Figurative Language
Provide an example and definition for Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things using the words "like" or "as". For example: "Her voice was as sweet as honey"
provide an example and definition for imagery
Imagery is a literary device that uses vivid, descriptive language to appeal to the human senses
Example: "The dimly lit room was a disaster zone: piles of wrinkled laundry covered the stained carpet, while the air hung heavy with the scent of stale pizza and yesterday’s coffee."
provide an example and definition for Ethos
ethos is an appeal to the speaker's or writer's credibility, character, and authority to persuade an audience. For example: "As a doctor with 20 years of experience in cardiovascular health, I recommend this supplement."
provide an example and definition for Antithesis
Antithesis pairs two opposing or contrasting ideas together
For example: "Speech is silver, but silence is gold"
provide an example and definition for protagonist
A protagonist is the main character in a story who drives the plot forward through their decisions and actions
For example: little red riding hood, from "Little Red Riding Hood"
Provide an example and definition for Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to emphasize a point, and is not meant to be taken literally. For example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse"
provide an example and definition for Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a literary device or word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes. These words make descriptions more vivid and immersive by mimicking natural noises, such as "buzz," "sizzle," "bang,
provide an example and definition for Pathos
Pathos is a rhetorical appeal that seeks to persuade or move an audience by triggering their emotions. For example: "Because so much is riding on your tires."
provide an example and definition for Aphorism
An aphorism is a concise, memorable, and witty statement that expresses a general truth, principle, or observation about life
For example: "The unexamined life is not worth living."
provide an example and definition for antagonist
an antagonist is a person or force that opposes the main character (the protagonist) in a story
For example: Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter
Provide an example and definition for Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unrelated things by stating one thing is the other, rather than using "like" or "as"
For example: "Time is a thief"
provide an example and definition for Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound in nearby words and can occur at the beginning, middle, or end of the word. For example: “We keep the keys in the green jeep”
provide an example and definition for Logos
Logos is the use of hard facts to support an argument and persuade others. For example: "only 0.01% of deaths last year were due to covid"
provide an example and definition for oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech combining two contradictory or opposing words to create a new meaning.
For example: "Parting is such a sweet sorrow."
provide an example and definition for Round, flat, and dynamic characters
Round characters are complex, multi-dimensional figures with deep motivations, while flat characters are one-dimensional stereotypes. Dynamic characters undergo significant internal transformation, whereas static characters do not.
Examples include: Severus Snape, Lord/Lady Capulet, and The Grinch
provide an example and definition for Idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal definition of its individual words. For example, " a piece of cake"
provide an example and definition for Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in near words, usually in the middle or at the end of words. For example: "pitter-patter".
provide an example and definition for Synecdoche
A synecdoche is a figure of speech where a part of something represents the whole for example: "All hands on deck"
provide an example and definition for Euphemism
A euphemism is a mild, indirect, or polite expression used in place of a direct phrase that is considered too harsh, blunt, unpleasant, or embarrassing
For example: saying "passed away", rather than "they died"
provide an example and definition for Direct and indirect characterization
Direct characterization tells the reader a character's traits directly ("He was mean"), while indirect characterization shows personality through actions, speech, thoughts, or appearance.
direct example: "Jessica was a goofy, eccentric teacher".
indirect example: "Jessica had named the stick with a hook on the end she used to open the classroom's high windows Belinda, and would regale her students with stories of Belinda's adventures"
provide an example and definition for tone
Tone is the expression of an author's or speaker's viewpoint.
A formal tone, for example, may look like "The data indicates a significant decrease in local emissions over the past decade."
provide an example and definition for Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words in close proximity to each other. for example: “whispering winds,” “busy bee”)
provide an example and definition for Anaphora
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of phrases, or sentences
For example:
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up...
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia...
I have a dream that my four little children..."
provide an example and definition for Sarcasm
Sarcasm is used to mock, or ridicule, by saying the exact opposite of what is meant.
For example: Someone walks in during a heavy rainstorm, and you say, "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"
provide an example and definition for plot sequence
A plot sequence is the specific, organized order of events in a story—usually arranged as exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution
Example Plot Sequence (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone):