2. Literary Terms #3 Vocabulary Is Power!

3. Rate your knowledge now! 3 = I know it well. 2 = I’ve seen or heard it. 1 = I have no clue.

4. imagery

5. genre

6. dialect

7. mood

8. personification

9. hyperbole

10. understatement

11. alliteration

12. theme

13. onomatopoeia

14. author’s purpose

15. tone

16. imagery Definition: when an author uses certain words or phrases to describe something in a way that appeals to the reader’s senses. “The Pond “ by Amy Lowell Cold, wet leaves (sense of touch) Floating on moss-colored water, (sense of sight) And the croaking of frogs (sense of hearing) Cracked bell-notes in the twilight. (sense of hearing)

17. genre definition : a category of literature sounds like “jhan- ruh” (it is a soft “j” sound like the one heard in Angelina Jolie’s last name –sounds French) biography (n.): a story about a person’s life written by another person autobiography (n.): a story about a person’s life written by that same person poetry (n.): writing designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions often written in meter and using rhyme fantasy (n.): a type of writing describing supernatural elements or events that couldn’t really happen

18. dialect Definition: a language that is specific to a certain group of people Even though English is the native language of America, not all Americans speak the same dialect. For example, in places like New Orleans some people speak the Cajun dialect, which can be difficult to understand.

19. mood Definition: the general atmosphere that a writer creates Writer Edgar Alan Poe usually created a mood that was depressing, mysterious, and suspenseful in his short stories.

20. personification Definition : a writing technique in which nonhuman things are given human qualities Example: Jared’s history book seemed to be staring at him and calling his name. “Read me, Jared.”

21. hyperbole Definition: an extreme exaggeration Example: When my mom saw all A’s on my report card, her jaw dropped to the ground.

22. understatement definition: the opposite of a hyperbole; a statement that shows restraint Example: This morning Chelsie woke up late for school, missed the bus, forgot her homework at home, and forgot to eat breakfast. I guess she’s having a bad day.

23. alliteration definition: the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words Example: Sam ate a super salami sandwich on the sofa while watching the Steelers game.

24. theme definition: the general idea that the author wants the reader to understand The theme of the short story was that honesty is the best policy.

25. onomatopoeia definition: use of words such as buzz or pop that imitate the sounds they refer to Examples: Bam! Pop! Buzz!

26. author’s purpose definition: an author’s reason for writing There are several purposes that an author can have when writing. For example: writing to inform (news stories) writing to entertain (scary story, poem, novel) writing to teach (“how to” books, recipes) writing to persuade (letter to the editor, movie review)

27. tone definition : the attitude the writer takes toward his/her subject The writer’s tone in the movie review was very negative.