Difference between Symbolism and Imagery in Literature

Symbolism and imagery both are literary devices. These are used to convey an author’s message, idea, feelings or thoughts. Symbolism is used to convey a specific meaning, which is different from the original meaning. On other hand imagery is used to create vivid pictures in the mind of the readers with the help of sensory words. These literary devices are used by most authors so as to embellish and enhance the theme of the literary works. Let us understand the symbolism and imagery in detail.

Symbolism

In the English literature, symbolism is a technique that is used when something is not to be taken literary. In simple words, symbolism is the use of a real object to stand for an idea, concept or situation. With the help of symbolism, a writer enhances the meaning of his or her literary work and captures the attention of the readers. Most writers or authors create images with the help of symbolism. A symbolism can refer to a person, word, event, action, object and situation that carry a deeper meaning in context.

For example:

•    White color is a symbol of purity and innocence.

•    Red color is symbol of anger or passion.

•    Light is a symbol of knowledge.

•    Rose is a symbol of romance.

•    Life is a roller coaster – Here roller coaster symbolizes the ups and downs of life.

Imagery

Imagery refers to any kind of description that relates to a person’s five senses. In simple words, imagery is a descriptive language, which appeals to the physical senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell) of the reader. With the help of imagery, the writer or author draw picture in the mind of the readers. It is a technique of creating vivid mental images for the reader by using strong sensory words. The writer uses imagery to help readers to understand the imaginary world by using their five senses.

For example:

•    The word spread like leaves in a storm.

•    He felt like the flowers were waving him a hello.

•    One bite of the sour lemon caused my lips to pucker.

•    Glittering white, the blanket of snow covered everything in sight.

•    The sweet smell of freshly baked apple filled the air.

Difference between a Simile and a Metaphor

Simile and metaphor both are extensively used in literary works. These are used to make comparison or to explain a concept. It is little tricky to understand the use of simile and metaphor. Both are poetic device and commonly used in English language to embellish the text. Let us see the difference between a simile and a metaphor.

Simile

A simile is a metaphor, but not all metaphors are recognized as the simile. It is a type of metaphor in which the comparisons is made with the help of some specific words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’.

For example:

•    Her cheeks are red like a rose.

•    She is busy as bee.

•    He is as tall as a giraffe.

•    They fought like cat and dog.

•    Her voice is as sweet as sugar.

1.    A simile is a figure of speech that is used to compare two different things so as to create a new meaning. It is more poetic than metaphor.

2.    A simile represents to be like something or someone. In simple words, a thing cannot be substituted for the other thing completely.

3.    A simile always uses the words ‘like’ and ‘as’.

Metaphor

A metaphor is a literary device, which directly states a comparison. In other words, it made the comparison between the subjects that are unrelated.

For example:

•    My life is an open book.

•    She is the apple of my eye.

•    The wheels of justice turn slowly.

•    I was lost in a sea of nameless faces.

•    Words are the weapons with which we wound.

1.    A metaphor is a figure of speech and it compares two things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

2.    A metaphor is a substitution or an equation, whereas a simile is an approximation.

3.    A metaphor usually uses word like ‘is’, ‘are’, ‘was’ or ‘were’.

Difference between Demonstrative Pronoun and Demonstrative Adjective

Demonstrative pronoun and demonstrative adjective both sound identical and both modify the noun, but in a different way. The main difference between a demonstrative pronoun and a demonstrative adjective is that a demonstrative pronoun can stand alone, whereas a demonstrative adjective is followed by the noun. Let us understand the demonstrative pronoun and adjective in detail.

Demonstrative Pronoun

A demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that represents something, which is already mentioned. It is used to indicate something important in a sentence. These types of pronouns can be either plural or singular that points out items in distance or time. Suppose a thing or many things are represented in a sentence, so the demonstrative pronoun will be either far or near in distance or time. For near in distance or time – words like ‘this’ or ‘these’ will be used and for far in distance or time – words like ‘that’ or ‘those’ will be used.

•    A demonstrative pronoun will always identify a noun. It is used in place of a noun.

•    A demonstrative pronoun is primarily used to explain a thing, place or an animal. Besides, it is also used to describe a person who is identified.

Examples:

•    This is my house. (Singular)

•    Could you give me that? (Singular)

•    These are my favorites. (Plural)

•    Those belong to Cathy. (Plural)

Demonstrative Adjective

A demonstrative adjective is an adjective that is used to identify or demonstrate specific things, animals or people. The adjectives that modify nouns are ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘those’ and ‘these’. These words come before the nouns in the sentence. Like demonstrative pronoun, the demonstrative adjective also uses ‘this’ and ‘that’ for singular nouns and ‘these’ and ‘those’ for plural nouns.

•    A demonstrative adjective is useful when you want to make it clear which noun (place, person or thing) you would like to describe.

•    A demonstrative adjective identify the words omitted in a sentence or highlight their importance.

Examples:

This is the best gift of my life. (Singular)

That dress is so classy. (Singular)

Those earrings suit me very well. (Plural)

These books contain interesting stories. (Plural)

From above mentioned points, it is proved that demonstrative pronouns and demonstrative adjectives use the same words (this, that, those, these) to modify nouns. However, the difference between these two is that demonstrative pronouns come before a verb or these stand alone. On the other hand, demonstrative adjectives always appear before a noun.

