Vocabulary

Figurative Language

DEF: language that communicates ideas beyond the ordinary or literal meaning of words.

SYN: Figures of speech

EX: Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole, Onomatopoeia, Personification

Simile DEF: a comparison of 2 unlike things in which ‘like’ or ‘as’ is used

EX: good as gold; pale as a ghost; spread like wildfire

Metaphor DEF: figure of speech that makes a comparison between 2 things that are basically different but have something in common

EX: Her hair was silk; in the evening of life

Hyperbole DEF: intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect

EX: mile-high ice cream cones

Personification DEF: form of metaphor in which language relating to human action, motivation, & emotion is used to refer to non-human agents or objects or abstract concepts

EX: The stuffed bear smiled as the little boy hugged him; the weather is smiling on us today; love is blind

Onomatopoeia DEF: the use of a word whose sound suggests its meaningEX: buzz, screech, hiss, jingle, cluck, woof, roar

Idiom DEF: a phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say

EX: on cloud nine; over his head

Alliteration DEF: the repetition of initial consonant sounds in words

EX: The wild walrus waits and wonders when we'll walk by.

Assonance DEF: the repetition of vowel sounds without the repetition of consonantsEX: tilting at windmills, Adam’s apple, lake & fake

Consonance DEF: the repetition of consonant sounds within & at the ends of words

EX:think & blank, strong & string, lonely afternoon.

Allusion DEF: a reference in literature (or in visual or performing arts) to a familiar person, place, thing, or eventEX: He lies so much; I am surprised his nose has not grown like Pinocchio’s.

Rhyme DEF: repetition of sounds at the ends of words

EX: light, night;sky, why, sigh;lay, weigh

Rhyme Scheme DEF: the pattern in which rhyme sounds occur in a stanza; usually indicated by same letter of the alphabet to each similar soundEX:Dashing through the snow (a)In a one-horse open sleigh (b)O’er the fields we go (a)Laughing all the way (b)

Rhythm DEF: the pattern of stressed & unstressed syllables in a line of poetryEX:Ding Dong! The witch is dead!Which old witch?The wicked witch!(stressed syllables are underlined)

Stanza DEF: a recurring grouping of 2 or more verse lines of the same length, metrical form, & often rhyme schemeEX:

Verse DEF: a unit of poetry such as a stanza or line

EX:

Symbol DEF: a person, place, or object that represents something beyond itselfEX:Bald eagle for America

Imagery DEF: words & phrases that create vivid sensory experience for the reader; may also appeal to the senses of smell, hearing, taste, or touchEX:

Extended Metaphor

DEF: a comparison between unlike things that serves as a unifying element throughout a series of sentences or a whole piece; helps to describe a scene, an event, a character, or a feeling.EX:

Cliché DEF: a phrase or expression which lacks significance due to overuse

EX: it rained cats & dogs

Irony DEF: the contrast between expectation & reality; surprises the reader or viewer

EX:

Jargon DEF: language used in a certain profession or by a particular group of people

EX: text jargon – LOL, BTWbaseball jargon – sac fly, bunt