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