Figurative Language

Figurative Language

Alliteration • Alliteration is the repetition of identical consonant sounds in words Example: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” Example: “Tim took tons of tools to make toys for tots”

Apostrophe • In grammar, an apostrophe is a punctuation mark; however, in poetry apostrophe is an invisible force like nature, god or ghost, is being addressed or called upon as if they were present. Example: In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus asks, “Oh Zeus! What plaything will you make of me?!”

Blank Verse • In most poems, lines are written according to a certain rhythm. Blank verse is poetry that does not rhyme, but keeps the rhythm. Example: “What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,What, what is he to do? I saw it go”

Assonance • Unlike alliteration, assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds without repeating consonants. Example: “Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese”

Pun A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word. Example: “A horse is a very stable animal.” “An elephant’s opinion carries a lot of weight.” “The trampoline was on sale for fifty cents…I jumped on the offer.”

Free Verse A form of poetry that has no particular rhythm. Free verse can rhyme, but it does not have to. Example: “After the Sea-Ship—after the whistling winds; After the white-gray sails, taut to their spars and ropes, Below, a myriad, myriad waves, hastening, lifting up their necks, Tending in ceaseless flow toward the track of the ship”

Euphemism A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing Example: “That person is a few sandwiches short of a picnic” Example: “Their brother’s soul is at rest now”

Enjambment • The continuation of a sentence or clause over a line-break Example: “I carry your heart with me (I carry it inmy heart) I am never without it (anywhereI go you go, my dear; and whatever is doneby only me is your doing, my darling)”

Allusion • A direct or indirect reference to something historical, literary, religious or mythical. The author will usually use references that will be understood by his audience. Example: “Jennifer’s love of chocolate cake was her Achilles’ heel.”

Imagery • The use of words to create a certain picture in the reader’s mind. Imagery is usually based on sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. Example: “…the burnt out ends of smoky days, The stale cold smell of morning. The withered leaves collect at my feet, And the wind begins to moan”

Lyric • A poem that has the form and musicality of a song. In lyrical poetry, the mood is usually very emotional Example: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate”

Onomatopoeia • The use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning Example: clang, buzz, twang

Prose • The ordinary language people use in speaking or writing Example: “Although both Oedipus and Hector are tragic heroes, more readers admire Hector for his bravery and loyalty.”

Idiom and Cliché A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not clear from those of the individual words Example: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” Example: “The repairs on the house are costing us an arm and a leg”

Stanza • A group of lines which form a section of the poem Example: DaylightSee the dew on the sunflowerAnd a rose that is fadingRoses whither awayLike the sunflowerI yearn to turn my face to the dawnI am waiting for the day . . . MidnightNot a sound from the pavementHas the moon lost her memory?She is smiling aloneIn the lamplightThe withered leaves collect at my feetAnd the wind begins to moan

Tone • The overall feeling or effect created by a writer’s use of words. This feeling may be serious, humorous or critical Example: “What a nice dress!” vs. “Uh yeah. Nice dress there…real nice.”

Metaphor • A figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common. Example: “Men's words are bullets that their enemies take up and make use of against them."

Paradox A statement or proposition that leads to a conclusion that seems contradictory and logically unacceptable Example: “I can resist anything but temptation” Example: “Nobody goes to that restaurant because it is too crowded”

Simile • A comparison of two things using the words “like” or “as” Example: “You eat like a pig.” “You play basketball like a professional” “This room is as bright as a sunny day.”

Personification • The act of giving character traits to non-living objects, animals or nature. Example: “The sun kissed the flowers.” “The leaves were dancing in the wind.”

Verse • A single line in poetry Example: “Shall I compare thee to a summers’ day?”

Connotation An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning. Example: “For some students, ‘homework’ is a four-letter word.”

Denotation The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Mood • The feeling or emotional state of the speaker in a poem. Mood lets the reader know about the speaker’s state of mind. Example: “And neither the angels in Heaven above, Nor the demons under the sea Can dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.”

Hyperbole • Obvious and intentional exaggeration used for effect and emphasis Example: “I was so tired, I could have slept all year.” “If you don’t clean your room, your mom is going to kill you.” “If you don’t read Jane Eyre, Miss Hasholian put a million questions on the final exam.”

Metonymy • A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. Example: “My cousins from France are coming to the U.S.” “My cousins from France are coming to America.”

Antithesis • Two opposite ideas expressed evenly in a balanced sentence Example: “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless; Knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.”

Symbol/Symbolism • Symbol: A word or object that stands for another word or object • Symbolism: Frequent use of words, places, characters, or objects that mean something beyond what they are on a literal level

Oxymoron • A figure of speech in which unequal terms appear side by side. Example: “That girl is pretty ugly.” “She is a little pregnant.” “This pie tastes awfully good.” “I got that math problem almost exactly correct.”

Allegory • The representation of morals or principles through characters or events Example: In the Harry Potter books, there is an allegorical character named Draco Malfoy. Example: In Hard Times, Charles Dickens creates a character named Mr. McChoackumchild.

Analogy • A comparison of two dissimilar things put together to clarify a point or make an image. Example: “Fish are to water as birds are to sky.” “Fork is to food as saw is to wood”

Anecdote • A short and amusing or interesting story about an incident or a person.

Motif • The recurring subject, theme or idea in a poem, novel, play or other literary work

Anaphora Example: Good morning! Good morning! We’ve slept the whole night through. Good morning! Good morning! To you and you and you and you! • The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a poem or song.

Haiku • A haiku is a Japanese poem of three lines and seventeen syllables. Although it does not have to do so, a haiku usually discusses some part of nature. The first line has 5 syllables The second line has 7 syllables The third line has 5 syllables

Limerick • A limerick is an Irish poem of five lines, three long and two short. A limerick usually tells a funny story and/or makes little sense The first, second and last lines have 8 or 9 syllables The third and fourth lines have 5 or 6 syllables

Sonnet A sonnet is a 14 line poem with a very specific structure. A sonnet has three stanzas, each with four lines with every other line rhyming. Each line in a sonnet is ten syllables long The last two lines of a sonnet is a couplet.

Sonnet Continued… Meter: the basic rhythm structure of a poem Iamb: a metrical foot consisting of one stressed and one unstressed syllable. Iambic Pentameter: the name given to a line of verse that consists of five iambs Quatrain: Four lines of a sonnet

Sonnet Structure Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? a Thou art more lovely and more temperate. b Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, a And summer's lease hath all too short a date. b Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, c And often is his gold complexion dimmed; d And every fair from fair sometime declines, c By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed; d But thy eternal summer shall not fade, e Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, f Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, e When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st. f So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, g So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. g

Figurative Language