alliteration allusion the use of several words together that begin with the same sound or letter in order to make a special effect, especially in poetry Rain reigns roughly through the day. Raging anger from the sky something that is said or written that is intended to make you think of a particular thing or person 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. hyperbole imagery a way of describing something by saying it is much bigger, smaller, worse than it actually is [= exaggeration] I am so hungry I could eat a horse. the use of words or pictures to describe ideas or actions in poems, books, films “As Mommy washed up and the children played, smell of warm butter filled the air.” Can you smell the butter? irony a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true You laugh at a person who slipped stepping on a banana peel and the next thing you know, you slipped too. metaphor metonymy
a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing He has a heart of stone. a word or phrase that is used to stand in for another word The pen is mightier than the sword. The "pen" stands in for "the written word." The "sword" stands in for "military aggression and force." onomatopoeia the use of words that sound like the thing that they are describing Hiss… Boom! oxymoron deliberate combination of two words that seem to mean the opposite of each other cruel kindness personification the representation of a thing or a quality as a person, in literature or art The sun played hide and seek with the clouds. repetition doing or saying the same thing many times The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. rhyme scheme a regular pattern of rhyme at the end of the lines in a poem Roses are red (A) Violets are blue (B) Beautiful they all may be (C) But I love you (B) The rhyme scheme is A – B – C – B. rhythm a regular, repeating pattern of sound, creating a musical effect I am a teapot Short and stout This is my handle And this is my spout. When the water is boiling Hear me shout; Just lift me up and pour me out. Can you hear the rhythm when you read the lines above? simile an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words 'as' or 'like' They fought like cats and dogs. symbol an ordinary object, event, animal, or person to which we have attached extraordinary meaning and significance A new dawn This does not talk only about the actual beginning of a new day but also signifies a new start, a fresh chance to begin and the end of a previous tiring time.