Explanation: the meaning of something; the most basic or direct meaning of a word
Synonym: meaning
Word Family: denote (v.) denotative (adj.)
Example/Image:
The denotation of the word hot is having or giving off heat; capable of burning.
Each X on a map denotes
500 people.
Source: : www.westchesterlibraries.org/.../dictionary1.jpg

Explanation: a feeling or an idea that a word makes you think of, in addition to its basic meaning
Example/Image:
The word Christma s denotes a holiday, but it connotes
Santa Claus, stockings, mistletoe, etc.
Synonym: suggestion implication,
Word Family: connote
What is the connotation of:
- a red rose?
- summer vacation?
- snow day?
- pitbull?
- childhood?
- teenager?

Explanation: the attitude the author takes toward the subject
Synonym:
Word Family: tonal attitude
Examples/Image:
Although the poem was called
“Ode to Sarah,” the poet obviously wrote in a sarcastic tone.
The author’s tone can be humorous, serious, moralistic, nostalgic, etc.

Explanation: words or expressions used in a different way from their normal meanings, to give you a picture or idea in your mind
Types include: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole
Synonym: figure of speech
Example / Image:
Getting a better job in her company was the first step in climbing the corporate ladder for Amanda.
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Source: www.shutterstock.com/ gallery-2376p4.html

Explanation: figurative language that describes something using exaggeration (saying something is much bigger, smaller, worse, etc. than it really is)
Synonyms: exaggeration
Word Family: hyperbolic hyper
Example/Image:
Source: http://dalegladstone.com/caricature/
Will said, with a touch of hyperbole, that is was the worst movie he had ever seen.

Explanation: figurative language that appeals to the five senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight; mental images created through the use of words
Word Family: image, imagine, imagination
Example/Image:
Source: http://www.thirdplateau.org/community/nexusart.shtml
Sylvia Plath uses Holocaust imagery in “Daddy” to reveal her negative feelings about her father.

Explanation:
Example/Image:
Starbucks jargon sounds like this: technical words and examples that are used by
I ordered a tall, skinny, half-calf, a group of professionals
Caramel macchiato. and are hard for others to understand
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Synonym: lingo
Source: http://www.laconchakeywest.com/events_starbucks.htm

Explanation: a comparison of two unlike things NOT using any comparison words ( like or as ), instead, one thing
BECOMES another, one this IS another; it is a type of figurative language.
Word Family: metaphorical
Example / Image:
Alicia’s tears were a torrential downpour of emotion, cold, fast, and unforgiving.
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Source: www.dailykos.com
/tory/2005/11/7/11144/419
2

Explanation: the feeling a text creates in a reader-- happiness, peacefulness, sadness, etc.; how a piece of writing makes a reader feel
Example / Image:
Setting the story in a small town in North
Dakota in the winter helped to create a bleak and lonely mood.
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Source: www.ndmarketmanager.org/

Explanation: the use of a word whose sound suggests or echoes its meaning; it is a sound device often used in poetry
Example / Image: splat
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Sources: www.physics.leeds.ac.uk/ iop/YorkshireBranchPa...
www.floridakeyswireless.net/ www.kidscape.org.uk/ zap/zapindex.shtml

Explanation: a kind of figurative language in which an author talks about or describes an animal, object, or idea as if it were a person, giving nonhuman things human qualities.
Word Family: personify
Example / Image:
The red pen marks all over my test yelled at me, “Why didn’t you study?”
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Sources: www.shutterstock.com/ pic-229392.html
www.fotosearch.com/ DGT263/eic0060/

Explanation: a regular repeated pattern of sounds in speech, writing, music, etc.
Synonym: beat, measure, meter
Word Family: rhythm, rhyming
Example/Image:
The poem’s rhythm was easy to follow when accompanied by the bongo drums.
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Source: http://www.rhythmweb.com/images/jamalpoovalur.jpg

Explanation: details that are experienced through the senses; they help readers to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear what is being described; they may be literal
(descriptive language) or figurative (imagery).
Word Family: senses, sensual, sensuous
Example/Image:
The salty ocean breeze whispered through the lush palm fronds.
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Source: www.cdislands.com/.../ photos_beaches_bahamas.htm

Explanation: an expression in which you compare two unlike things using the word like or as ; it is a type of figurative language.
Example / Image:
The teenager’s afro was as tall as a skyscraper.
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Source: beauty.ivillage.com/.../ 0,,hx0g-7,00.html
Source: nickgeez.blogspot.com/ 2005_02_20_nickgeez_arc...

Explanation: words and phrases used to create a special effect, especially in poetry
Example/Image: alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme, and rhythm found in text
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Source: http://www.mccullagh.org/image/1ds2-2/ear-closeup.html

Explanation :
- how the author uses words, phrases, and sentences to form his or her ideas
- the qualities that distinguish one writer’s work from the work of others
Example/Image:
Compare the styles of these two authors:
“You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer , but that ain’t no matter (Twain 3).
In my younger and more vulnerable years
My father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since
(Fitzgerald 5).
Word Family: stylistic

Explanation: techniques used by the writer to achieve a specific purpose
Examples:
Stylistic devices include diction (word choice), sentence structure, and figurative language.
Word Family: style

Explanation: the use of and object, color, shape, etc. to represent some other concept or idea; an object holding both figurative and literal meanings within a text
Word Family: symbol, symbolic, symbolize, symbology
Example/Image:
Many religions use symbolism in their rituals to help connect their congregations to their beliefs and ideas.

Explanation: a statement about life that a writer is trying to get across in a piece of writing that is usually implied rather than directly spelled out
Synonyms: idea, concept
Word Family: thematic
Example/Image:
Recurring themes in adolescent literature include loss of innocence and rebellion against authority.