What are the Functions of Adverbial Clause

Dependent clauses which act as an adverb are called adverbial clauses. Similar to other clauses, these clauses either modify a verb or an adjective or an adverb. Adverbs perform basically eight different types of functions which are as follows:

1. Adverb Phrase Head: This type of phrases consists of an adverb and some modifiers. Few examples of adverb phrase head are, however, quietly, quickly, etc.

2.  As Adjective Phrase Modifier: These phrases either modify an adjective or describe an adjective. 

For example:

•    Habitually late comers will not be allowed in the class.

•    Your newborn baby son is very thin.

3. As Adverb Phrase Modifier: These phrases or words either describe or modify an adverb phrase.  

For example:

•    The noise from the next door is extremely loud.

•    President’s actions are almost always perfect.

4. As Prepositional Phrase Modifier:  A prepositional phrase modifier modifies or describes a prepositional phrase. 

For example:

•    His diagrams are not very much like the original.

•    You seem rather driving under the influence of alcohol.

5.  As Adjunct Adverbials:  Adjunct adverbials are the words or phrases which modify or describe an entire clause by providing extra information like time, purpose, place, condition. 

For example:

•    The construction company had to demolish the old museum on the prime location so that an upscale apartment can be made.

•    You will definitely regret in future if you do not take precautionary measures now.

6.  As Disjunct Adverbials: Disjunct adverbial is a word which provides additional information to make the sentence more meaningful. This basically gives an insight of the attitude or tone of the person speaking. 

For example:

•    Surprisingly, none of the students qualified the entrance test.

•    Honestly, I have no idea of what you are saying.

7.  As Conjunct Adverbials: These phrases or words link two or more clauses trying to derive a textual relationship between them. 

For example:

•    Peter accepted the decision even if it meant he will lose his job.

•    Except for high blood sugar, I am hale and hearty.

Using Coordinating Conjunctions to Combine Sentences

A coordinating conjunction joins words, phrases and a set of words in a sentence. It joins similar types of words or phrases. In other words, coordinating conjunction connects similar elements such as two nouns, two independent clauses, two verbs or two modifiers. In English grammar, coordinating conjunctions are, and, or, for, so, but, yet, nor. A simple way to memorize the coordinating conjunctions is to remember the word FANBOYS. F is for, A is And, N is Nor, B is But, O is Or, Y is Yet and S is So.

Things to remember

•    Usually, when two independent clauses are connected through coordinating conjunction, a comma should be used before the coordinating conjunction. For example, she wants to perform on stage, but she is very shy.

•    Coordinating conjunctions come between the words or phrases, which they are joining. For example, John likes singing and dancing.

•    Do not add a comma, when using the coordinating conjunction to join two items. For example, He likes pizza and donut.

•    The comma before the coordinating conjunction is optional when it is used with a list of items (three or more) in a sentence.  For instance, she has purchased fruits, vegetables, pastry, milk, bread and butter.

•    If a sentence starts with a coordinating conjunction, then it is not followed by a comma.

Coordinating conjunction shows that the elements that they connect are equally important. Let us see some example sentences using coordinating conjunctions.

1.    She wore a long jacket, for it was cold outside.

2.    Suzan bought her mom a handbag, and her mother loved it.

3.    He does not like butter, nor does he eat cheese.

4.    I want to buy a car, but I do not have enough money.

5.    You can cook your food, or you can order from a restaurant.

6.    I had a cavity in my tooth, yet I ate chocolate yesterday.

7.    Harry was hungry, so he ate pizza.

Use of Determiners in English

Determiners are words that are used with nouns to clarify or modify the noun. Generally, determiners are used before a noun, so as to explain what the noun refers to. In simple words, a determiner is a group of words or a particular word that introduces a noun. It is a vital noun modifier that gives context to a noun, mostly in terms of quantity and possession.

Types of Determiners

In English language, determiners are categorized into following types:

1.    Articles: Articles are the most common determiners. ‘A’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ are recognized as articles. These articles explain the specificity and definiteness of a noun. ‘The’ is a definite article, whereas ‘a’ and ‘an’ are indefinite articles. ‘The’ refers to a specific noun. ‘A’ is used to refer noun, but used before the words, which begin with a consonant and ‘an’ is used before the words that starts with a vowel.

For example:

•    The Amazon River is one of the longest rivers in the world.

•    An advertisement on no smoking.

•    I was born into a rich family.

2.    Demonstrative: ‘These’, ‘those’, ‘this’ and ‘that’ are known as demonstrative determiners. These determiners explain the position of an object from a speaker’s point of view.

For example:

•    Do you want to eat this piece of cake?

•    These buildings are quite expensive.

3.    Quantifiers: Quantifiers generally indicates quantity. ‘a few’, ‘many’, ‘such as’, ‘all’, ‘some’ and ‘enough’ words are the quantifiers, which explain the amount of something without stating the exact number.

For example:

•    I have enough money.

