denotation

1
denotation
the literal meaning of a word
Example Home where you
live
2
connotation
the 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.
3
imagery
Using 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.
4
alliteration
The 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.
5
assonance
The 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.
6
symbol
A 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.
7
allusion
A brief, indirect reference to a person, place,
thing, event, or idea in literature or history.
Example Sally didnt like to spend
money. She was no Scrooge, but she seldom
purchased anything except the bare necessities.
8
hyberbole
A figure of speech that is an intentional
exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect
Examples -Im so hungry I could eat a horse.
-I nearly died laughing.
9
simile
A figure of speech that makes a comparison
between two unlike things using like or as
Example Life is like a box
of chocolates.
10
metaphor
A figure of speech that makes a comparison
between two unlike things without using like or
as
Example Life is a
box of chocolates.
11
onomatopoeia
The use of a word that imitates the sound it
denotes
Example Buzz! Snap! Boom!
Crash! Boom!
12
oxymoron
A word or phrase in which two seemingly
contradictory elements are used together
Examples Jumbo shrimp
Sweet Tart
sweet and
sour
13
understatement
A figure of speech that says less than is
intended opposite of hyperbole
It was kind of windy at my house today.
14
personification
A figure of speech that attributes human
characteristics to inanimate objects
Example The flowers smiled up
at the sun.
15
rhyme
The 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.
16
rhythm
The recurrence of stressed and unstressed sounds
Example Songs on the radio all have different
rhythms.
17
stanza
Two or more consecutive lines that form a single
unit in a poem
My 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
18
meter
The method of organizing a poems rhythm into a
specific formal pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables and the number of syllables
per line
19
tone
The authors attitude toward the characters,
subject, or reader of a literary work the mood
or atmosphere the authors attitude creates
Examples -sorrowful
-amusing

-cheerful
20
idiom
An expression that has a meaning particular to a
language or region
Examples -A piece of cake
-Break a leg

-Hold your horses
21
free verse
Poetry that lacks established patterns of meter,
rhyme, and stanza also called open form poetry
22
limerick
A humorous, five-line poem with a fixed rhyme
scheme and meter