Key Terms

Metaphor

  • Definition: A figure of speech with an implied comparison.

  • Example: "He broke my heart." (Love & heartbreak)

  • Langston Hughes Poem: "Dreams" uses metaphor to express the importance of dreams.

Simile

  • Definition: A figure comparing two different things using "like" or "as".

  • Examples:

    • "As if I’m nothing more than a woman of sand" (Margaret Atwood).

    • "Like some huge awkward chicken" (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

    • "Lonely as a cloud" (William Wordsworth).

Personification

  • Definition: Assigning human traits to non-human things.

  • Example: A dog describes its transformation due to a feeding plan, attributing its feelings and changes to human experiences.

Allusion

  • Definition: A brief reference to a well-known story or event.

  • Examples:

    • "His smile is like kryptonite to me." (Superman)

    • "Click my heels." (The Wizard of Oz)

Symbol

  • Definition: Something that stands for something beyond its literal meaning.

  • Examples:

    • Rainbow: hope

    • Red rose: love

    • Wedding ring: commitment

Imagery

  • Definition: Vivid descriptive language appealing to the senses.

  • Example: Description of a damp morning from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Anecdote

  • Definition: A short personal story relevant to the topic.

  • Example: Dumbledore’s personal knowledge about Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Alliteration

  • Definition: Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

  • Example: "Once upon a midnight dreary…" (Edgar Allan Poe).

Colloquialism

  • Definition: Informal words or phrases characteristic of familiar conversation.

  • Example: Mark Twain's use in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Dialogue

  • Definition: A conversation between characters.

  • Example: A contractor discussing a house’s condition with a client.

Foreshadowing

  • Definition: Hints about what will happen later in a story.

  • Example: From Into Thin Air, indicating an impending ordeal.

Hyperbole & Understatement

  • Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect.

    • Example: A statement about memory by Billy Collins.

  • Understatement: Making a situation seem less important.

    • Example: Describing a lavish property minimally in The Great Gatsby.

Jargon

  • Definition: Specialized terminology in a particular profession.

  • Example: Legal jargon in a class action lawsuit description.

Stream of Consciousness

  • Definition: Continuous flow of thoughts as they occur.

  • Example: From On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

Rhetorical Question

  • Definition: A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer.

  • Example: Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice questioning common humanity.

Assonance

  • Definition: Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

  • Example: Dylan Thomas's poem discussing night.

Euphemism

  • Definition: A mild term substituted for one that may sound harsh.

  • Example: Iago's euphemism for sexual intimacy in Othello.

Neologism

  • Definition: Newly coined words or expressions.

  • Example: Creative language in Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky.

Polysyndeton & Asyndeton

  • Polysyndeton: Repetition of conjunctions in a sequence.

    • Example: A detailed sentence from Hemingway.

  • Asyndeton: Omission of conjunctions in a series.

    • Example: A statement from Aristotle.

Ambiguity

  • Definition: A statement with more than one meaning, leading to vagueness.

  • Example: A character’s thoughts in The Catcher in the Rye.

Imperatives

  • Definition: Commands or requests typically starting with the verb.

  • Example: Instructions for baking or requests in everyday communication.

Onomatopoeia

  • Definition: Words that imitate sounds.

  • Example: The promotional material for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.