Literary Terms
What is the difference between tone vs. mood?
Tone is the author’s or narrator’s attitude toward the subject or audience (e.g., sarcastic, serious, playful). Mood is the emotional atmosphere created for the reader (e.g., eerie, cheerful, nostalgic).
"The boy ran like the wind" is an example of what literary term?
Simile
Read this sentence from the passage. Crayfish, for example, have a remarkable safety device at the base of each claw and leg called a “breaking joint.”
Which of the following best matches the author’s connotative meaning of the word “remarkable” as it is used in the sentence? A. unusual B. significant C. extraordinary D. noticeable
C. extraordinary
What is the difference between theme vs. main idea?
The main idea is a specific summary of what a text is mostly about (plot/details), while a theme is a broad, universal life lesson or message inferred from the story. (For example, the main idea of To Kill a Mockingbird is a young girl watching her father defend an unjustly accused black man, while the theme is human morals.)
She walks in and ordered coffee.
The tenses are not consistent. She walks in = present tense. Ordered coffee = past tense. You need to match both of them to present or both of them to past.
Ex. She walks in and orders coffee. OR She walked in and ordered coffee.
What is the difference between a verse and a stanza in poetry?
A verse is one line, a stanza is a group of lines.
What type of figurative language is this?
She sells seashells by the seashore.
We subsequently turned the car around and returned home. The prefix sub- means ”under or after,” and the root sequ means ”follow.”
What is the meaning of subsequently as used in the sentence? A. slowly but surely B. immediately after C. completely D. eventually
B. immediately after
What is suffix and prefix?
Prefixes appear at the beginning (e.g., un- + happy), while suffixes appear at the end (e.g., happy + -ness).
Correct the sentence:
Me and my sister went to the store.
My sister and I went to the store.
The part of the plot where all "loose ends" are tied up and the problem(s) have been solved is known as what?
Resolution
What type of figurative language is this: Deafening silence.
Oxymoron
When weather forecasters predict a tornado, it is advisable for people threatened by the storm to find safe shelter. If the storm destroys property, emergency workers will do their best to accommodate storm victims. For example, they will set up shelters for those who lost homes.
What does the word accommodate mean? A. to provide with something needed B. to soothe and comfort C. to give necessary information D. to investigate in order to report on
A. to prove with something needed
What term is the use of details from the five senses to appeal to the reader? Example: The warm, golden sand between your toes. (Touch)
sensory language
Correct the sentence:
I wanted to go to the game however i had to much homework
I wanted to go to the game; however, I had too much homework.
OR
I wanted to go to the game. However, I had too much homework.
When a person outside the story tells the story and seems all-knowing, this is known as which point of view?
Omniscient point of view
What figurative language is this: Life is a highway.
Metaphor
The wind velocity, or speed of motion, in a violent tornado can reach 300 miles per hour. The effects of such a storm can be catastrophic, killing people and destroying wildlife.
What does the word velocity mean in the paragraph? A. position B. change in direction C. swiftness D. size of something
C. swiftness
What is the term for when a character speaks his thoughts out loud in a drama?
A. Sonnet B. Soliloquy C. Premise D. Nuance
B. Soliloquy
Identify the independent clause and the dependent clause in the following sentence: After her bike ride was over, the girl went to 7/11 and bought a Slurpee.
After her bike ride was over
A contradiction between what is expected and what happens in reality or between what is said and what is really meant describes what literary term?
Irony
A deliberate exaggeration or overstatement such as, "It's a thousand degrees in this classroom," is an example of what literary term?
Hyperbole
Lexy could be tenacious, but my mother’s news put an end to all discussion. The root ten means “hold,“ and the suffix -ious means “characterized by.“
What is the meaning of tenacious as used in the sentence? A. stubborn B. talkative C. cranky D. bossy
A. stubborn
What is the difference between denotation and connotation?
Connotation is what may be suggested by or associated with the meaning of a word (e.g., home may suggest warmth or family)
Denotation is literal meaning of a word (e.g., home is a place where a person lives)
What kind of sentence is this?
I drink hot chocolate, but my sister drinks coffee.
Compound sentence