1a. What does the speaker say that poets do with "pretty, docile words"?
2a. What are some of the types of words the speaker loves? What are some of the things to which the speaker compares these types of words?
3a. In the last two lines of this poem, what qualities does the speaker associate with honied words?
1b. What relationship does this action show between poets and their words?
2b. Explain whether the speaker's examples of different types of words are good ones. Which examples worked best for you? Were there any places where you had a hard time seeing the relationship between the type of word and the example?
3b. Explain why the speaker might have attributed these different qualities to the same type of words.
4a. According to the definition given in the poem, "Poets make pets of pretty, docile words." Based on this definition, is the poet who wrote "Pretty Words" a good poet? Why, or why not?
4b. What does this poem reveal about Wylie's own feelings about writing poetry?
5a. Is Wylie well suited to her craft? Explain whether you think the author of this poem would be fulfilled in another profession. What other jobs might she be good at?
5b. What are some of the things you love as much as this poet loves words? Toward what career do you think your interests might lead you?
Onomatopoeia. What examples of onomatopoeia in "Pretty Words" did you find? Explain whether the poem is essentially about onomatopoeia.
Alliteration. What examples of alliteration did you note in this poem?
Matching. Choose the letter that best defines each word below.
1. dappled click to select answer a. striped b. solid c. spotted
2. docile click to select answer a. obedient b. sleepy c. sneaky
3. gilded click to select answer a. covered with bronze b. covered with silver c. covered with gold
4. luminous click to select answer a. bright b. unclear c. dull
Irregular Verbs. Irregular verbs often have different past tense forms and are formed using a different spelling. For each word below, write its past tense form and then use the past tense form in a sentence.
Example begin
past tense: began sentence: I began reading a new novel this morning.
1. write past tense: sentence:
2. hurt past tense: sentence:
3. lay past tense: sentence:
4. drink past tense: sentence:
5. fly past tense: sentence:
6. go past tense: sentence:
7. burst past tense: sentence:
8. run past tense: sentence:
9. bring past tense: sentence:
10. know past tense: sentence:
