Literary Terms

1. Literary Terms

2. Alliteration The repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of the words Examples: • Descending dew drops • She sells seashells by the seashore • The big black bug bit a big blue bear and the big blue bear bled blood.

3. Create your own alliteration phrase using the following letters of the alphabet: A D H M W

4. Allusion A brief, casual reference to a presumably familiar person, historical event, place, literary work, or object. Authors assume that the readers will recognize the original sources and relate their meaning to the new context, therefore they do not explicitly explain the reference and assume the reader will understand the comparison. In other words it is an indirect hint (reference) to something well-known (like a person, place, event, or work of art or literature).

5. Students' Examples When ever a friend would say "your mom" I would laugh, because in 8th grade that was an inside joke between me and a friend because a friend said that he likes to butter his toast and then I said that his mom likes to butter my toast.During election time my friends would all say vote for PedroOk so last year in algebra 1 my teacher was explaining how you can't divide by zero no matter what. So after she got done explaining it I said Chuck Norris can divide by zero.One day in gym we were playing dodge ball and I threw a ball at a kid, and hit him in the head and my friend said boom headshot.When I was in 7th grade my friend had a crush on a girl at locker 284. Now every time someone tells me that they have a crush on someone I say locker 284.

6. Cliché Overused expressions that have lost their original strength and vitality Examples: • “as white as snow” • “busy as bees” • “scared to death”

7. Conflict Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot.

8. Connotation Associations and implications that go beyond the written word; the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its main, or primary meaning; connotation can be negative, positive or neutral Examples: • “statesman” vs. “politician”

9. Denotation It is the dictionary definition of a word; direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression

10. For each pair of words and a phrase, list the one that is positive in the “Positive Connotation” category, the one that is negative in the “Negative Connotation” category, and the phrase that is a more neutral definition for both words in the "Denotation" column. Which is better? ...or… Is the glass half empty or half full? Your Choices: Positive ConnotationDenotationNegative Connotation look steadily a smell sensed by the olfactory nerve Influence one way or another not on time somewhat interested without haste ask of someone a large group Stare Gaze Fragrance Odor persuade brainwash tardy delayed curious nosy lazily leisurely request demand mob gathering

11. less than average build discuss with others watch a young age not having a care not commonly found find fairly priced having an opportunity to be alone firmly confident giving much Skinny Slim Argue Debate Observe Spy Youthful Immature Carefree Irresponsible Unique Strange Detect Snoop Cheap Inexpensive Isolation Privacy Pushy Assertive Generosity Extravagance

12. Foreshadowing Use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the story, often used to build suspense or tension in a story

13. An Aesop's Fable Retold Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

15. Hyperbole A bold exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to be literally true Example: “He ate everything in the house.”

16. Imagery Acommon term for the "mental pictures" writers paint; imagery is made up of all the sensory perceptions referred to in a writing – including visual,auditory, tactile, thermal, olfactory, gustatory, and kinesthetic sensation (movement) ; Examples:  • “the iced branches shed ‘crystal shells’ ” • “the roar of trees, the crack of branches, beating on a box”

17. Irony Simply stated, is the opposite of what's expected...there are three main ways irony is used in literature: a discrepancy or difference between words and their meaning, between what we as readers expect to happen and what does happen, or between appearances and reality in a piece of writing Example: • The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later they were both eaten by a killer whale.

18. Create your own irony using the following topics: School uniforms Battle of the best friends Detention Homework Classroom attendance

19. Metaphor A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, without using the word like or as. Example: Macbeth saying that life is a “brief candle”, “He was a bear, tearing through his dinner without pause.”

20. Onomatopoeia The formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur or crash that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to; words that sound like what they describe or name

21. Oxymoron A shortened form of paradox (see next term) in which two contradictory or opposite words are used together. Example: “sweet sorrow”, “original copy”, “thunderous silence”, “jumbo shrimp”

22. On the lines below, write 3 of your own oxymoron, be creative! :) 1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________

23. Paradox A statement of opposites, contrary to common belief that seems contradictory, unbelievable or absurd, but upon closer inspection, may contain a truth. Example: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”, “I must be cruel only to be kind”

24. Personification Writing that gives inanimate objects, animals, natural forces (like weather), or abstract ideas are given human qualities, characteristics, personalities or actions; Example:  • “On dark nights the houses had mean expressions on their faces” • “The angry wind yelled and scolded us with its vicious fingers”

25. Underline the example of personification. Below the sentence, write what is meant by that example of personification. 1. The wind sang her mournful song through the falling leaves. 2. The microwave timer told me it was time to turn my TV dinner. 3. The video camera observed the whole scene. 4. The strawberries seemed to sing, "Eat me first!" 5. The rain kissed my cheeks as it fell. 6. The daffodils nodded their yellow heads at the walkers.

26. 7. The water beckoned invitingly to the hot swimmers. 8. The snow whispered as it fell to the ground during the early morning hours. 9. The china danced on the shelves during the earthquake. 10. The car engine coughed and sputtered when it started during the blizzard.

27. Point of View The position or perspective from which the story is seen and told

28. Pun Word play when two meanings appear in one word, or in two words of identical sound but different spelling, or in words of similar sound but different meaning. Example:  • “Fang, you very much,” said the vampire to his victim. • “I want some friends to hang around with,” said the little bat to his mother.

29. With the examples below, use the dictionary in your head to first figure out which word has two meanings and write it in the blank space provided. Next write the two meanings in the next two blank spaces. Finally, explain the joke in the final space. Notice that for puns 1-2 the word in question sounds the same and is within the sentence 1. What is black and white and red/read all over? • Word in mental dictionary _________________. • Meaning one_____________________ • Meaning two_____________________ • Explain the pun __________________________________________ 2. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my Electron.' The other says, 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.' • Word in mental dictionary_________________ • Meaning one _____________ • Meaning two _______________ • Explain the pun _________________________________________________

30. For numbers 3-5, the word in question is not within the sentence itself, but the sound is the same. 3. What do Land-O-Lakes and an angry ram have in common? • Word in mental dictionary________________ • Meaning one ____________________ • Meaning two _____________________ • Explain the pun _____________________ 4. What’s the difference between a face and a wrestler? • Word in the mental dictionary__________________ • Meaning one ______________________ • Meaning two ______________________ • Explain the pun _____________________ 5. What do you call a groupie that can’t stop spinning? • Word in the mental dictionary____________________ • Meaning one _________________________ • Meaning two ________________________ • Explain the pun _____________________________

31. Satire Criticizing mankind or society or institutions with sarcasm, wit and humor for the purpose of showing their absurdity and need of improvement. Examples: “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central and the weekly mock newspaper The Onion

32. Simile A very common figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that aren’t often associated by using the words “like”,“as”,“than”,“appears”, or “seems” Example:  • “Mrs. Smith’s coffee is like a punch in the stomach” • “He laughed like a hyena”

33. Symbol Any person, object or action that has additional meaning beyond itself to represent or stand for a more abstract emotion or idea Example:an owl described as “the bird of night” (owl is a symbol of death), or rain accompanying a sorrowful scene in a movie to symbolize tears and sadness and loss

34. Theme The underlying meaning or truth about life or humanity as revealed in a story’s plot and characters, fundamental and universal idea, there can be more than one

35. Tone The attitude of a writer toward a literary work’s subject and its audience as revealed by choice of words and details Example:“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me.” – Walt Whitman

36. Literary Terms: Test Define each of the following terms. • Tone: • Symbol: • Oxymoron: • Connotation: • Denotation:

37. Choose the best answer for the following questions: • A cliché can be defined as __________________. • The formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur or crash that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. • The attitude of a writer toward a literary work’s subject and its audience. • Overused expressions that have lost their original strength and vitality. • The position or perspective from which the story is seen or told. • The underlying meaning or truth about life or humanity as revealed in a story’s plot and characters is more simply known as _________________. • Theme • Symbol • Onomatopoeia • Point of View • The position or perspective from which the story is seen or told is ___________________. • Theme • Symbol • Onomatopoeia • Point of View

38. Alliteration is __________________. • The repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of the words. • The attitude of a writer toward a literary work’s subject and its audience. • Overused expressions that have lost their original strength and vitality. • Criticizing mankind or society or institutions with sarcasm, wit and humor for the purpose of showing their absurdity and need of improvement. • A statement of opposites, contrary to common belief that seems contradictory, unbelievable or absurd, but upon closer inspection, may contain a truth is known as ___________________. • Irony • Paradox • Hyperbole • Metaphor • A ___________________ is a bold exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to be literally true. • Irony • Paradox • Hyperbole • Metaphor

39. ___________________ is the opposite of what's expected. There are three main ways it is used in literature: a discrepancy between words and their meaning, between what is expected and not, or between appearances and reality. • Irony • Paradox • Symbol • Onomatopoeia • Criticizing mankind or society or institutions with sarcasm, wit and humor for the purpose of showing their absurdity and need of improvement is ______________. • Pun • Oxymoron • Satire • Irony • A shortened form of paradox in which two contradictory or opposite words are used together. • Pun • Oxymoron • Satire • Irony

40. A pun can be defined as __________________. • A brief, casual reference to a presumably familiar person, place, or object. • Word play when two meanings appear in one word, or in two words of identical sound but different spelling, or in words of similar sound but different meaning. • A bold exaggerated statement that adds emphasis but not literally true. • Use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the story. • Fill in the blank with the correct term. • The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the story, often used to build suspense or tension in a story is called __________________. • A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, without using the word like or as is a ___________________. • A ___________________ is the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. • A very common figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that aren’t often associated by using the words “like”,“as”,“than”,“appears”, or “seems” is a ______________________.

41. _____________________ is writing that gives inanimate objects, animals, natural forces, or abstract ideas are given human qualities, characteristics, personalities or actions. • The repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of the words is an ____________________. • Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot is more comonly known as ____________________. • A brief, casual reference to a presumably familiar person, historical event, place, literary work, or object is an ____________________. • ____________________ is a common term for the "mental pictures" writers paint. • A ____________________ is an overused expressions that have lost their original strength and vitality.

42. Literary Terms: Test Define each of the following terms. • Tone: • Symbol: • Oxymoron: • Connotation: • Denotation: The attitude of a writer toward a literary work’s subject and its audience as revealed by choice of words and details. Any person, object or action that has additional meaning beyond itself to represent or stand for a more abstract emotion or idea. A shortened form of paradox in which two contradictory or opposite words are used together. Associations and implications that go beyond the written word; the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its main, or primary meaning; connotation can be negative, positive or neutral It is the dictionary definition of a word; direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression.

43. Choose the best answer for the following questions: • A cliché can be defined as __________________. • The formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur or crash that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. • The attitude of a writer toward a literary work’s subject and its audience. • Overused expressions that have lost their original strength and vitality. • The position or perspective from which the story is seen or told. • The underlying meaning or truth about life or humanity as revealed in a story’s plot and characters is more simply known as _________________. • Theme • Symbol • Onomatopoeia • Point of View • The position or perspective from which the story is seen or told is ___________________. • Theme • Symbol • Onomatopoeia • Point of View

44. Alliteration is __________________. • The repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of the words. • The attitude of a writer toward a literary work’s subject and its audience. • Overused expressions that have lost their original strength and vitality. • Criticizing mankind or society or institutions with sarcasm, wit and humor for the purpose of showing their absurdity and need of improvement. • A statement of opposites, contrary to common belief that seems contradictory, unbelievable or absurd, but upon closer inspection, may contain a truth is known as ___________________. • Irony • Paradox • Hyperbole • Metaphor • A ___________________ is a bold exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to be literally true. • Irony • Paradox • Hyperbole • Metaphor

45. ___________________ is the opposite of what's expected. There are three main ways it is used in literature: a discrepancy between words and their meaning, between what is expected and not, or between appearances and reality. • Irony • Paradox • Symbol • Onomatopoeia • Criticizing mankind or society or institutions with sarcasm, wit and humor for the purpose of showing their absurdity and need of improvement is ______________. • Pun • Oxymoron • Satire • Irony • A shortened form of paradox in which two contradictory or opposite words are used together. • Pun • Oxymoron • Satire • Irony

46. A pun can be defined as __________________. • A brief, casual reference to a presumably familiar person, place, or object. • Word play when two meanings appear in one word, or in two words of identical sound but different spelling, or in words of similar sound but different meaning. • A bold exaggerated statement that adds emphasis but not literally true. • Use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the story. • Fill in the blank with the correct term. • The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the story, often used to build suspense or tension in a story is called __________________. • A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, without using the word like or as is a ___________________. • A ___________________ is the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. • A very common figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that aren’t often associated by using the words “like”,“as”,“than”,“appears”, or “seems” is a ______________________. Foreshadowing Metaphor Onomatopoeia Simile

47. Personification • _____________________ is writing that gives inanimate objects, animals, natural forces, or abstract ideas are given human qualities, characteristics, personalities or actions. • The repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of the words is an ____________________. • Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot is more commonly known as ____________________. • A brief, casual reference to a presumably familiar person, historical event, place, literary work, or object is an ____________________. • ____________________ is a common term for the "mental pictures" writers paint. • A ____________________ is an overused expressions that have lost their original strength and vitality. Alliteration Conflict Allusion Imagery Cliché