Language Art, Reading Literary Terms

Front 1

(1.)


Literary terms

A (simile) is when two things essentially unlike or compared with (like) or (as).

Back 1

Examples:

• Her (face) shone like the (sun).
Face and Sun are compared.

• The (drops of dew) glistened like (diamonds).
Diamonds and drops of dew or compared.

Front 2

(2.)


Literary terms

A (metaphor) is when two things essentially unlike are compared without using (like) or (as).

Back 2

Examples:

• The concentration camp (prisoners) were walking
(skeletons).
The prisoners or being compared to skeletons.

• My (backyard) was a (jungle) of overgrown plants.
The backyard is being compared to a jungle.

Front 3

(3.)


Literary Terms

(Tone) is the author's attitude towards the subject of the literature. It is conveyed through dialogue or actions that show the characters' attitude.

Back 3

Adjectives used to describe a passage's tone:

• Serious

• Humorous

• Ironic

• Sarcastic

• Distrustful

• Optimistic

• Pessimistic

Front 4

(4.)


Literary terms

(Mood) is the atmosphere of the story taking place.
An auther uses mood in his or her writing in order to give the reader an emotional effect.

Back 4

Adjectives used to describe passage's mood:

• Cheerful

• Joyous

• Fearful

• Suspenseful

• Mournfull

• Sad

Front 5

(5.)


Literary terms

A figure of speech:
• is an expression used to appeal to the reader's emotions and imagination

• presents words in unusual meaning or context

Back 5

TIP

Typically, you can find figures of speech in poetry. However, all writing can include figures of speech.
It is important to read carefully when looking for meaning or when making inferences.

Front 6

(6.)


Literary Terms

(Setting) is the place (physical location) and time (day, season, historical period).

Back 6

TIP

Most often, the setting is important in a play. However, when reading historical documents, it is important to note the time and place to understand why the passage was written and to what it is referring specifically.

Front 7

(7.)


Literary Terms

A parody:

• Pokes fun at a serious work of literature

• Uses exaggeration or broad humor

• Imitates a serious work of literature

Back 7

TIP

Parodies are also called "spoofs." The popular website YouTube contains many spoof videos. A parody generally makes a statement about something serious.

Front 8

(8.)


Literary Terms

(Personification) give human qualities to an idea or thing.

Back 8

Example:

(My dorm room welcomed me like a best friend).
The room in being compared to a best friend.
However, a room cannot be a person.

Front 9

(9.)


Literary Terms

Allusion: offhand reference to a famous figure or event in literature or history.

Symbol: Object that represents an idea-psychological, philosophical, social, or religious.

Back 9

Examples:

• The Statue of Liberty and the American flag are both (symbols) that represent freedom to Americans.

• In (Hamlet) Shakespeare (alludes) to the Greek gods Hyperion, Jove, and Mars.

Front 10

(10.)


Literary Terms

(Irony) is a figure of speech in which the author uses words or describes situations that mean something other than what is.

Back 10

Example:

The local police station is robbed.
The sentence is ironic because a police station is full of officers whose job it is to catch thieves!

Front 11

(11.)


Literary Terms

(Satire) make fun of a person or ideal or social custom institution and stresses foolishness or lack of reasonableness.

Back 11

Example:

(Animal Farm) is a novel in which animals try to create a utopia (perfect society). However, greed, ignorance, and selfishness all lead to a rebellion of the animals. Overall the novel was written as a commentary on communism during World War II, with allusions to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Therefore, the novel was a satire of current ideology and political ideals presented at the time.

Front 12

(12.)


Literary Terms

(Alliteration) is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words in close proximity.

Back 12

Example:

(S)ally (s)ell(s) (s)ea(s)hell(s) by the (s)ea(s)hore.
The consonant sound "s" is repeated numerous times.

Front 13

(13.)


Literary Terms

A (paradox) is a statement that seems contradictory but is true.

Back 13

Examples:

• I am no man.
Obviously, a man has made that statement, so it cannot be true that he is "no man."

• I am a liar.
If the person making the statement doesn't tell the truth, then how can we tell if that statement is the truth or a lie?

Front 14

(14.)


Literary Terms

They couldn't touch the ocean. They poured their sewage into it, but it couldn't be tained.


according to the passage the ocean is a symbol of nature's

(1) inability to adapt.

(2) resistance to humanity's endeavors.

(3) submission to a mechanized society.

(4) attack on technology.

(5) constant change.

Back 14

The correct answer is (2) resistance to humanity's endeavors.

The fact that "They poured their sewage into it, but it couldn't be tainted" means that no matter what else happened around the ocean, nothing could taint it; it was resistant to what humanity was doing to it.

Front 15

(15.)


Literary Terms

You may be asked to determine a poem's rhyme scheme on the GED.

Back 15

Example:

There once was a boy named Joe
Who loved to tell his mom "no"
He was sent to his room
Where he pondered his doom
So he decided not to be his mom's foe

The rhyme scheme is AABBAA, which makes it a limerick.