9

English
Quarter 3, Wk.1 - Module 2

Use Literary Devices and Techniques

To Craft a Play Synopsis

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Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

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English- Grade 9
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3, Wk.1 - Module 2: Use Literary Devices and Techniques to Craft a
Play Synopsis
First Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in
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Published by the Department of Education – Division of Iligan City

Schools Division Superintendent: Roy Angelo E. Gazo, PhD.,CESO V

DEVELOPMENT TEAM OF THE MODULE

Writer/s: MA. VIANNEY C. BUCKLEY

Content and Language Evaluators: MARIO L. AGARO, MARCHIE B. NADONZA
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Members: Henry B. Abueva, EPS, OIC-CID Chief

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Office Address: General Aguinaldo, St., Iligan City
Telefax: (063)221-6069
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 9
English
Quarter 3, Wk.1 - Module 2
Use Literary Devices and Techniques to
Craft a Play Synopsis

This instructional material was collaboratively developed and reviewed

by select teachers, school heads, Division English Coordinator of the
Department of Education - Division of Iligan City. We encourage teachers
and other education stakeholders to email their feedback, comments, and
recommendations to the Department of Education-Iligan City Division at
iligan.city@deped.gov.ph or Telefax: (063)221-6069.

We value your feedback and recommendations.

iv
 Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

Table of Contents

What This Module is About.......................................................................................v

What I Need to Know................................................................................................v
How to Learn from this Module................................................................................ vi
Icons of this Module................................................................................................. vi
What I Know ……………………………………………………………………………….vii

Lesson 1:
Understanding Literary Devices...............................................................................8
What’s In.............................................................................................1
What’s New ......................................................................................1
What Is It.............................................................................................5
What’s More .......................................................................................8
What I Have Learned..........................................................................8

Summary…………………………………………………………………………………..8
Assessment: (Post-Test)………………………………………………………………. 9
Key to Answers…………………………………………………………………………..11
References............................................................................................................ 13

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What This Module is About
In this module, you will get familiar with most commonly used literary devices
in prose and poetry. It will give you a clear definition of the terms we discuss along
with examples of literary elements and the context in which they most often appear in
comedic writing, drama, and the rest.

A literary device is any method an author uses to convey their message.

Almost every single piece of writing has some sort of literary device to make the
story much more interesting for the reader.

What I Need to Know

Learning Objectives:

1. Define and describe the literary devices

2. Use literary devices and techniques to craft a play synopsis
3. Learn to compare and contrast each literary devices

How to Learn from this Module

To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to do the following:

• Take your time reading the lessons carefully.

• Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activities and exercises

diligently.

• Answer all the given tests and exercises.

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Icons of this Module

What I Need to This part contains learning objectives that

Know are set for you to learn as you go along the
module.

What I know This is an assessment as to your level of

knowledge to the subject matter at hand,
meant specifically to gauge prior related
knowledge
What’s In This part connects previous lesson with that
of the current one.

What’s New An introduction of the new lesson through

various activities, before it will be presented
to you

What is It These are discussions of the activities as a

way to deepen your discovery and under-
standing of the concept.

What’s More These are follow-up activities that are in-

tended for you to practice further in order to
master the competencies.

What I Have Activities designed to process what you

Learned have learned from the lesson

What I can do These are tasks that are designed to show-

case your skills and knowledge gained, and
applied into real-life concerns and situations.

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 What I Know

Starter

Read the statements and determine what literary device is used.

In the box is a clue:

metaphor allegory hyperbole personification alliteration

assonance irony onomatopoeia litotes simile

1. The moon smiled at the sleeping children.

2. A million dollars is no small amount.
3. His statements are not without truth.
4. Old Mr. Smith has been teaching here since the Stone Age.
5. Bake a big cake with lots of butter and bring it to the birthday bash.
6. Who knows why the cold wind blows or where it goes, or what it knows.
7. “Friends, countrymen, lend me your ears.”
8. They walked along, two continents of experience and feeling unable to
communicate.
9. Leaves rustle in the wind and are whipped into the air.
10. William Shakespeare was not a bad playwright at all.

Encircle the object being compared in the sentences below.

1. He is the king of the road.
2. Words are powerful weapon.
3. You light up my life.
4. He was the black sheep of the family.
5. Life is full of mystery.

