Sentence Variety
A noun or phrase that renames another noun beside it.
Appositive Phrase
What is the difference between a symbol and a motif?
A symbol is one specific thing that stands for something deeper. A motif is a recurring element that appears throughout the story.
Choose the correct verb: “The team of players (is/are) practicing on the field.”
Is
“Her smile was as bright as the morning sun.”
Simile
“The classroom was a zoo this morning.” — What literary device is used here to compare the classroom to a zoo?
Metaphor
Identify the prepositional phrase. "The cat slept under the table."
"under the table"
What type of irony is this? "In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo finds Juliet in the tomb and believes she is dead—but the audience knows she’s actually alive because we saw Friar Laurence give her the sleeping potion."
Dramatic Irony
True or False: Collective nouns are always singular.
False. They can be singular or plural depending on the meaning.
"Time is a thief that steals our moments.”
Metaphor
“The city never sleeps, always buzzing with life.” — What device is used to make a place seem alive?
Personification
Choose the sentence with a participial phrase:
A) The crying baby needed a nap.
B) The baby cried loudly.
A) The crying baby needed a nap.
This type of irony occurs when a powerful force—like fate, destiny, or the universe—seems to interfere with a character’s expectations, often leading to outcomes that feel cruel or unfair.
Cosmic Irony
Fix the error: “Each of the dogs wagged their tails.”
Each of the dogs wagged its tail.
“I’ve told you a million times to clean your room!”
Hyperbole
“The hurricane caused a little inconvenience for the town.” — What device makes a catastrophic event sound minor?
Understatement
Choose the gerund phrase:
A) Racing to the bus, I tripped.
B) Racing cars is dangerous.
B) Racing cars is dangerous.
What two literary devices are used in this sentence: "The storm raged like Zeus himself was shouting across the sky, and the thunder growled in angry reply."
Personification and Allusion
Fix the misplaced modifier: “She almost drove her kids to school every day.”
She drove her kids to school almost every day.
"After spending years training for the Olympics, Lena qualified for the final, only to slip on the starting line and injure herself before the race even began."
Cosmic Irony
“Correctional facility” instead of “prison.” — What is the term for a polite way to say something unpleasant?
Euphemism
Identify the sentence type:
“She practiced daily, and she improved quickly because she worked hard.”
Compound-Complex Sentence
What is the author using and what is the purpose in a passage where the author shifts from long, winding sentences filled with multiple clauses to a single abrupt sentence—“Then everything stopped.”—this deliberate structural change is used to mirror the character’s sudden realization and to jolt the reader.
The author using syntax to create emphasis and reflect a character’s shift in understanding.
Identify the error: “Neither the teacher nor the students knows the answer.”
“Neither the teacher nor the students know the answer.” subject-verb agreement.
Who sings this, what literary device is being used, and what is the effect? “When I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone’s bed.”
Simile. Compares herself to an “old cardigan” to express how discarded or forgotten she felt.
What two Figurative Language devices are being used? "The angry storm pounded the city’s heart, refusing to let anyone rest."
Personification and Metaphor.