What does the word "ALLUSION" mean?

Which part of the sentence is an allusion: If they keep pushing me, I'm going to turn into the Hulk.

Which part of the sentence is an allusion: Life can be hard, but you've got to just keep swimming.

Which part of the sentence is an allusion: Something weird is going on--my spidey sense is tingling.

What is the meaning of the allusion: My brother is a regular Einstein!

What is the meaning of the allusion: Ask me anything, I'm like Google!

What is the meaning of the allusion: I'm no Hercules, but I could open that jelly jar for you.

What is the meaning of the allusion: I sent an SOS, but no one came.

What is the meaning of the allusion: I felt like cupid had struck me with his arrow when I saw the adorable puppy!

What is the meaning of the allusion: She's a good swimmer, but she's not Ariel.

What is a symbol?

What might a "storm" symbolize?

Which of the following symbols may represent a broken relationship?

Which bird symbolizes peace and tranquility?

Ana had spent an unhappy night of tossing and turning. Yesterday, the wrong move had caused her to lose the volleyball match. As she sat up in bed the next morning, she could see the sun just peeking over the bushes in her back yard. As the sun rose higher and shined more brightly, Ana felt her spirits lifting. Feeling her confidence return, Ana thought to herself, I know I can work harder, and I'll make the team forget yesterday ever happened.

In this passage, the rising sun symbolizes—

One hot summer day, a weary fox padded down a dusty road, desperate for food and drink. He had traveled for miles without finding so much as a berry to nibble or a puddle of water to sip from.

Suddenly, a beautiful aroma filled the air. The fox sniffed and sniffed, his mouth watering in anticipation. Then he looked up. Several feet above him, trailing along a trellis, was a vine full of juicy grapes.

The fox jumped up, but he could not reach them. Then he backed up, took a running start, and leaped as high as he could. Still, the grapes remained out of reach. Again and again, he tried, with no success.

Finally, exhausted and faint from his efforts, the fox gave up and went on his way. "Oh, well," he sneered, "no big loss. I could tell those grapes were sour anyway."

In this passage, the grapes symbolize—

Characterization is

In indirect characterization....

In direct characterization....

What does STEAL stand for?

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: " No wonder Johnny was hurt because his parents didn't want him."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "He glanced at her face - her eyes, which were honey brown, and her nose, which crinkled when she smiled."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "But I am so much more than that! I am a musician, and a swimmer, and a person able to make my own decisions."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "Destiny always came by with her bags, even if she was only stopping by to pick up and outfit or do homework."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "Heck kid" - he grinned wolfishly - "them boys at the station know me by now."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "After rolling up his sleeve, the sailor revealed several tattoos on his arm."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "If you want to know the truth, I wasn't feeling that good in the first place."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "If you want to know the truth, I wasn't feeling that good in the first place."

Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "Mark stomped to his room and slammed the door. Everything seemed so unfair.

Author's voice is mainly about the ______ of the author.

Identify the main text structure used in the passage below.

A river is a large natural stream of flowing water. The source of a river is the place where the river starts. This is usually the highest point in the river. Many rivers begin in springs, places where underground water flows to the Earth’s surface. Some rivers begin in melting glaciers high up in the mountains or in lakes.

Exaggerations that make things sound bigger, better, or more than what they truly are

"We have some important news for you, Mr. President. We have discovered a terrorist plot against the United States," said the CIA agent. The President closed the book, set it on the desk, and leaned forward, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Tell me everything you know."

What is the tone of the dialogue?

Just when I thought things could not get more ridiculous, Rebecca's little terrier, all dressed up in its knitted blue winter outfit, poked its head out of the pink polka dot doggy tote! The outfit was an odd sweater-and-hood combination. Perhaps Rebecca thought it flattered Fluffy's eyes. Fluffy looked around blankly, as if to ask what was so amusing.

What word would you use to describe the tone of this passage?

Ling was chewing the gum. When her teacher told her to spit it out and throw it in the trash, she talked back.

What tone did Ling use with her teacher?

Dear Chloe,

I really miss you! I wish my family would move back to Springfield. I don't like it here in Alaska. There isn't much sunlight at this time of the year. I haven't made many friends at my new school, and there is never anything to do. Do you miss me, too?

- Erin

Which word best describes the TONE of this note?

My annoying brother likes to drive me crazy. There is no other who is that lazy. He whines to Mom and Dad night and day, until he eventually gets his way. What is a sister to do, when he screams 'til he's blue? There is no way to win, for he gets under your skin. He does his best to kill all joy. Oh, how my brother does annoy! What is the TONE of the poem?

Read the following passage:

"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs

"Neither spoke, but lay silently listening to the ticking of the clock. A stair creaked, and a squeaky mouse scurried noisily through the wall. The darkness was oppressive, and after lying some time gathering up courage, he took the box of matches, and striking one, went downstairs for a candle. At the foot of the stairs, the match went out."

Which line from the passage appeals to your sense of sight?

Read the following passage:

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

"I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow – a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white. I remember him looking round the cover and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards."

What does the IMAGERY used in this passage tell the reader about the captain?

Setting can give clues about a story’s ________.

What is the setting of the passage below?

One summer day, Randolph the Bright slept alone in his room in the castle at Reddington. The light of morning seeped slowly through his curtains. Randolph blinked against the day, smiling as his dream came to a peaceful conclusion.

In the passage below, what can you infer about Randolph using clues from the setting?

One summer day, Randolph the Bright slept alone in his room in the castle at Reddington. The light of morning seeped slowly through his curtains. Randolph blinked against the day, smiling as his dream came to a peaceful conclusion.

If the passage below were set at Lena’s birthday party, what could you infer?

Lena laughed loudly. “I can’t believe you did that!” she said, smiling.

If the passage below were set in a snowy park where children were playing, what could you infer?

Lena laughed loudly. “I can’t believe you did that!” she said, smiling.

Which description of a setting would best create a mood of loneliness for a story?

In the passage below, what can you infer about the setting of the story?

When the men reached Oregon, they stepped out of their wagons and embraced. The journey was long and dangerous, but they made it. Soon, their families would follow their trail in their own wagons, leaving their homes in the East to meet them in this brand new land: the West.

What can you infer about the setting based on the passage below?

Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cooking stove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There was no garret at all, and no cellar—except a small hole, dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap-door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.

There are several ways to determine if a snake is poisonous or not. First, poisonous snakes usually have triangular shaped heads while nonpoisonous snakes have rounded heads. Second, poisonous snakes have pupils that look like slits. Nonpoisonous snakes have pupils that are rounder. Finally, the snouts of poisonous snakes are sometimes upturned, while nonpoisonous snakes have rounded snouts.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

Sir Isaac Newton was contemplating the universe in his garden one day in 1665 when he noticed an apple fall from a tree. Newton wondered to himself, “Why should the apple always fall to the ground? Why does it not go sideways or upwards but directly toward the Earth’s center?” After much contemplation Newton concluded that objects are pulled to the Earth through a force that he called gravity, which means heaviness in Latin. On July 5^th, 1687 Newton formally expressed his law of universal gravitation in series of books called The Principia.

What would be a good title for this passage?

The Masai of East Africa raise cattle for a living. Very little grain is raised in the area, so the people depend on the cattle for food. Most people drink a gallon of milk a day, and beef is a popular meat. Cow's blood is also used as food. It doesn't spoil, it provides protein and minerals, and it can be taken from cows while traveling.

What is this passage mostly about?

Corn was first grown by Native Americans. They showed the pilgrims how to grow corn as food. At one time, corn was used as money by pioneers. Corn is used as feed for farm animals. People also eat it as a vegetable. Oil, starch, and sugar can be made from corn. Corn is also important in industry. Medicine, paper, fertilizer, and glue can be made from corn and corn products.

Choose an appropriate topic sentence for this paragraph.

Native Americans dried strips of meat, pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat. Sometimes they added berries and sugar. Then they pressed it into small cakes. They called these cakes pemmican. Pemmican didn't spoil, and it provided lots of energy for people traveling or going hunting. Today explorers still carry and eat this food.

What is this passage mainly about?

Because lambs are sometimes eaten by coyotes, ranchers may hunt or trap the coyotes. However, killing coyotes may upset nature's balance. Scientists have found a way to protect sheep without killing coyotes. Coyotes are fed lamb meat treated with a drug. When they eat the meat, they get sick. Later, coyotes won't even go near lambs. They'll hunt rabbits instead.

This story mainly tells...

"Are you already done, son?" his father asked. "It seems like you just got in the water." Jacob was finished with his bath in less than two minutes. He got his body and hair wet, rubbed some grape flavored shampoo on his hair, washed his body with soap, and quickly rinsed it off. He liked to take fast baths so he would have more time to play. In fact, Jacob never took a long bath. To him, the faster the bath, the better.

What is the main idea of the passage?

Most people think that gorillas are mean, but actually they are shy. It seems that such a huge animal with very large teeth would be aggressive. Hollywood movies help convey this image of the scary, ferocious gorilla. In fact, gorillas only attack if they are provoked. However, gorillas usually don't have to fight other animals because of their impressive size.

The author believes that:

This was Kathy's first babysitting job. She was so excited, but she was really nervous. Kathy's parents made her attend a babysitting workshop before she could babysit her neighbor's five-year-old son, Matthew. Kathy knew this was a lot of responsibility, but she thought she was ready. Kathy marched confidently to Matthew's house and waved goodbye to Matthew's parents. It seemed as soon as his parents left, Matthew fell and hit his chin on the coffee table. Without panicking, she remembered what she learned in her babysitting class and applied first-aid.

The author wants to show that:

North Carolina police may use germs to catch bank thieves. Important papers can be sprayed with harmless germs that will stick to the hands of anyone who touches the paper. If a dishonest employee steals the papers, things that he or she touches later will have the germs on them. A scientist can show that the person leaving the germs got them when stealing the treated papers.

What is this story mainly about?