denotationdenotation
the literal meaning of a word
Example:
Home: where you live
connotationconnotationthe associations and
emotional meaning that go beyond the literal meaning of a word.
Example:
Home: a place where we find security, love, family and comfort.
imageryimageryUsing words or figurative
language to create sensory impressions, or
mental pictures, of objects, feelings, sounds
or ideas.As the last seconds ticked down, the fans gripped their chilled drinks in
anticipation. After the clock hit zero, the yellow and black suits stormed the green beaten field. They cried in excitement and exhaustion while they hugged teammates. The head coach was showered with freezing cold
Gatorade that soaked every inch of his body.
alliterationalliterationThe repetition of the
same consonant sounds in a sequence of words,
usually at the beginning of a word
Example:
The big brown bear bought bananas.
assonanceassonanceThe repetition of the same vowel sounds
followed by different consonant sounds in a
sequence of words, at the beginning, middle, or end
of a word. Example:
I tried to hide at the side of my ride.
symbolsymbolA person, object, image, word, or even event that stands for itself and an additional, usually more
abstract, meaning than its literal meaning.
Examples:
A rose is a symbol of love.
allusionallusionA brief, indirect reference to a person, place, thing, event,
or idea in literature or history. Example:
Sally didn’t like to spend money. She was no Scrooge, but
she seldom purchased anything except the bare necessities.
hyberbolehyberboleA figure of speech that is
an intentional exaggeration for
emphasis or comic effect Examples:
-I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. -I nearly died
laughing.
similesimile
A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike
things using ‘like’ or ‘as’ Example:
Life is like a box of chocolates.
metaphormetaphor
A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using
‘like’ or ‘as’ Example:
Life is a box of chocolates.
onomatopoeiaonomatopoeia
The use of a word that imitates the sound it
denotes
Example:
Buzz! Snap! Boom! Crash! Boom!
oxymoronoxymoronA word or phrase in
which two seemingly contradictory elements
are used together Examples:
Jumbo shrimp Sweet Tart sweet and sour
understatementunderstatementA figure of speech that
says less than is intended; opposite
of hyperboleIt was kind of windy at my house today.
personificationpersonification
A figure of speech that attributes human
characteristics to inanimate objects
Example:
The flowers smiled up at the sun.
rhymerhymeThe repetition of identical
or similar concluding syllables most commonly
in poetry at the end of lines
If school were more like baseball we'd only have to play. We'd hang out in the sunshine
and run around all day.
We wouldn't have to study. We'd practice and we'd train. And, best of all, they'd cancel
whenever there was rain.
rhythmrhythmThe recurrence of
stressed and unstressed sounds
Example:
Songs on the radio all have different rhythms.
stanzastanzaTwo or more consecutive lines that form a single
unit in a poemMy book report is due today. I haven't finished yet. In fact, I haven't started, which I'm coming to regret.
I haven't even read the book. I put it off so long. I thought I'd have a lot of time. It looks like I was wrong.
Stanza #1
Stanza #2
metermeter
The method of organizing a poem’s rhythm into a
specific formal pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables and the number
of syllables per line
tonetoneThe author’s attitude
toward the characters, subject, or reader of a
literary work; the mood or atmosphere the author’s
attitude creates Examples:
-sorrowful -amusing
-cheerful
idiomidiomAn expression that has a meaning particular to a
language or region
Examples:
-A piece of cake -Break a leg -Hold
your horses
free versefree verse
Poetry that lacks established patterns of
meter, rhyme, and stanza; also called open
form poetry
limericklimerick
A humorous, five-line poem with a fixed rhyme
scheme and meter
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