Figurative Language/Terms to Know

Metaphor

Metaphor

An implied or indirect comparison such as "This oven I live in needs air-conditioning" or "The shadows from the trees are lace upon the asphalt" or "his hair was snow white".

Simile

A direct comparison using "like" or "as". "I'm as hungry as a bear" or "Her cheeks are like roses" or "Her mahogany hair is like the burnished cherry wood cabinets in her polished kitchen."

Hyperbole

exaggerated statement or idea "My love is as strong as 10,000 buildings" or "I love you a ton" or "The world is not big enough to hold you and your ego."

Personification

giving human qualities to objects or animals. "The sun smiled upon the grateful earth" or "I saw his pencil winking in the light" or "Maycomb was a tired old town."

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds (chug, click, whoosh, buzz, roar)

Allusion

A reference to something specific outside of a work of literature. In Romeo and Juliet, there are lots of allusions to Greek and Roman mythology, religion, historical events and fairy/folk tales and creatures.

Imagery

Very descriptive writing that appeals to one or several of the 5 senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)

Symbolism

An object that represents idea like a dove represents peace, sword represents violence, and heart represents love

Repetition

A writer will often repeat words, phrases, or sounds several times for effect.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds close together (usually in the middle and ends of words) such as the "aah" sound in "The black cat scratched the saddle" or the "oo" sound in "Soothe, prove, louvre, move, tooth."

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds close together (usually in the middle and ends of words) such as the "p" sound in "hop up the step" or the "c" and "k" sounds in "The black kettle crackled as the steam crept through the opening."

Alliteration

The repetition of similar sounds at the beginning of words such as the "r" sound in "Rarely does one roar and rumble when one races to the ramp" or the "s" sound in "Simon and Susie were simple folks."

Rhyme

When two or more words sound nearly the same at the end of words such as "would and could" or "true and blue" or "hasty and tasty" or "glare and air." (Some rhymes in Shakespeare are eye rhymes, which means that they look like they should rhyme but they don't like "rough and bough" or "love and prove," or they are half rhymes, which means that they somewhat rhyme such as "tall and tale.")

Dramatic Monologue

A long monologue that a character speaks to another character.

Aside

A SHORT piece of dialogue that is spoken to the audience (the characters on stage "cannot" hear what the character is saying)

Comic relief

A scene or character in which their sole purpose is to provide humor to the play.

Soliloquy

A LONG monologue that a character speaks alone on stage (or no one on stage is listening to him/her). A soliloquy usually reveals what a character is thinking about.

Verbal Irony

A character says something but they obviously mean something else (as in sarcasm).

Dramatic Irony

When the reader or audience knows something that the characters do not.

Foreshadowing

Hints about what will come later in the story, references to death, violence, sadness, etc.

Characterization

Determining character traits by what characters or an author says directly: "He is so forgetful" or "I am too bold" or Indirectly through a characters actions or words (the reader makes an inference). Also known as telling and showing.

Theme

An implied universal message about people or society

Tragedy

A serious work of literature in which many terrible or horrific things happen such as death. Evokes pity, horror and sadness from the audience.

Blank Verse

A verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter