Literary Devices for beginners

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 1

Literary Devices for beginners

Roald Dahl

Literary Devices

... are typical structures used by writers in their works to convey their message in a simple manner. When used properly, the different literary devices help readers to appreciate, interpret and analyze a literary work.

Adapted from https://literarydevices.net/

In other words...

In other words...

• adjectives

• similies

• metaphors

Type three adjectives that describe the cats.

Type three adjectives that describe this car.

Type three adjectives that describe this situation.

Make this boring sentence more interesting with adjectives.

The dog ran down the road.

Similes

Simile

00:57

What do you notice
about the lyrics?

SIMILE

They all have examples of

A way to describe something by comparing it to something else using 'like' or 'as'. 

If you are really tired, you might be moving as slowly as...

1. a cheetah
2. a snail
3. molasses
4. spaghetti

Which one of these sentences is a simile?

1. As hungry as a wolf.
2. The quick brown fox.
3. Sally was very sad.
4. The sky at night is dark.

The kitten was soft like a...

The ... were as scary as...

To make it more interesting... 

              you can combine adjectives and similes

• The house at the end of the block looked scary.

• The *** house at the end of the block looked like ---.

         

• The old house at the end of the block looked like a haunted house straight out of a movie.

         

The *** lady had a voice like a --.

{*** = an adjective; -- = a noun}

Make this sentence more interesting using
adjectives and simile:

My friend is shy.

...if you peered deep into the moustachy bristles sticking out over his upper lip, you would probably see much larger objects that had escaped the wipe of his hand, things that had been there for months and months, like a piece of maggoty green cheese or a mouldy old cornflake or even the slimy tail of a tinned sardine.

        Because of all this, Mr Twit never went really hungry. By sticking out his tongue and curling it sideways to explore the hairy jungle around his mouth, he was always able to find a tasty morsel here and there to nibble on.

...if you peered deep into the moustachy bristles sticking out over his upper lip, you would probably see much larger objects that had escaped the wipe of his hand, things that had been there for months and months, like a piece of maggoty green cheese or a mouldy old cornflake or even the slimy tail of a tinned sardine.

        Because of all this, Mr Twit never went really hungry. By sticking out his tongue and curling it sideways to explore the hairy jungle around his mouth, he was always able to find a tasty morsel here and there to nibble on.

What is the
"hairy jungle around his mouth"?

his BEARD

How is Mr Twit's beard
similar to a jungle?

My bedroom is a pigsty.

Take a minute to look at these two sentences.

Write down anything 

they have in common.

My bedroom is a pigsty.

My bedroom is a pigsty.

A metaphor makes a comparison and...

1. uses "like" or "as".
2. doesn't use "like" or "as".

Metaphors

DO NOT use 'like' or 'as'

My first metaphor

1. Choose a person, place, or thing.
2. What characteristic sticks out?
3. Think of other things that share the same characteristics (eigenschappen). 
4. Write the metaphor down! 

                                 (noun / to be / noun)

My first metaphor: the easy way

1. Write a comparison using like or as (aka a simile).
2. Delete the like or as. 
3. Voila! You now have a metaphor: a comparison that doesn't use like or as.

The classroom was a zoo.

Your turn!

Now write your own metaphor using the steps. Work in your notebook, and then type your metaphor on the next slide.

1. Choose a person, place, or thing.
2. Describe it.
3. Think of other things that share the same characteristics (eigenschappen).
4. Write the metaphor down! 

                               (noun / to be / noun)