Literary Terms

Describes a statement that should be understood in its

most basic, real sense

• Literal

• Figurative

• Personification

• Hyperbole

Answer explanation

Sandra Allen was taller than a house’s

doorframe. (This is literal because it’s true; at

7 feet 7 inches, Allen was about a foot taller

than the average doorframe.)

Not literal; for example, an exaggeration or a

metaphor

• Literal

• Figurative

• Personification

• Hyperbole

Answer explanation

Usain Bolt is faster than a cheetah. (Bolt is

very fast, but he’s no match for a cheetah.

This statement is figurative because it’s

exaggerating.)

The giving of human characteristics (emotions,

behaviors, etc.) to non-human animals, things, or

ideas

• Literal

• Figurative

• Personification

• Hyperbole

Answer explanation

Javier turned the key. The car’s engine

hesitated for a moment, but it finally woke

up. (Hesitating and waking up are human

actions.)

An exaggerated statement

• Literal

• Figurative

• Personification

• Hyperbole

Answer explanation

He’s slower than molasses running uphill.

(He may be slow, but there’s no way

anyone is this slow.)

An analogy (comparison) that uses “like” or “as”

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Antonym

• Synonym

Answer explanation

She’s as smart as

a computer.

An analogy (comparison) that does not use “like” or

“as.” In other words, it is a direct comparison

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Antonym

• Synonym

Answer explanation

His brain is a computer.

A word that means the opposite of another word

(Note that “-nym” means “name.” You’ll see it in the

two terms below as well)

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Antonym

• Synonym

Answer explanation

An antonym of short is tall.

A word that means the same thing as another word

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Antonym

• Synonym

Answer explanation

A synonym of friendly is kind.

A word that has the same spelling or pronunciation as

another word

• Homonym

• Dialect

• Tone

• Mood

Answer explanation

The boating store is having a sale on the sail

I’d like to buy.

You need to write the right way.

The way in which a person speaks, usually influenced

by where they were raised and the social group or

groups they are part of. Your dialect includes your

vocabulary, grammar, and accent

• Homonym

• Dialect

• Tone

• Mood

Answer explanation

A character with a Great Lakes dialect

would never call a pop “soda.”