Studied by 4 people
homily
literal meaning: sermon / informally: can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice
hyperbole
figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement, often has a comic effect, but a serious effect is also possible, producing irony
ex: i’m so hungry, i could eat a horse / i love you to the moon and back
imagery
sensory details or figurative language to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. physically, it uses terms to relate to the five senses, but can represent more than one thing on a broader and deeper level. a complex form of this can be used while employing other figures of speech (especially simile)
ex: the air smelled salty, the blanket was soft, the donut tasted sweet with hints of vanilla, the sun shined, the pots and pans clanged
inference/infer
to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
ex: seeing someone eat a new food and they make a face, you can conclude they do not like it
irony/ironic
contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
verbal: words state the opposite of the writer’s true meaning
ex: sarcasm, “great weather!” (it’s raining)
situation: events turn out the opposite of what was expected
ex: a police station being robbed, a goalie accidentally kicking the ball into their own goal while trying to block a shot
dramatic: facts or events are unknown to the character, but known to the reader, audience, or other characters
the audience knows Juliet is asleep (not dead) but Romeo does not, and kills himself
invective
an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language
ex: a character verbally attacking someone using harsh words
loose sentence
a sentence where the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses, and if a period were at the end of the independent clause, it would be a complete sentence. a work with this type of sentence seems informal, relaxed, and conversation.
ex: the car zoomed down the highway, bypassing slower vehicles, making good time, and offering a sense of freedom
metaphor
figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. it makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought-provoking, and meaningful.
ex: he is a shining star, heart of gold, life is a highway
metonymy
term from the Greek meaning “changed label” or “substitute name”, a figure of speech where one object's name is substituted for another closely associated with it.
ex: dish instead of food, the White House instead of the President, hand instead of help, tongue instead of language
mood
first meaning: grammatical and deals with verbal units and a speaker’s attitude. INDICATIVE is used for factual sentences, SUBJUNCTIVE is used to express conditions contrary to fact. IMPERATIVE used for commands
second meaning: literary - the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work
similar to tone and atmosphere, and can be affected by setting, tone, events
ex: indicative - it is sunny today / Joe eats too quickly (fact), subjunctive - if i were you, i wouldn’t do that / i wish i were an astronaut, imperative - shut the door! / do it right now!
narrative
the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events
ex: novels, short stories, comics, plays, muscials
onomatopoeia
a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words
ex: buzz, hiss, hum, crack, murmur
