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(hint: SMAPHO plus R, I, & A)
Your notes should include all the information below, plus at least one example of your own.
Simile – Making an indirect comparison using like or as.
Examples:
- His eyes sparkled like the stars at night.
- Her eyes were as bright as the stars.
Metaphor – Making a direct comparison between two things.
Examples:
- The street was a ribbon of moonlight.
- His eyes are jewels.
Alliteration – Using similar beginning sounds in two or more words close together.
Examples:
- The hungry hippo held tightly to his hamburger.
- Those words all have the same starting sound.
Personification – Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects.
Examples:
- The sofa wept under the weight of all the people.
- The angry wind howled ferociously during the storm.
Hyperbole – Using exaggeration to make a point.
Examples:
- I died laughing.
- I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
Onomatopoeia – Using a word whose sound reflects its meaning.
Examples:
- The dishes clattered and clanged as the young boy washed them.
- The pesky mosquitoes buzzed in my ear.
Repetition – Using the same word or phrase at least twice throughout the piece.
Examples:
- “Help me, help me!” cried the lost girl.
- Oh how I love thee; let me count the ways, Oh how I love thee; through all my days.
Imagery – Describing a detailed picture of something in written or oral language.
Example:
- The soft, moist snow gently brushed my cheeks as it blew from the clear, blue sky.
(In this example, the senses of sight and touch are expressed.)
Allusion – A reference to a famous person, place, event, or work of literature.
Examples:
- Sign your John Hancock here.
- You’d think she was the queen of England!