Study guide: Read a Poem, a Script and a Narrator
Apply interpret a figure of speech, recognize poem structure, use a stage direction, tell narration from dialogue using supplied texts and original responses.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- A simile compares using like or as; a metaphor directly connects unlike things; personification gives human actions to nonhuman things. A literal line says what happens without that comparison.
- A line is one row of a poem; a stanza is a group of lines separated from other groups by space. A prose paragraph is organized in sentences without that poem layout.
- A play’s stage directions indicate actions or delivery, while speaker labels identify who says the dialogue. Directions are usually not spoken as character lines.
- Narration is the text’s telling voice. I marks first person singular, we first person plural, and names or third-person pronouns tell about other characters. Dialogue alone does not establish a narrator.
Useful vocabulary
- Interpret a figure of speech
- A simile compares using like or as; a metaphor directly connects unlike things; personification gives human actions to nonhuman things. A literal line says what happens without that comparison.
- Recognize poem structure
- A line is one row of a poem; a stanza is a group of lines separated from other groups by space. A prose paragraph is organized in sentences without that poem layout.
- Use a stage direction
- A play’s stage directions indicate actions or delivery, while speaker labels identify who says the dialogue. Directions are usually not spoken as character lines.
- Tell narration from dialogue
- Narration is the text’s telling voice. I marks first person singular, we first person plural, and names or third-person pronouns tell about other characters. Dialogue alone does not establish a narrator.
Watch your reasoning
- A metaphor does not mean an object literally transforms.
- Four lines can form one stanza or two groups.
- Do not make the actor say the brackets aloud.
- Check the designated sample rather than the whole scene.
A worked review example
Line: The path is like a ribbon. Layout: four lines with no blank line. Direction: [whispers]. Narration: I opened the gate. Interpret a figure of speech: The relevant input states: Line: The path is like a ribbon. This fits simile. A simile compares using like or as; a metaphor directly connects unlike things; personification gives human actions to nonhuman things. A literal line says what happens without that comparison. A metaphor does not mean an object literally transforms. Recognize poem structure: The relevant input states: Layout: four lines with no blank line. This fits one four-line stanza. A line is one row of a poem; a stanza is a group of lines separated from other groups by space. A prose paragraph is organized in sentences without that poem layout. Four lines can form one stanza or two groups. Use a stage direction: The relevant input states: Direction: [whispers]. This fits whisper. A play’s stage directions indicate actions or delivery, while speaker labels identify who says the dialogue. Directions are usually not spoken as character lines. Do not make the actor say the brackets aloud. Tell narration from dialogue: The relevant input states: Narration: I opened the gate. This fits first person singular. Narration is the text’s telling voice. I marks first person singular, we first person plural, and names or third-person pronouns tell about other characters. Dialogue alone does not establish a narrator. Check the designated sample rather than the whole scene.
Make a practice plan
- Practice interpret a figure of speech: Identify what is being compared or given an action. Explain the shared quality instead of treating the figurative line as a factual event.
- Practice recognize poem structure: Use the explicitly supplied line and blank-line information to count groups. Do not count sentences instead of lines.
- Practice use a stage direction: Read the bracketed phrase as an acting instruction. Distinguish movement, voice, face and timing.
- Practice tell narration from dialogue: Inspect the sample marked narration. If it is instead only a speaker-labeled line, recognize that there is no narration sample.
- Try the new review before opening its answer. Return to the related lesson if you want more help.