An idiom is a group of words that, when used together, has a different meaning than each of the individual words.
| EXAMPLE | The Europeans were all ears. They listened carefully to learn everything they could from Native Americans. |
Use Clues to Interpret Idioms You can often use the context as clues to figure out idioms. In the example above, listened carefully is a clue. After you use the context to guess the meaning of an idiom, try it in the sentence. If it does not make sense, guess again or ask someone.
Identify Idioms The heading “Seeds of Change” on p. 394 is an idiom. The context in this section is about the changes happening at the time. The changes were like seeds because they grew into bigger changes. This idiom means, “The Causes of Change.”
Analyze Idioms Analyze the meaning of the headings “Breaking Bread” (p. 396), “Running Wild” (p. 398), and “Hold Your Horses” (p. 401).
What Is Personification? When writers use personification, they give human qualities to nonhuman things. Writers use personification to make their writing more exciting and powerful. Look at the personification in the lines below. How does it add to the meaning of ”Old World New World” on page 406?
Analyze Personification With a partner, find other examples of personification in “Old World New World.” Use the chart below.
| Object | Human Quality | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| trees | sighed “Old World Old World” | The trees prove that the native culture has been there for a long time. |