Cahsee Literary Terms

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Cahsee Literary Terms
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Literal Language

• The literal meaning of a word is its dictionary
  definition.
• For example
• A biography is the life story of a real person.

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Using Context Clues

• On the CAHSEE, you may run into a word you have
  never seen. How can you figure it out? In
  context (using the clues of the words surrounding
  it).
• Exp
• The tree oozed with a sticky resin.
• What are the clues? Circle them on your paper.
• If the word resin was just a blank line, what
  word could you substitute for it?

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Context Clues

• You may find different types of context clues
  within the sentence or paragraph that the
  difficult world is in
• Synonym/restatement
• Antonym/contradiction
• Definition or description
• Example
• Comparison and contrast
• Cause and effect

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Tips to Remember Literal Definitions

• Mnemonic devices- memory tricks to remember the
  meaning of a word.
• Rhymes, silly sentences, or letter clues
• Personal The mnemonic needs to be something you
  will remember.
• Exp
• Mnemonic for remembering spellingI before E
  except after C,and when sounding like "ay" as in
  Neighbor or Weigh

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Tips to Remember Literal Definitions

• Mental Images-create a picture or cartoon in your
  mind to help you remember the word.
• Exp Imagine the letters in the word frigid
  (extremely cold) shaking because they are
  freezing cold, and are in an icy place.

Possible mental image
Frigid
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Figurative Language

• Also called figures of speech
• It changes the literal meaning of words
• to express complexity, to capture a
  physical or sensory effect,
• or to extend meaning.
• There are a number of figures of speech. Some
  of the more common ones are

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Simile

• Making a comparison between unlike things, using
  like or as.
• Exp Forrest Gumps famous simile is
• Life is like a box of chocolates. You never
  know what youre going to get.
• What two things are being compared in this
  simile?

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Metaphor

• Making a comparison between unlike things without
  the use like or as.
• An example is, You are my sunshine.
• What two unlike things are being compared in this
  quote?

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Personification

• Giving human qualities to an animal, thing or
  idea.
• The telephone screamed to be answered.
• The door flew open.
• The birds shouted their songs.

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Idioms

• An idiom is a figurative, sometimes strange,
  expression that cannot be understood if taken
  literally.
• Exp
• It is raining cats and dogs
• This test will be a piece of cake
• She decided to quit cold turkey

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Test Question 1

• literal meaning of a word is
• a. Its definition based on literary works
• Its dictionary definition
• Its common or street usage
• Its usage during the 1700s

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Test Question 2

• Which of the items below is NOT a type of context
  clue?
• Synonym/restatement
• Antonym/contradiction
• Definition or description
• Bold text
• Example
• Comparison and contrast
• Cause and effect

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Test Question 3

• Which item below is not a simile?
• She was as beautiful as a summer day
• His anger was like the hot asphalt on bare feet
• His cars engine roared like a caged beast ready
  to pounce
• The crowd became a wounded animal when the other
  team scored the winning goal

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Test Question 4

• Which item below is not a metaphor?
• She was a jungle cat ready to destroy the
  opposition
• The car was a steamroller as it plowed through
  the wall
• He is a tank plowing through he defense
• She is as graceful as a gazelle

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Test Question 5

• Which item below is not an example of
  personification?
• The car cried as it sat crashed and on fire
• The dog yelled welcome home to its owner
• The pig was angry as it ate
• The siren screamed to all that could hear it

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Test Question 6

• Which is not an Idiom?
• Have a food fight
• To pay through the nose
• To take someone under your wing
• To pull your weight