It Was So Cold, I Saw Polar Bears Wearing Jackets

Hyperbole Definition: Hyperbole is a figure of speech which is an exaggeration. Persons often use expressions such as "I nearly died laughing," "I was hopping mad," and "I tried a thousand times." Such statements are not literally true, but people make them to sound impressive or to emphasize something, such as a feeling, effort, or reaction. Examples of Hyperboles:  “I’ve told you a million times”  “It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets”  I am so hungry I could eat a horse.  I have a million things to do.  I had a ton of homework.  If I can’t buy that new game, I will die.  He is as skinny as a toothpick.  This car goes faster than the speed of light.  That new car costs a bazillion dollars.  We are so poor; we don’t have two cents to rub together.  That joke is so old, the last time I heard it I was riding on a dinosaur. Examples of Hyperboles in advertising:  “adds amazing luster for infinite, mirror-like shine” (Brilliant Brunette shampoo)  “It doesn't get better than this” (Oscar Meyer) Examples of Hyperboles in a poem: "I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street, I'll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry And the seven stars go squawking Like geese about the sky." -"As I Walked Out One Evening" by W.H. Auden http://www.yourdictionary.com/ Figurative Language Simile A simile compares two things using the words “like” and “as.” Examples include:  busy as a bee  clean as a whistle  brave as a lion  stand out like a sore thumb Metaphor When you use a metaphor, you make a statement that doesn’t make sense literally, like “time is a thief.” It only makes sense when the similarities between the two things become apparent or someone understands the connection. Examples include:  the world is my oyster  you are a couch potato  time is money  he has a heart of stone Personification Personification gives human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or ideas. This can really affect the way the reader imagines things. This is used in children’s books, poetry, and fictional literature. Examples include:  opportunity knocked on the door  the sun greeted me this morning  the sky was full of dancing stars  the vines wove their fingers together to form a braid

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ Symbolism Symbolism is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. An action, person, place, word, or object can all have a symbolic meaning. When an author wants to suggest a certain mood or emotion he can also use symbolism to hint at it, rather than just blatantly saying it.

Examples of symbolism that take the form of metaphors include:

 Time is money: This is symbolic because it warns you that when you spend your time, you are giving up the opportunity to be doing something else with that time (just as when you spend your money, you give up your chance to do something else with the money). Further, like money, time is not infinite.

 Life is a roller-coaster: This is symbolic because it indicates that there will be ups and downs in life that you have to weather.

 He is a rock: This is symbolic because it signifies that he is strong and dependable.

 Love is a jewel: This is symbolic because it suggests that love is rare and precious.

 “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” This is symbolic of the fact that people are putting on a show and that they play many roles over the course of their lives.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ Alliteration Definition: Alliteration is a term that describes a literary stylistic device. Alliteration occurs when a series of words in a row (or close to a row) have the same first consonant sound. For example, “She sells sea-shells down by the sea-shore” or “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers” are both alliterative phrases. In the former, all the words start with the “s” sound, while in the later, the letter “p” takes precedence. Aside from tongue twisters, alliteration is also used in poems, song lyrics, and even store or brand names. Examples of alliteration  Alice’s aunt ate apples and acorns around August.  Becky’s beagle barked and bayed, becoming bothersome for Billy.  Carries cat clawed her couch, creating chaos.  Dan’s dog dove deep in the dam, drinking dirty water as he dove.  Eric’s eagle eats eggs, enjoying each episode of eating.  Fred’s friends fried Fritos for Friday’s food.  Garry’s giraffe gobbled gooseberry’s greedily, getting good at grabbing goodies.  Hannah’s home has heat hopefully.  Isaacs ice cream is interesting and Isaac is imbibing it.  Jesse’s jaguar is jumping and jiggling jauntily. Alliteration in Brand Names:  Park Place  American Apparel  American Airlines  Chuckee Cheese’s  Bed Bath & Beyond Alliteration in Poetry:  And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain  Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before ~From Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ http://www.yourdictionary.com/ Allusion An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that happened. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including paintings, opera, folk lore, mythical figures, or religious manuscripts. The reference can be direct or may be inferred, and can broaden the reader’s understanding. There are several ways that an allusion can help a writer:  Allusions engage the reader and will often help the reader remember the message or theme of the passage.  Allusions allow the writer to give an example or get a point across without going into a lengthy discourse. Allusions are contingent on the reader knowing about the story or event that is referenced. Here are some examples that allude to people or events in literature:  “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn’t necessary.” Scrooge was an extremely stingy character from Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol.  “He was a real Romeo with the ladies.” Romeo was a character in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, and was very romantic in expressing his love for Juliet.  “Chocolate was her Achilles’ heel.” This means that her weakness was her love of chocolate. Achilles is a character in Greek mythology who was invincible. His mother dipped him in magical water when he was a baby, and she held him by the heel. The magic protected him all over, except for his heel.  “He was a Good Samaritan yesterday when he helped the lady start her car.” This refers to the biblical story of the Good Samaritan.  “She turned the other cheek after she was cheated out of a promotion.” This comes from teaching of Jesus in the Christian Bible.  “You are a Solomon when it comes to making decisions.” This refers to King Solomon, who was very wise, in the Christian Bible.

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