Imagery, Mood and Setting Plus other academic vocabulary

Imagery Imagery – phrases that help the readers imagine sights, sounds, tastes, feelings and smells. Words and phrases that appeal to the five senses are called sensory details.

Examples of Imagery She could breathed in the smoky aroma of the barbeque. Sweat gathered on his brow as he exited into the steamy summer air.

Mood Mood is the feeling that a story or an event in a story has. Moods can change in the middle of a story many times or stay the same throughout. The decision is totally up to the author.

Examples of Mood Tears filled the girls eyes as she entered the house. This was the last place she had seen her little brother. He raced across the parking lot and gave her a bear hug. It was the first time they had seen each other in three months. The reunion was sweet after their long separation. Name the mood in the sentences above.

Setting Setting is the time and place that a story or event occurs. Setting can influence many things in a story such as the characters and the conflict.

Example of Setting The house was dark and desolate. It had been abandoned ever since the girl could remember. She opened the door and it let out a loud screech. She slowly swept her flashlight across the floor just in time to see a mouse flitter into its hole. What setting does this paragraph describe?

Symbol Symbol – something that stands for or represents something else. What do the following items symbolize?

Connotation vs. Denotation Connotation – feelings or ideas associated with a word, your own definition. Denotation – the basic meaning of the word or dictionary definition.

Primary Source and Secondary Source Primary Source – written or stated by someone who lived through/witnessed events (example: autobiography). Secondary Source – written or stated by someone who did not live through or witness events (example: biography).

Paraphrase To restate a quotation in one’s own words. Quotation – “Words in my opinion are our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting harm and healing it” – Albus Dumbledore Paraphrase – Words are a huge source of magic. They can be both good and bad.