-kul) — stress on second syllable; figurative (stress: FIG-yuh-ruh-tiv) — four syllables, stress on first; comprehensible (stress: kom-prih-HEN-sih-bul) — stress on third syllable.
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