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 Lesson Understanding Literary Devices
1
What’s In

All writing is made up of literary devices whether you realize it or not.

Using literary devices is exactly how you can do that and we’ll teach you how with
our
list of literary devices.

What’s New

Literary Techniques or literary devices are structures usually a words or

phrases in literary texts that writers employ to achieve not merely artistic ends but
also readers a greater understanding and appreciation of their literary works. It is
specific, deliberate, constructions of language which an author uses to convey
meaning.

Common techniques relevant to style, or the language chosen to tell a story,

include metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, hyperbole, and alliteration
relevant to plot, which is the sequence of events that make up a narrative, include
backstory, flashback, flash-forward, and foreshadowing

Let us start getting to know them better…

Simile(ˈsiməlē/)are comparisons between two things that are NOT like and replaces
the word with another word but uses “like” or “as” within it.

Example 1. His father is like a carabao who works hard.

The word like used to compare two different objects, the father and the carabao.

Example 2. He is as busy as a bee.

The two different objects are he and bee different things. It means the he works
hard. He is a person while bee is an insect.

Task 1.Underline the object being compared in the sentences below.

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 1. Life is like a box of chocolate
2. The baby’s skin was soft like a petal rose.
3. The sidewalks were as slippery as glass freshly cleaned for the birthday
party.

Metaphor (meh·tuh·for) is a comparison between two things that are NOT alike and
replaces the word with another word.

Example 1.She was drowning in a sea of her own despair.

Example 2.All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

Task 1.Identifying metaphor.

1. Which of the following is a metaphor?

A.my life is an open book
B. my life is like a book
C. She is like my life
D. my life is smooth as a wax

2. Which of the following is a metaphor?

A. dark as the dirt
B. the sun is yellow
C. bright as the sun
D. none of the above

3. Which of the following is a metaphor?

A. hair is a rat’s nest
B. hair is very straight
C. hair as neat as a pin
D. hair as messy as a rag doll’s

Hyperbole (hai·pur·buh·lee) from a Greek word meaning "excess," is a figure of

speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis. It is not
intended to be taken literally.

Example
1. I've told you a million times not to do that.
The underlined words explained that it’s impossible to tell someone for a million
times
maybe, it has been said three or five times.

2. You're walking slower than a snail.

A person could not walk the same as the snail. It explained that the person is very
slow in doing work.

Task 1. Encircle the hyperbole in the poem and explain its meaning.
"A Red, Red, Rose" by Robert Burns

Till a' the seas gone dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun;

I will love thee still, my dear,

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While the sands o' life shall run.

Task 2 . Connect the word or phrase/s that make sense in the sentence.

million miles away forever cats and dogs melted

1. We’ll be best friends ____________.

2. I can smell pizza from a __________.
3. I _____ every time you look at me.
4. I haven’t seen you a ________ years.

Personification (pr·saa·nuh·fuh·kei·shn)is defined as a literary device that assigns

human qualities and attributes to objects or other non-human things.

Example.1. The light danced across the sky.

The action of dancing is one that can only be performed by humans.

Example 2.Will you sing a song for me? asked the spider to the fly.

The two insects are given human characteristics such as speech.

Task 1. Read the sentences below. Encircle the object being personified and
underlinethe action that it does.

1. The murmuring stream joined the roaring river.

2. The wind whistled throughout the day.
3. The covid virus killed millions of people.

Irony(ˈaɪrəni )( ‘eye-run-ee’ ) is a literary device where the chosen words are

intentionally used to indicate a meaning other than the literal one . It is often
mistaken for sarcasm. Sarcasm is actually a form of verbal irony, but sarcasm is
intentionally insulting.

Example 1. "Oh, great" after your drink has spilled all over your expensive new
clothes. You don't actually mean that the incident is positive. Here, using the word
'great' ironically indicates a higher negative implication, even though the wording is
positive.

Example 2. Romeo and Juliet (By William Shakespeare)

“Go ask his name: if he be married.” My grave is like to be my wedding bed.” Juliet
commands her nurse to find out who Romeo was, and says if he were married, then
her wedding bed would be her grave. It is a verbal irony because she is going to
die on her wedding bed.

Situational irony occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of

something expected to happen, and what actually happens.

Example 3.A fire station burns down.

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 This is unexpected because one would assume the fire chief would keep his
own
building safe.

