Figurative language

Question 1

Simile

Answer 1

A comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as”

“Life is like a box of chocolates”

Question 2

Metaphor

Answer 2

A comparison between two things, in which one is said to be the other. (does not use “like” or “as”)

“Beth was drowning in sorrow”

Question 3

Foreshadowing

Answer 3

Hints about what is to come later in the text

Question 4

Personification

Answer 4

Giving human qualities or attributes to animals, objects, or abstract concepts

“The wind howled”

Question 5

Apostrophe

Answer 5

Speaking to someone who is dead or absent, or to something abstract or non-human

“Stars, hide your fires…”
“Come thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell…”

Question 6

Hyperbole

Answer 6

An extreme and intentional exaggeration

“I am starving!”
“I almost died laughing”

Question 7

Imagery

Answer 7

Descriptive language that allows the reader to create images in his or her mind that appeal to the five senses.

Question 8

Denotation

Answer 8

The literal or “dictionary” definition of a word

Think of the difference between “house” and “home” or between “cold” and “frigid”

Question 9

Connotation

Answer 9

The applied or associated meaning of a word; often dependent on context

Think of the difference between “house” and “home” or between “cold” and “frigid”

Question 10

Oxymoron

Answer 10

A combination of words (usually a short phrase) that contradict each other, but whose pairing expresses a truth, or has a dramatic effect

“old news”
“small crowd”

similar to paradox

Question 11

Paradox

Answer 11

A statement (more extended than an oxymoron) which seems to be contradictory or absurd, yet turns out to make sense or be true in some sense

“Death is a part of life”

Question 12

Mood

Answer 12

The predominant feeling evoked by a particular text; it is about the response experienced by the reader.

Question 13

Tone

Answer 13

The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject and his or her quality of voice

Details, word choice, imagery, sound, and structure all contribute to a text’s tone

Question 14

Meter

Answer 14

The rhythm of a poetic text / the pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables

“But soft what light through yonder window breaks” (iambic pentameter)
“Double double toil and trouble” (trochaic tetrameter)

Question 15

Metonymy

Answer 15

When an attribute or a suggestive word is substituted for the name of something, as in “The Crown” for the monarchy; “Hollywood” for the film industry”; “The kettle is boiling”

Question 16

Synecdoche

Answer 16

When a part is substituted for a whole or a whole for a part, as in “Check out my new set of wheels”; “nice threads”

Question 17

Verbal Irony

Answer 17

A contrast between what is said and what is meant.

“I failed my test; awesome!”

Question 18

Dramatic Irony

Answer 18

Occurs when the reader or audience has more information than a character.

When King Duncan calls Lady Macbeth “fair and noble hostess”

Question 19

Situational Irony

Answer 19

An event contrary to that which is expected or appropriate.

“A fire station burning down”

Question 20

Allusion

Answer 20

A brief direct or indirect reference made to a presumably familiar literary work, historical event, work of art, person, or place that adds more depth to the author’s meaning

“His nose was growing like Pinocchio’s”

Question 21

Juxtaposition

Answer 21

A poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed side by side for effect

Question 22

Onomatopoeia

Answer 22

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

“Bang!”

Question 23

Alliteration

Answer 23

The repetition of initial consonants in neighbouring words

“Tic tac toe”

Question 23

Symbolism

Answer 23

The use of symbols in order to represent an idea, quality, or concept

Symbolism enhances the meaning of a text because it enables the reader/viewer/audience to make assumptions, see connections, and develop greater understanding

Question 24

Understatement

Answer 24

Saying something in an overly light tone; under-emphasizing the importance or seriousness of the situation

When mortally wounded, Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet says, “Tis but a scratch”

Question 25

Theme

Answer 25

The underlying statement, main idea, or message that a text communicates; not to be confused with the topic

Theme should always be expressed as a complete statement and determining the theme of the text is a major aspect of literary analysis

The topic of a text may be “war” whereas the theme of the text might be “war can create a separation between people who once loved each other”