Table 1: Personification a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes. EX: 1. The ice cream called my name from the freezer. 2. Time creeps up on you when there is a deadline. 3. The Fire Ran wild. 4. My alarm sprang to life at 6:05 AM. Table 2: Idiom a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not predictable from those of the individual words. EX: 1. Break the Ice (to say or do something that reduces social awkwardness) 2. Once in a Blue Moon (something that happens very rarely) 3. Achilles’ Heel (a weak spot in someone who is usually quite strongFrom Homer’s Iliad) 4. Get the Ball Rolling (initiate action) Table 3: Imagery The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses. EX: 1. I could hear the popping and crackling as mom dropped the bacon into the frying pan, and soon the salty, greasy smell wafted toward me. 2. A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way (“Daffodils” by William Wordsworth) Table 4: Foreshadowing the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot/story. EX: 1. Hans in Frozen singing “Love is an Open door:” I've been searching my whole life to find my own place (then he tries to steal Arendelle) 2. 1984 by George Orwell: “[i]n the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.” (Winston gets tortured by O’brien in miniluv and does eventually accept this fact) Table 5: Allusion A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. EX: 1. Disney’s The Lion King is a continuous allusion to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Simba is Hamlet, Mufasa is king hamlet, scar is claudius (King H’s Brother), etc. 2. Any time someone says “Big Brother is watching,” they are alluding to Orwell’s 1984. Table 6: Flashback a scene in a novel, short story, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story. EX: 1. In Disney’s Up, there is a flashback showing Carl meeting ellie, marrying her, growing old with her, etc. 2. In Orwell’s 1984, Winston has a flashback about his experience with the prole prostitute. Table 7: Alliteration repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together. EX: 1. “she sells sea shells on the Sea Shore” 2. “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes…”- Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare Table 8: Colloquialism The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects. EX: 1. “y’all” – you alL 2. “gonna”- Going to 3. “Sick, dude.” - That is quite wonderful, friend. 4. “He’s out of his head if he thinks I’m gonna go for such a stupid idea.”- He is rather unintelligent if he believes i will agree to his idea. Table 9: Hyperbole a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect. EX: 1. “If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times…” 2. “I can smell pizza from a mile away.” 3. “This class has literally gone on forever.”