Connotation
"Slim" and "skinny" both mean the same thing: thin. Which was has the more negative connotation?
SKINNY
“Slim” sounds healthy and attractive (positive).
“Skinny” sounds unhealthy or bony (negative).
Same denotation — different feeling.
Which literary device compares two unlike things using the words “like” or “as”?
SIMILE
“She smiled through her tears.”
Which literary device places two opposite ideas side by side for effect?
JUXTAPOSITION
Happiness and sadness are placed together in one image, so each one makes the other feel stronger.
Define it:
What is an ALLUSION?
A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, story, or work of literature.
The writer does not explain it — they trust the reader to already know it.
What do we call the clues an author plants early to hint at what will happen later?
FORESHADOWING
It builds suspense and makes the ending feel earned rather than random.
Fill in the blanks:
The dictionary meaning of a word is its ________.
The feelings attached to a word are its ________.
DENOTATION / CONNOTATION
Denotation = the literal, neutral definition.
Connotation = the emotional “colour” a word carries.
Metaphor or simile?
“Her voice was music to my ears.”
METAPHOR
It says the voice WAS music — a direct comparison
with no “like” or “as.”
Simile version: “Her voice was like music.”
Irony or NOT irony?
“A student who never studies fails a test.”
NOT IRONY
This is exactly what we expect to happen.
Irony needs a GAP between expectation and reality.
“Mia is the Einstein of our class.”
What is the allusion, and what does the sentence really mean?
Albert Einstein, the famous physicist.
The sentence means Mia is exceptionally intelligent without ever using the word “smart.”
“Tom woke up happy. He had no idea that the day would soon take an unexpected turn for the worse.”
What is being foreshadowed?
Something bad is coming — most likely an accident with the power tools he is about to use.
The giveaway phrase: “he had no idea…”
That is a classic foreshadowing signal.
“Nitpicky” has a negative connotation.
From the word bank in your worksheet, what is its POSITIVE partner?
PRECISE
Both mean “wanting things an exact way.”
Precise praises the person; nitpicky criticises them.
Improve this boring sentence using a metaphor or a simile:
“The car engine was loud.”
Ex: The engine was like a "thunderstorm"
Irony or NOT irony?
“A fire station catches on fire.”
IRONY
The one building we expect to be safest from fire
is the one that burns. Expectation and reality clash.
Rewrite using an allusion:
“Jake is very strong.”
Sample answers:
• Jake is the Hercules of our class.
• Jake is a one-man Avengers team.
Complete the definition:
Tone is the author’s ____________ toward the subject or the reader.
ATTITUDE (or feeling)
Tone is created by word choice, imagery, and rhythm. For example: playful, bitter, hopeful, formal, mocking.
What is the purpose behind metaphors and similes?
Because it lets the reader SEE and FEEL the idea. Figurative language turns a statement into an experience and makes it memorable.
Your friend arrives 30 minutes late and you say:
“Perfect timing.”
What is the real meaning? And what literary device is this?
“You are extremely late. This is terrible timing.”
SARCASM: the speaker says the opposite of what they mean, usually with a sharp tone, to criticise or tease.
Rewrite using an allusion:
“The challenge was extremely difficult.”
Sample answers:
• The challenge was our Mount Everest.
• It was a Herculean task.
• Finishing it felt like slaying a dragon.
“Thunder shook the windows. Yuna’s phone battery was at 2%, the hallway lights kept flickering, and an emergency weather alert appeared on her screen.”
Name TWO foreshadowing clues and predict what happens.
Clues (any two): the thunder • the 2% battery • the flickering lights • the emergency alert.
Prediction: the power goes out and her phone dies, leaving her alone in the dark during the storm.
Rank these three words from MOST POSITIVE to MOST NEGATIVE:
bizarre, unusual, unique
1. UNIQUE (positive — special, one of a kind)
2. UNUSUAL (neutral — simply not common)
3. BIZARRE (negative — strange, unsettling)
All three mean “not like other things.”
In Katy Perry’s “Firework,” the listener is compared to a firework.
What does the firework stand for?
The person’s hidden potential and self-worth.
A firework starts small and unnoticed, then explodes into light and colour that everyone stops to watch!
Explain the difference between
IRONY and SARCASM.
IRONY = a gap between what we expect and what happens.
It belongs to the SITUATION. Nobody has to speak.
SARCASM = a speaker deliberately saying the opposite of what they mean, usually to mock. It needs a SPEAKER and a TONE.
Why do writers use allusions instead of simply describing something directly? And what might be the risk of using an allusion?
An allusion borrows an entire story in a few words.
It also creates a bond: the reader who gets the reference feels included.
The risk: a reader who does not know the reference is lost.