The police station gets robbed. The expectation is that professional crime
fighters would be able to help themselves; in this case, by securing their own station.

Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters
don't. A writer may use this literary device to build suspense, create tension, or
sustain a reader's interest.
Ex.In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is in a drugged
sleep, so when Romeo thinks she is dead and kills himself (followed by Juliet doing
the same) it increases the audience's shock.

Task 1. Read the sentence and then choose the correct type of irony.
___________The passengers know that the ship will sink but the actor gets on the
way.

___________Romeo thinks Juliet is dead and kills himself, but, she is not really
dead.

___________"Sure, I want to go hiking in the mountains...with a broken leg"

Task 2. Create irony by completing each sentence with an ironic thought or idea.
Example: I posted a video on YouTube about __________________.
Answer: I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.

1. The Titanic was promoted as unsinkable but_______________ in 1912.

2. I just posted about how useless Facebook is on___________________.
3. I am so glad it has started raining, but ______________________.

Allegory (AL-eh-goh-ree) is a literary device that express by means of symbolic

fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence. It
has a “surface story” and another story hidden underneath. The objective of its use is
to teach some kind of a moral lesson. Although an allegory uses symbols, it is
different from symbolism. A symbol, on the other hand, is an object that stands for
another object, giving it a particular meaning. Unlike allegory, symbolism does not
tell a story.

For example, the surface story might be about two neighbor’s throwing rocks ateach
other's homes, but the hidden story would be about war between two countries.

Ex. Aesop’s Fable – Tortoise and the Hare

Tortoise challenges the Hare to a race and beats the Hare because of Hare’s
overconfidence. The hidden meaning is that people are born with natural talents
but waste them to idleness.

Task 1. Read the story of The Fox and The Grapes!.

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 A.
Literary
Elements

One warm summer’s day a fox was ambling along, enjoying the
sunshine. He came across a vine. Juicy bunches of grapes were hanging from its
branches, ripe and ready to be eaten. The fox was thirsty, so when he saw the
grapes, he wanted to eat them right away. Walking back a few steps, the fox took a
run up and jumped and almost reached the grapes. “I'll try again," the fox thought.
He took a few steps back, counted to three and ran and jumped again, but he still
couldn't reach the grapes. “Third time lucky!”, the fox said and jumped for a third
time. But he still couldn't reach. He tried again and again until he became very tired
and couldn’t jump any more. The fox thought for a while, put his nose in the air and
said to himself, “Well, I’m sure the grapes were sour anyway!” It is not easy to like
what you cannot get.

Answer the following questions

1. Who/what does the fox represent? And the grapes?

2. What is the allegorical meaning of this story?

3. What is the ‘moral’ of the story?

Task 2. Choose one picture and interpret to reveal a hidden meaning or the
connotative meaning

A. B. C.
Sources:
A. https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/euthanasia-video-of-dying-man-was-most-horrific-video-of-the-year/
B. https://www.sfcdcp.org/communicable-disease/healthy-habits/how-to-put-on-and-remove-a-face-mask/
https://www.ioshmagazine.com/2020/04/20/hse-issues-
social-distancing-warning-employers

Literary Elements have an inherent existence in literary piece and are

extensively employed by writers to develop a literary piece e.g. plot, setting, narrative
structure, characters, mood, theme, moral etc. Writers simply cannot create his
desired work without including Literary Elements in a thoroughly professional
manner.
When it comes to writing a synopsis, substance is the name of the game. A
synopsis is a summary of a book / a movie that familiarizes the reader with the plot
and how it unfolds. As you begin writing, you should focus on the fundamentals.

The key element of creative writing is, obviously, creativity. A writer is given free
scope to create characters, places and scenarios to their liking.

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TECHNICAL
PERFORMANCE

LITERARY
 Setting -Where and
when is the story Dialogue- This refers to
Structure - The the words written by the
set? Setting structure of a play is
represents both the playwright and spoken by
the order in which the characters in the play.
physical location but action and scenes are
also the time (i.e. placed.
past, present,
future) and the
social and cultural
conditions in which Point of view-To
the characters exist. figure out point- Diction- refers to
of-view, ask word choice and
yourself "Whose phrasing in any
story is it?" and written or spoken
Conflict -It involves then tell the story text.
problems or obstacles from that
that arise within a story— character's
both internal (or in a perspective.
character's mind) and

B. Technical Elements

Scenery - the equipment such as curtains, flats, backdrops, or platforms ,used in

a
drama production.
Costumes - clothing and accessories are worn by actors to portray character and
period.
Properties - are any articles, except costume or scenery, used as part of a dramatic
production; any moveable object that appears on stage during a
performance.

