Figurative Language

Figurative Language

Words and phrases that enhance piece of writing often by going beyond literal meanings

Common examples of figurative language

Alliteration, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, symbolism, idiom, irony, parable

Oxymoron

Using contradictory terms in conjunction w/ each other

Idiom

Phrase or expression that does not mean same as literal words

Irony

Incongruity btwn what reader expects author to mean and what they actually mean

Parable

Simple story that illustrates moral lesson

Comparison techniques that convey idea using something familiar to reader

Analogy, metaphor, simile

Analogy

Comparisons btwn 2 things often to drive home a point

Stylistic Choice

Author’s deliberate decision to enhance narrative w/ deeper message

Dialect

Specific form of language unique to particular location or culture

Strategies for determining meaning of unknown words

Morphemic analysis and contextual analysis

Morphemic Analysis (Structural/Word Analysis)

Uses meaningful word parts (morphemes) as clues to determine word’s meaning

Contextual Analysis

Using surrounding text to determine meaning of word

Context Clue

Text helpful in determining meaning of unknown word

5 types of context clues

Definition, example, synonym, antonym, inference

Synonym

Word similar to unknown word

Antonym

Word opposite in meaning to unknown word

Denotation

Literal dictionary meaning of word

Compound Words

2 complete words joined together as one word w/ new meaning

Jargon

Unique words or expressions used in particular profession or setting

Homograph

Words spelled the same but have different meanings

When to use dictionary

No helpful context clues provided, word cannot be broken into recognizable parts, word is critical to understanding sentence or passage