Figurative Language
language devices not meant to be taken literally
Simile
an explicit comparison of two things using like or as
Metaphor
an implicit comparison of two things that are essentially dissimilar
Personification
the giving of human qualities to non-human things
Hyperbole
an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literallyâ often done for humorous effect
Metonymy
when the name of one thing is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. Ex: âThe crown spoke with authority about the growing crisis.â âCrownâ is not literally a crown but is meant to represent a king or queen.
Conceit
a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similies or metaphors. Develops a comparison which is exceedingly unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually imaginative. Comparison â _______ when the writer tries to make us admit a similarity between two things of whose unlikeness we are strongly conscious and for this reason, conceits are often surprising. (novel comparisons)
Diction
word choice
Formal
usage common in serious books and lofty discourse
Informal
level of usage found in relaxed but polite and cultivated conversation
Colloquial
usage that is not formal or literary; typically use in ordinary or familiar conversation
Slang
newly coined words not yet generally accepted as part of standard usage
Dialect
a regional speech pattern
Aubade
a song or poem appropriate to or greeting the dawn
Ballad
any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody
Didactic
a poem containing a political or moral message to which aesthetic considerations are subordinated
Dramatic
poetry in which one or more characters speak. Involved the technique of drama + tells a story
Elegy
a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead
Epic
a long, narrative poem telling of a heroâs deeds, written in a formal style and with elevated language
Limerick
a kind of humorous verse of 5 lines, in which the 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme with each other, and the 3rd and 4th lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet
Lyric
having the form and musical quality of a song, and especially the character of a song-like outpouring of the poetâs own feelings and thoughts
Ode
a lyrical poem, typically addressed to a particular subject, with lines of varying lengths and complex rhythms
Sonnet
a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter