Vocab Quiz

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds / pretty purple pen

allusion

a reference to another work of literature, person or event / “The company was going down like the Titanic”

hyperbole

a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor / “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”

irony

a contrast between what’s expected & what actually exists/happens / “Oh, great!” after spilling coffee on yourself

metaphor

a figure of speech comparing 2 alike things without using like or as / heart of gold (someone with a deep sense of compassion & emotional intelligence)

onomotopeia

the use of words that imitate sounds / bang, clack

oxymoron

a figure of speech consisting of 2 contradictory terms / awfully good (creates ironic, humorous effect)

pathos

a quality that arouses emotions (esp pity/sorrow) / “Look at the sad faces of the children & find it in your heart to give”

personification

the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas / “the flowers danced in the breeze”

protagonist

main character in a literary work / Harry Potter in Harry Potter

simile

a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (‘like’ or ‘as’) / “as brave as a lion”

symbolism

a device in literature where an object represents an idea / “the red rose in the bouquet symbolized the love he felt for her”

theme

the main idea of the story / goldilocks & the bears: respect other people’s property & boundaries