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 Lights elements mean that every placement, intensity, and color of lights have
to set as needed to help communicate environment, mood, or feeling.

Sound / sound effects for a production are used to establish the time or
location of a performance, or to create and enhance mood and atmosphere. Time
and location are the 'when' and 'where' of a production.

Make-up is used to assist in creating the appearance of the characters that

actors portray during a production.

C. Performance

Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an

actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any
other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.

Literary devices are various elements and techniques used in writing that
construct the whole of your literature to create an intended perception of the writing
for the reader. When it comes to writing a synopsis, substance is the name of the
game. A synopsis is a summary of a book / a movie that familiarizes the reader with
the plot and how it unfolds.

A synopsis doesn’t need to dangle the carrot of an unknown ending to the

reader; simply emphasize character motivations at the beginning and end of your
synopsis.

For example:

Beginning: “Sally has spent the past twenty years wondering who her birth
parents are [motivation]. When a mysterious man offers her the chance to find them,
she spontaneously buys a ticket to Florence to begin her journey [inciting action].”

Ending: “She returns to the US with the man who was her father all along
[resolution], safe in the knowledge that she’ll never have to wonder about him again
[restated motivation].”

Most good synopses run to two nicely formatted pages (ie:reasonable line
spacing, normal margins and a sensible font.)Length: about 500 words (but check
agency requirements – they can be quite variable).

Language: Be business-like; clear, to the point, neutral. In particular, it’s fine

to tell not show: this is a business document, not the novel itself.

Character names: Put the names of main characters in bold or CAPS when
you first introduce them. That makes the synopsis easier to navigate.

What Is It

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Task 1. Read the Act 1 and Act 2 excerpt from story of Romeo and Juliet After
reading , write a synopsis about the 2 Acts.

Act I
Romeo and Juliet begins as the Chorus introduces two feuding families of
Verona: the Capulets and the Montagues. On a hot summer's day, the young men of
each faction fight until the Prince of Verona intercedes and threatens to banish them.
Soon after, the head of the Capulet family plans a feast. His goal is to introduce his
daughter Juliet to a Count named Paris who seeks to marry Juliet.

Montague's son Romeo and his friends (Benvolio and Mercutio) hear of the
party and resolve to go in disguise. Romeo hopes to see his beloved Rosaline at the
party. Instead, while there, he meets Juliet and falls instantly in love with her. Juliet's
cousin Tybalt recognizes the Montague boys and forces them to leave just as
Romeo and Juliet discover one another.

Act II
Romeo lingers near the Capulet house to talk with Juliet when she appears in
her window. The pair declare their love for one another and intend to marry the next
day. With the help of Juliet's Nurse, the lovers arrange to marry when Juliet goes for
confession at the cell of Friar Laurence. There, they are secretly married (talk about
a short engagement).

Task 2. Write a script base on the synopsis that you have written.

What’s More

Task 1. Choose one of the following genre Fantasy, Drama or Fiction and write a
script.

Task 2.Comic Strip

Write a story and dialogues in the following comic template.

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 What I Have Learned

EXTENSION ACTIVITY FOR STUDENTS

Task 1.Student completes an analysis of the use of technical elements in a movie,

television program, or dramatic production of his or her choice and shares the
analysis with the class.

Task 2 . Student adapts a short story into a dramatic script that includes directions
for the use of the technical elements.

Summary
Recognizing poetic devices and elements is the first step to a deeper
understanding of poetry. A powerful figurative language that writers use to summon
emotion ranging from guilt to anger to bliss, and to allow us to see the world in new
and magical ways. It helps the reader stay captivated in creating a more vivid and
greater detailed picture of the author’s words.

