Study Notes

Here is the information from the PowerPoint that we went over on Thursday. 

Figurative vs Literal Language

Can you identify which is which?

1. I am starving! I could eat an elephant.
2. You can drive 100km/h on some highways.
3. His heart was full of lead.
4. I waited a million years just to buy the tickets.
5. Her pink dress swayed with the gentle breeze.
6. As the giraffe ran gracefully across the savannah, its legs moved like so fast it was as if they disappeared.
7. My mind is like a rushing hurricane.

Literal language is to be taken seriously and as truth. It is a real meaning.  Figurative language uses images, comparisons, and exaggerations to express an idea.

Poetry Terms

—  Assonance: repeating a vowel sound

—  Consonance: repeating a consonant sound (especially at the end of a word)

—  Alliteration:  repeating the beginning sound of a word

What are they?

1. I raised the flag high so it could fly freely
2. I thought that if I bought you a present you’d be happy
3. Not guns, not thunder, but a flutter of clouded drums
4. I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless
5. I think I will get sick if I drink milk every day
6. Almost all of them felt angry that they already missed the airplane

Answers: alliteration  (f), consonance (t), assonance (u), assonance (e), consonance (k), alliteration (a)

Citations

A citation is used to give credit to the author and document your work.

(_____________, _____________) 

(author’s last name, page number)

Punctuating Dialogue

*Refer to the hand out you received during our short story unit for more details.

Are they done correctly?

1.  I said, “The fable by James Thurber will surprise you.”
2. And then he said, “Mind your own business”!
3. “This fable” our teacher said, “is a twist of an old tale,”
4. Did she say, “I’m quitting?”

Answers: 1. correct  2. And then he said, “Mind your own business!”   3. “This fable,” our teacher said, “is a twist of an old tale.” 4. “Did she say, ‘I’m quitting’?”

Showing vs Telling

When you TELL you SAY it SIMPLY

            The kitten is cute.

When you SHOW you PAINT a PICTURE

            The kitten’s soft grey fur and big blue

            eyes made my heart melt.

Paraphrase vs Summary vs Main Point

Paraphrasing

Steps to paraphrasing:

1.     Read the passage carefully

2.     Identify the main point

3.     Underline important key terms and phrases

4.     Write it in your own words

5.     Cite your source

*to avoid plagiarism do not use more than 3 words in a row from the passage.  A good tip is to rearrange the order of the sentences.

Practice paraphrasing paragraphs from the newspaper articles that I gave you, from one of your textbooks, or from online :)

Sample paragraph:  

“Personification is a type of metaphor, and thereby involves a comparison. When we use personification, we attribute human characteristics and behaviors to non-human entities or to inanimate objects.” (Mosdos, 2001)

A good paragraph: 

One form of figurative language is a comparison called personification. Personification means that you give human characteristics and actions to something that is not human, like an animal, or a tree (Mosdos, 2011).

A bad example (too much of the information is the same, this is plagiarism): 

Personification is a type of figurative language. Personification means we attribute human characteristics and behaviors to things that are not human (Mosdos, 2011).

Another bad example (this is too short and is more of a summary):  

Personification compares human behaviors to non-human things (Mosdos, 2011).

*Don't forget to refer to the study guide (green paper) and your VLD booklet :)