•    She took all the chocolates.

4.    Possessives: Possessive determiner refers to an entity, which belongs to another. Words like ‘your’, ‘their’, ‘my’, ‘his’, ‘her’, ‘its’ and ‘our’ shows possession and ownership.

For example:

•    Our car is more expensive than John’s.

•    Your house is beautiful.

Function of Determiners

In a sentence, a determiner can play various roles and it is specifically used to clarify the noun.

•    It modifies a noun.

•    It may be used to describe or define something or someone.

•    It describes the quantity of a thing.

•    It explains whether the noun indicated is a specific one or unspecific one.

•    It may state the difference between nouns.

What are Antecedents with Examples?

An antecedent is a literary device or a linguistic term. It is a word that a pronoun replaces or refers to. In simple words, an antecedent is a preceding word, clause or phrase to which a pronoun, noun or another word refers back to. For instance, Emily called to say she will come to work late. (Here, ‘Emily’ is the antecedent of the personal pronoun ‘she’). An antecedent is originated from English grammar. It is recognized as an expression, which gives its meaning to a proform, including pronoun, pro-verb and pro-adverb. Generally, an antecedent comes before the pronoun as ‘ante’ means before.

Antecedent plays a significant role as it makes a sentence clear and succinct to the readers. Sometimes, the use of they, their, he, she, it, them, etc. make the sentence complex and confusing for the readers. Hence, an antecedent helps a writer to convey the exact meaning in a clear and coherent manner.

Basic Rules

There are certain rules that you need to consider when dealing with antecedents and pronouns. Let us understand in detail.

•    Make sure that a pronoun and its antecedent must agree in number. If an antecedent is singular, then the pronoun that replaces it or refers to it should be also singular.

•    Similarly, a pronoun and its antecedent must also agree in gender. If an antecedent refers to a masculine gender, then the pronoun that replaces or refers to it must have the same gender. Likewise, if an antecedent has feminine gender, then the pronoun must have the same gender.

Examples of Antecedent

1. My neighbor who lives next door lost his car key. (Here, ‘neighbor’ is the antecedent of the relative pronoun ‘who’ and the possessive adjective ‘his’.)

2. Every student was required to show his or her admission ticket. (Here, ‘student’ is the antecedent of the pronoun ‘his or her’. In order to avoid any gender confusion, ‘his or her’ both pronouns are used in the sentence.)

3. My aunty likes chocolates. She requests everyone to give her chocolates on Christmas. (Here, ‘aunty is the antecedent of the pronoun ‘she’.)

4. Any student who wishes to participate in the debate competition should raise his or her hand. (Here, ‘student’ is the antecedent of the pronoun ‘his or her’.)

5. Most people are unable to read and write because they are uneducated. (Here, ‘people’ is the antecedent of the pronoun ‘they’.)

What are Synonyms and Antonyms?

Wouldn’t it be challenging if you were asked to express your thoughts or communicate your ideas by using only one word. If a place, person or object is described with the help of a single word, then writing, reading and speaking will be certainly boring. Fortunately, we have myriads of words to express our thoughts and feelings. The words that have similar meanings are known as synonyms and the words that have opposite meanings are known as antonyms.  Synonyms and antonyms both are indispensable parts of the English language. All words have synonyms as well as antonyms and also help us to communicate our feelings and ideas precisely to others. Let us understand the synonyms and antonyms in detail:

Synonyms 

Synonyms refer to words that have the same or similar meanings. In short, the word that contains the same or very nearly the same meaning is called as a synonym. It can be used interchangeably while writing or speaking. For example, small (word) – tiny (synonym). However, there are few words that have identical meaning, but the words are not necessarily interchangeable. For instance, explode (word) – blow up (synonym). Here explode is a formal word, but blow up is an informal word. Generally, synonyms are used interchangeably without changing the overall meaning of a sentence. These words show different variations of the same understanding. 

Examples of synonym:

•    Good – Great, Excellent, Wonderful, Fine

•    Weak – Delicate, Wimpy, Fragile, Flimsy

•    Intelligent – Clever, Sharp, Intellectual, Bright

•    Lazy – Idle, Dull, Indolent, Lethargic

•    Beautiful – Gorgeous, Lovely, Marvelous, Attractive

Antonyms

Antonyms refer to words that have opposite meanings. In short, the word that contains opposite meaning is called as an antonym.  For example, introvert (word) - extrovert (antonym). It is important to choose the right antonym while writing. For instance, the antonym of ‘warm’ is cool or chilly, but ‘cool’ can be interpreted as ‘stylish’. According to the English language, antonyms are categorized into three different parts, including graded antonyms, relational antonyms and complementary antonyms.

Examples of antonym:

1. Graded Antonym: The word pairs that have variation between the two opposites. For example:

•    Healthy – Sick

•    Good – Bad

•    Big – Little

2. Relational Antonym: The word pairs have a relationship and would not exist without the other. For example:

•    Front – Rear

•    Girl – Boy

•    Open – Close

3. Complementary Antonym: The words that have two opposite possibilities and no degree of meaning. For example:

•    Male – Female

•    Dark – Light

•    Dead – Alive