Terms and examples for Annotating

 

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Quinn ELA 10 Annotation Activity definition of terms

 

Word choice	Definition	Example
Connotation	noun an additional idea or emotion that a word suggests to you, that is not part of its usual meaning	Mending Wall by Robert Frost And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each. This excerpt from "Mending Wall" suggests a separation between neighbors. It is not specifically stated, but it is suggested.
Pun	A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.	My dentist seems distracted; I think he was brushing me off.     By using words, this writer plays with them to create humor
allusion	Allusion is a brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art. Casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event. An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion.	Stephen Vincent Benet's story "By the Waters of Babylon" contains a direct reference to Psalm 137 in the Bible.
innuendos	A hint or remark that suggests something else	Look at all the effort you put into the homework assignment! (There is only one sentence written for an essay assignment)
Ambiguity	Uncertainty, word or expression that can be understood in two or more possible ways	The author wrote his novel with clever, puzzling vagueness.
irony	the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning:	the irony of her reply, "How nice!" when I said I had to work all weekend.
Figurative language	Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language.	Simile, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration, personification, metaphor
Simile	A simile uses the words "like" or "as"to compare one object or idea with another to suggest they are alike.	Example: busy as a bee
Hyperbole	An exaggeration that is so dramatic that no one would believe the statement is true. Tall tales are hyperboles.	Example: He was so hungry, he ate that whole cornfield for lunch, stalks and all.
Word choice	Definition	Example
Onomatopoeia	The use of a word to describe or imitate a natural sound or the sound made by an object or an action.	Example: snap crackle pop
Alliteration	The repetition of the same initial letter, sound, or group of sounds in a series of words. Alliteration includes tongue twisters.	Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.
Personification	A figure of speech in which human characteristics are given to an animal or an object.	Example: My teddy bear gave me a hug.
Metaphor	The metaphor states a fact or draws a verbal picture by the use of comparison. A simile would say you are like something; a metaphor is more positive - it says you are something.	Example: You are what you eat.