Figurative and Descriptive Language

1. Figurative and Descriptive Language

2. Figurative Language unusual language used by writers to produce images in readers' minds and to express ideas in fresh, vivid, and imaginative ways

3. Simile uses the words “like” or “as” to compare one object or idea with another to suggest that they are alike Examples:As sly as a fox. As fast as a cheetah.

4. Metaphor states a fact or draws a verbal picture by the use of comparison (uses the word “was”) Example:He was a light in the darkness to his students.

5. Personification a figure of speech in which human characteristics are given to an animal or an object. Example: The spaghetti swam down my throat filling my empty stomach.

6. Hyperbolean exaggeration that is so dramatic that no one would believe the statement is true. Example: I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!

7. Idiom a phrase that means something different than it says Example: Right before I walked on stage, my Mom whispered, “break a leg.” Which means: good luck

8. Idiom Example: “shape up or ship out!” which means: improve your behavior or leave

9. Cliché a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality because it is overused *a cliché sounds like advice or an important statement about life/people- a lesson Example: You can lead a horse to water, but you can not make him drink.

10. Oxymoron a figure of speech with words that contradict each other (opposite words) Example: jumbo shrimp

11. Oxymoron Example: sweet tart

12. Descriptive Language • Writers use specific words to describe something • Includes some or all of the five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell

13. Alliterationthe repetition of the same initial letter, sound, or group of sounds in a series. Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.

14. Tone • A writer'sattitude (feelings) toward his/her subject, audience, and self.

15. Mood • Writers use many devices to create mood, including images,dialogue, setting, and plot. • Examples of MOODS include: suspenseful, joyful, depressing, excited,...

16. Irony-*think “opposite” Verbal Irony: When the person says one thing, but means another (sarcasm) Example:The teacher said, “I hope there won’t be any majorprotests to eating in the park today instead of the school cafeteria.” *The teacher knows the students will be thrilled to eat at the park.

17. Irony-*think “opposite” Situational Ironymay occur when the outcome of a certain situation is completely different than what was expected Situational Ironyresults from recognizing the oddness or unfairness of a given situation Example: if the president of Microsoft, Bill Gates, were to win a contest whose grand prize was a computer system, the irony would be situational because such a circumstance would appear ridiculous or "funny" for a number of reasons. 1. Bill Gates doesn't need a computer, he runs the world's largest software company, and 2. He's very rich, so winning a computer seems silly and "ironic". Example: Is it ironic that the name of Britain’s biggest dog was Tiny?

18. Imagery 2 types: Auditory and Visual

19. Auditory Imagery-sound words to help the reader imagine or “feel” the situation or setting. Example: Onomatopoeia the use of a word to describe or imitate a natural sound or sound by an object in action. Buzz hiss zip

20. Visual Imagery-using words to create a picture within the minds eyes. *Always remember, the key to good imagery is evoking all the senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell)

21. Visual Imagery Example: The shadows crisscrossed the rug while my cat stretched languidly in one of the patches of sun.