Understanding Comparisons, Figures of Speech, and More

Understanding Comparisons and Figures of Speech

In comparison, there are two terms: the compared element (which can be a noun, adjective, verb, etc.) and the comparison itself, including the nexus that binds them. Comparisons can express:

• Superiority: "The superior court is greater than the tent."
• Equality: "She is as sympathetic as her mother."
• Inferiority: "He is less ready than I am."
• Lexicalized Comparisons: These are common comparisons in language, such as "strong as an oak" or "tall as a steeple."

Figurative Language

Figurative language uses comparisons and other devices to create meaning beyond the literal. Some examples include:

• Metaphor: A substitution of an actual element for a figurative one, based on similarity.
• Euphemism: Replacing a word or phrase with a softer or less direct alternative. For example, "correctional officers" instead of "guards," "ladies of the night" instead of "prostitutes," or "domestic workers" instead of "servants."
• Dysphemism: The opposite of euphemism; using a more negative or harsh term.

Adventure Novels: An Example

Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a classic example of an adventure novel.

Key Features of Adventure Novels

• Setting: Takes place in a specific time and space.
• Time:
  • Epoch: Past, present, or future.
  • Story Time: Can be linear (chronological order) or nonlinear.

Stress and Accents in Language

• Acute: Ending in a vowel, +s, -in.
• Grave: Not ending in a vowel, +s, -in.
• Grave Accent: à, è (long, open, or when pronounced closed).
• Closed Pronunciation: The 'u' and 'i' always have a closed pronunciation, as do 'e' and 'o' when pronounced closed.

Hypernyms and Hyponyms

A hypernym is a broad category, while a hyponym is a more specific item within that category. For example:

• Hypernym: Tools
• Hyponyms: Screwdriver, wrench

Nationalities and Adjectives

Romania - Romanian; Hungary - Hungarian; Switzerland - Swiss; Chile - Chilean; Poland - Polish; China - Chinese; Iceland - Icelandic; Ecuador - Ecuadorian; Mexico - Mexican; Bulgaria - Bulgarian.

Phrases and Clauses

• Adjective Phrase: "The blonde girl."
• Prepositional Phrase: "The girl with braids."
• Clause: "The girl who looks upset."

A Story from Ireland

He ran for Ireland. For some years, the social situation had deteriorated so much that by 1850, thousands of people were living in penury. John O'Neill decided that he had only one way out of his dramatic personal situation. He was fifty-four, with a wife and two children. It had been almost a year since he had lost his job managing a farm, and since then, he had been working odd jobs. He gathered the four items that he and his wife, Mary, had managed to accumulate since they had just married. He said goodbye, heartbroken, to friends and neighbors. He bid a final farewell to his hometown and went one morning with the whole family to the port. His decision was not, by any means, an original one. Rather, it was the result of the general desperation that permeated Irish society, fueled by the thousand and one fantasies that had been spread from America: gold had been discovered in California.