Definitions
What is a comparison using "like" or "as" called?
What is a simile?
"the kitchen smells like Sunday before Sunday even arrives"
What is smell?
"it was like an old coat, familiar and heavy and good"
What is a simile?
"Her hands wouldn't stop shaking as she set down the glass"
What is nervous / anxious / scared / uneasy?
Giving human qualities or actions to a non-human thing
What is personification?
"the wooden spoon clacks against the pot"
What is sound?
"garlic bleeding into olive oil"
What is personification?
"He ate three plates and scraped the bowl clean with his finger"
What is hungry / satisfied / he loved it / grateful?
⭐ DAILY DOUBLE — A short vivid piece of writing that captures a moment or character rather than telling a full plot
What is a vignette?
"the winter sky was like brushed aluminum"
What is sight?
"Her hands were the busiest things in the house"
What is a metaphor?
"She laughed at something only she found funny and didn't explain it"
What is confident / unbothered / self-assured / comfortable in her own world?
The difference between these two terms: one is the author's attitude, the other is what the reader feels
What are tone and mood?
the faint yeast-warmth of dough that has been resting since before I woke up"
What are smell and touch?
"She has made this pasta a thousand times and she will make it a thousand more and she does not need to measure anything because her hands already know."
What is repetition?
"He stood in the doorway for a long time before walking in"
What is hesitant / nervous / reluctant / unsure / uncomfortable?
Writing that uses sensory details and actions to reveal emotion rather than stating it directly
What is show-not-tell?
"Whap, whap, whap. Over and over, as if he were tenderizing it"
What is sound?
⭐ DAILY DOUBLE — "It's Canada in a thong"
What is a metaphor?
"She packed his lunch every morning for thirty years and never once asked if he was hungry"
What is love / devotion / dedication / she cared deeply for him?