Sound Devices
What is alliteration?
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
What is a simile?
the comparison of two things using "like" or "as"
Define rhetoric.
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other writing techniques
Define and give an example of a prepositional phrase.
a modifying phrase consisting of a preposition and its object.
ex. At home
At = preposition; home = noun.
What is setting?
The time and place a story takes place.
What is onomatopoeia?
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle )
What is a metaphor?
The comparison of two things using the verb "to be"
What is a rhetorical device and why is it used?
A rhetorical device uses words in a certain way to convey meaning or to persuade. It can also be a technique to evoke an emotion on the part of the reader or audience.
In writing, what does the colon look like and when is it used?
:
1. Use colons after complete sentences
Ex. I have two favorite foods: pizza and sushi.
2. Use colons to format lists
Ex. We need the following from the store: eggs, milk, cheese.
What is direct characterization?
Direct characterization is how an author tells his or her reader about a character. Direct characterization occurs when the author specifically reveals traits about the character in a direct, straightforward manner.
What is assonance?
rhyme in which the same vowelsounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables ofthe rhyming words, as in penitent and reticence.
Symbolism
the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Describe alliterative language in its usage as a rhetorical device.
When the author includes the recurrence of initial consonant sounds - rubber baby buggy bumpers - it attracts the reader's attention.
What is a participial phrase and when is it used?
A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed. The term verbal indicates that a participle, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, since they function as adjectives, participles modify nouns or pronouns.
Ex. The crying baby had a wet diaper.
A participial phrase is a group of words consisting of a participle and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the participle, such as:
Removing his coat, Jack rushed to the river.
What are the three types of irony?
Verbal, dramatic, situational
What is consonance?
the use of the repetition of consonants or consonant patterns as a rhyming device
What is an allusion?
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or event. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including fiction, folklore, historical events, or religious manuscripts.
What is an appeal to authority?
Insisting that a claim is true simply because a valid authority or expert on the issue said it was true, without any other supporting evidence offered.
What is an appositive phrase and why is it used?
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words.
Ex. The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.
Why is it important to determine an author's perspective?
To determine how the author feels about the subject in which he/she is writing.
What is slant rhyme?
a rhyme in which the vowel sounds are not identical, such as years and yours
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words.
(She is pregnant.)
What are the three rhetorical appeals? Define them.
What is parallelism and why is it used?
Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter.
This method adds balance and rhythm to sentences, giving ideas a smoother flow and thus persuasiveness, because of the repetition it employs.
How does an author create tone?
Tone is defined as the writer's attitude toward the reader or the subject matter of a literary work. An author may be serious, humorous, sarcastic, playful, angry and so forth. The tone may remain constant, or it may vary in degree of intensity, or shift entirely at some point in the piece of writing.
It is created through diction (word choice), syntax (sentence construction and word order), and what is the focal point of the passage.