Assessment: (Post-Test)
I. Direction: Read carefully what is being asked.
1. It’s a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or
show emphasis.
a. personification
b. simile
c. hyperbole

2. A summary of a book / a movie that familiarizes the reader with the plot and
how it unfolds.
a. synopsis
b. conflict
c. setting

3. An activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or\

actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other
medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. ..
a. Acting
b. Mood
c. Tone

4. The _____ of a play is the order in which action and scenes are placed.
a. structure
b. setting

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 c. plot

5. It involves problems or obstacles that arise within a story—both internal and

external (caused by other characters or forces).
a. Acting
b. conflict
c. Tone

6. The Idea, belief, moral, lesson or insight. It’s the central argument that the author
is trying to make the reader understand.
a. theme
b. simile
c. hyperbole
7. A kind of irony that occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of
something expected to happen, and what actually happens .
a. situational
b. dramatic
c. verbal"

8. Which of the following is a hyperbole?

a. She is as pretty as a flower.
b. She is the prettiest woman in the entire universe.
c. She is a beautiful flower.
d. She is very pretty.

9. Which is not a type of irony?

a. situational
b. vocal dramatic
c. verbal

10. A synopsis is a summary of a book a movie that familiarizes the reader with
the plot and how it unfolds.

a. True
b. False

B. A challenge for you..

How many literary devices you can see?

H U H L E D A U H M E T H O N
P Y H I C E R M Y H Y P B O L
N E P T N V C N E M Y T I H O
O L R E A I T N S T A T E S S
O O B S N B G I I K A P O P S
J B I R O C O S N C O P I N P
M R E A S N H L I L I M H O T
E E H R S V I F E M E T A O R
P P C Y A O I F P A I T J A R
H Y M M A N C O I P O L O T S
O H O U O S B R A A N O E K A
xviii
I G L S I I O I R N T O P I I
Y L R I N N N O T I A I Y N M
L E E A Y E E R N T O L O G B
P A L L I T E R A T I O N N S
 Key to Answers

What I know
Starter.

1.croaked
2.quack 4.howled
3.roar 5.yapping

Simile
TASK 1.
1. Life – box of chocolate
2. Baby’s skin – petal rose
3. Sidewalk - glass

Metaphor
TASK .
1. a
2. d
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 3. a
Hyperbole
TASK 1.

Seas gone dry rocks melt life run

TASK 2.
1. forever
2. mile a way
3.melted
4.million
Personification
Task 1.
1. Murmuring- stream / roaring river
2. Wind whistled
3. Covid virus - killed
Irony
TASK 1.
1. situational irony
2. dramatic irony
3. verbal irony

TASK 2.
1. Sank
2. Face book
3. I don’t like to get wet
Allegory
TASK 1 .
1. Fox - evil , bad –
sour grapes’, less important which, although often used to denote any sour or
bitter mood, can also more specifically denote the idea of having liked
something, which one has gone off .
2. The story concerns a fox that tries to eat grapes from a vine but cannot
reach them. Rather than admit defeat, he states they are undesirable.
3. Moral: It's easy to despise what you cannot have.

Task 2. Answer vary

What Is It –
Task 1 Writing Synopsis / Script
Task 2.Writing a script base on the synopsis of the acts.

What’s More
Task 1 – Task 2 (Personal choice)
Answer vary

What I Have Learned

EXTENSION ACTIVITY FOR STUDENTS
TASKS more activities

What I can do.

1. c 2. a
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 3.a 7.a
4.a 8.b
5.b 9.b
6.a
10.a

b. 12 pts.

xxi
References
Bella Rose Pope.”Literary Devices: 15 Literary Elements With Examples & Tips to
Use Them”Self-Publishing School.Last modified July 25, 2019. https://self-
publishingschool.com/literary-devices/

COURTNEY CARPENTER.” Learn How to Write a Synopsis Like a Pro”. Writer’s

Digest. Last modified FEB 14, 2012. https://www.writersdigest.com/improve-my-
writing/learn-how-to-write-a-synopsis-like-a-pro#:~:text

Hannah Muniz.” The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know” PrepScholar. Last
modified Jan 25, 2020. https:// prepscholar.com/list-of-literary-devices-techniques

“Literary Terms.”Literary Terms. June 1, 2015. Accessed November 3, 2016.

https://literaryterms.net/.

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 For inquiries and feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Division of Iligan City

Office Address: General Aguinaldo, St., Iligan City
Telefax: (063)221-6069
E-mail Address: iligan.city@deped.gov.ph
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