Figurative Language and Parallelism
Figurative Language Terms, Group 4
Sentence Variety Review
Figurative Language Terms, Group 3
- Proverb
- Short, memorable saying expressing an idea many believe to be true
- "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." -Alexander Pope
- Rhetorical Question
- Question asked only for effect with no answer expected
- "When will I ever have a perfect day?"
- Simile
- Comparison between 2 unlike things using "like" or "as"
- "Life is rather like a tin of sardines; we're all looking for the key." -Alan Bennett
- Symbol
- Something that stands for/represents something else
- "The American flag is a symbol of freedom."
- Understatement
- Sentence that deliberately makes something important seem trivial in order to achieve larger effect
- "We'd had rain for three days, but the weather reporter said, 'It's a little damp out there.'"
- Metaphor
- Comparison between 2 unlike things without using "like" or "as"
- "It's an oven outside today!"
- Onomatopoeia
- A word that sounds like its meaning
- "The buzz from the bees" "hear the crowd murmur"
- Oxymoron
- Contradictory terms that appear side by side but still make sense
- "Pretty ugly" "jumbo shrimp"
- Paradox
- Statement that seems to contradict itself
- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." -Charles Dickens
- Personification
- Giving qualities of a person to something not human
- "The wind screamed at me to return home."
Figurative Language Terms,
Group 2
- Euphemism
- Word/phrase used to replace word or phrase considered harsh/offensive
- "My dog passed away."
- Hyperbole
- Statement that deliberately exaggerates for emphasis or heightened effect
- "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
- Idiom
- Expression with a meaning different from the literal meaning of its individual words
- "Randy let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party."
- Imagery
- Use of words to appeal to one of the five senses
- "A bright red cardinal" "The sweet tang of an orange"
- Irony
- Use of words to express something opposite to their literal meaning
- "When Brad came to class in a three-piece suite, Mick said 'Is this casual Friday?'"
Figurative Language Terms, Group 1
- Alliteration
- Repetition of beginning consonant sounds in neighboring words
- "A gaggle of geese"
- Allusion
- A reference to someone/something a reader should know
- "It's rained so long I'll have to build an ark."
- Anachronism
- Placement of something/someone in wrong time period
- "The caveman began typing on his computer."
- Aphorism
- Brief statement of opinion or truth
- "Lost time is never found again." - Ben Franklin
- Epithet
- Term used to describe a person, place, or thing
- "Ivan the Terrible"
What is Figurative Language?
- Uses language to present clearer, more vivid, more precise, or more concise picture
- Unlike literal language, there is room for interpretation
- "Paints a picture"
Parallelism
How to Correct Faulty Parallelism (TTW p. 511-520)
- Consistency in ways ideas presented
- When used, sentences have rhythm to emphasize what said
- Mistakes = faulty parallelism
Sentence Variety
Sentence Types & Functions
- Verb Problems:
- All verbs in pair/series in same grammatical form (i.e. tense)
- Noun/Pronoun Problems:
- All items in pair/series nouns or pronouns
- Adjective Problems:
- All items in pair/series are adjectives
- Adverb Problems:
- All items in pair/series are adverbs
- Phrases:
- All items in pair/series in phrases
- Clauses:
- All items in pair/series in clauses
- Chronology:
- All items in chronological (time) order
- Order of importance:
- Most important/drastic/emphatic/strongest item in series last
- Correlative Conjunctions
- Phrases/words that need other words to make sense
- Make sure have both parts & are grammatical
Functions:
- Declarative **
- Interrogative
- Imperative
- Exclamatory
Construction Types:
- Simple
- Compound
- Complex
- Compound-Complex
Practice with Parallelism (TTW p. 514, 517, 520)
24.1:
1. Miguel ate popcorn, drank water, and was watching Survivor.
2. I need to find a parking space with shade and having an extra-wide slot.
3. During the movie, I felt bewildered, stunned, and I was scared.
4. Jean-Claude prefers reggae to listening to hip-hop.
5. Professor Benson said he could walk, talk, and be chewing gum all at the same time.
6. Arturo was athletic, rich, and a snob.
7. Professor Groves said my thesis statement was coherent and it was written correctly.
8. For the project, I needed paper, glue, and to get a pair of scissors.
9. The defendant stood up, screamed at the judge, and was ranting at his lawyer.
10. I didn't recognize Marty because he now has a goatee, glasses, and wears his hair long.
24.3
1. Chanika has both a witty personality, and she has good study habits.
2. Being accepted into college, being awarded a diploma, and completing a certain number of hours of classes are all part of a college graduate's life.
3. Students who plagiarize may be expelled, suspended, or fail the class.
4. Either Kelly is going to shadow his mentor tonight.
5. DeJuan is not only president of student government.
6. The baseball team got a standing ovation when they scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, were introduced, and tied the game 4-4.
7. Dante's memoir focused on recovering from bites by a mosquito, a shark, and a dog.
8. After hearing our test was cancelled, I didn't know whether to be glad.
9. Because of the employee's outburst, he may have his pay docked be fired, or be demoted.
10. To secure your apartment, sign the contract, contact the landlord, and give a deposit.
24.2:
1. Eating an occasional candy bar, watching reality television, and graphic novels are the ways Carlos rewards himself.
2. Matt accepted the promotion cheerfully and with gratitude.
3. Kevin hoped he could get time off from work, borrow the tools he needed, and to get his car running again.
4. I'm in class today because I need to turn in my paper, because I want to get notes, and to see the PowerPoint presentation.
5. Driving on the black ice, I approached the stoplight slowly and cautiously.
6. Professor Busby told the class that we should study the first three chapters and to answer all the review questions.
7. Freshmen are in their first year of college, while sophomores are those who already have college hours.
8. Zoey sang confidently, with boldness, and as if she were putting out no effort.
9. Trinity doesn't know where Troy is or will he be back soon.
10. At the soccer game, Giovanni cheered loudly and with enthusiasm.
- Keeps work from sounding boring & monotonous
- Can be achieved by
- Using different sentence types
- Changing sentence length
- Altering sentence beginnings
- Can vary sentence length by combining sentences to create mixture of sentence types
- Be sure to use correct grammar and mechanics when combining sentences!
- Commas and semicolons (TTW p. 528-534)
- Reword any series of sentences that begin in the same way
- Rearrange adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, noun clauses, infinitive phrases (TTW p. 537-542)
- Does the sentence begin with "There are" or "There is?"
- These can be reworded to be more powerful and concise (TTW p. 543)