Vocabulary Lesson 12
Literature
Word List
adage
alliteration
allusion
anthology
epic
hyperbole melodramatic
personify pseudonym serialized
The words in this lesson help you to understand and discuss poetry and
literature.
1.adage-a saying considered to be wise and true
 A common adage is “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”
2. alliteration- repetition of sounds usually at the beginning of words
 “She sells sea shells down by the seashore,” is an example of alliteration.
3. allusion-an indirect reference to something
 The general used the allusion of Achilles Heel to describe a weakness in
their defenses.
4. anthology-a collection of writings by various authors
 Our textbook is an anthology of different genres.
5. epic-a long poem or story about heroes and their adventures
 The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic about the fall of Troy.
6. hyperbole-an extreme exaggeration
 “I told you a million times to do your homework,” is an example of
hyperbole
7.melodramatic-overly emotional or sentimental
 Some of the girls on 7B are melodramatic in the hallways and the
lunchroom.
8. personify-to give an object or an animal human qualities
 The author personified the house when she described the doors as
“moaning in pain as they opened.”
9.pseudonym-a fake name used by an author
 Mark Twain was a pseudonym used by Samuel Clemens.
10. serialized-presented in parts or in a sequence
 Many television shows are serialized so that you tune in the next week to
find out what happens.
WRITE THE CORRECT WORD
_______________1. a collection of writings
_______________2. to describe a nonhuman thing as if it were human
_______________3.a wise saying
_______________4. a fake name
_______________5. a long literary work about heroes
_______________6. presented in parts
_______________7. repetition of sounds, usually at the beginnings of words
_______________8. overly emotional
_______________9. exaggeration
_______________10. an indirect mention of something
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE
Write the letter for the word that best completes each sentence.
__1. Novels used to be________ in magazines, with one chapter published
per issue.
a.personified
b.anthologized
c.serialized
d.alluded
__2. Poets often__________nature, writing sentences like, “The leaves
danced in the wind.”
a. anthologize b.personify
c.allude
d.serialize
__3. My uncle’s favorite__________ is “Don’t count your chickens before they
hatch.”
a. pseudonym b.epic
c.hyperbole
d.adage
__ 4. I read a translation of the _______ The Odyssey, which is about the
adventures of Odysseus.
a.adage
b.epic
c.pseudonym
d. hyperbole
__ 5. In the 1800s some female authors used male______.
a. pseudonyms b.hperboles
c.adages
d.personifications
__6. The nursery rhyme “Jack and Jill” contains_________.
a.personification
b.serials
c.adages
d.alliteration
__7. The novel was full of _______ to other books I had read.
a. hyperbole
b.epics
c.allusions
d.personifications
__8. The _______ child acted as if e were dying when he got a boo boo on
his knee.
a. melodramatic
b.serialized c.epic
d.personified
__9. One example of _______ is saying “I will die of hunger before lunch.”
a.personification
b.hyperbole c.allusion
d.pseudonym
__10. The poetry__________ included many works from my favorite poets.
a.adage
b.melodrama c. anthology
d.allusion
WRITE THE DERIVATIVE
_____________1. She was hesitant to mention the party directly, so she
__________ to it.(allusion)
_____________2. The hallways sometimes have _______________ which
causes gossip and rumors in the seventh grade. (melodramatic)
_____________3. Sometimes in cartoons animals are _____________ to
become characters. (personify)
_____________4. The use of _____________ allows a song to rhyme
sometimes. (alliteration)
_____________5. The ___________ of the stoplights on the boulevard would
help te flow of traffic. (serialized)
_____________6. American authors are sometimes ______________ to
create a collection of work. (anthology)
_____________7. My father used to use many __________ to compare his
childhood to ours. (adage)
_____________8. The Iliad and the Odyssey are considered to be
___________ of western society. (epic)
_____________9. When an author writes under a _______________it
sometimes allows them to sell more books. (pseudonym)
_____________10. His stories about homework had become very
________________ so the teacher never believed him. ( hyperbole)
Write a sentence in cursive for every word on the list without using any
part of the example sentences---highlight the word and use another
sheet of paper if you need to.