What does allegory mean?
Word: Allegory
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Allegory means a story, poem or picture in which the characters and events stand for ideas such as truth or greed, so that it has a deeper message.
How do you spell allegory?
Syllables: al - le - go - ry
Tricky part: The weak vowel before the g is e, though many pupils hear it as a.
Watch out for: allagory, alligory
Memory tip: An allegory carries a message, so give the weak vowel before the g the e of message.
Allegory in a sentence
Example 1: The film works as an allegory of how friendship can grow in a divided town.
Example 2: The mural in the school hall is an allegory of peace.
Example 3: We spent the English lesson working out what each animal in the allegory stood for.
Fun Fact
George Orwell's Animal Farm, published in 1945, is a famous allegory: its farmyard animals stand for real political leaders.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. synonim 2. parrody 3. methaphor 4. allegory
a) a tale that makes its point through symbols
b) describing one thing as if it were another
c) a word with nearly the same meaning as another
d) a funny copy of someone's style
Show answer
a) a tale that makes its point through symbols. Metaphor has no h after its t, parody has one r, and synonym ends in ym.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
Many readers see the tale of the two goats as an gylaloer about learning to share.
a) allegory
b) anthology
c) analogy
d) apology
Show answer
a) allegory. Analogy has too few letters and no r; anthology and apology miss the r as well.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
al_eg_ry
a) l, a
b) l, e
c) l, o
d) r, o
Show answer
c) l, o. The word starts with a double l, and an o sits before the ry.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our English teacher showed us how the tale of the ant and the grasshopper can be read as an alleggory about hard work and planning.
a) teacher
b) grasshopper
c) planning
d) alleggory
Show answer
d) alleggory. Just one g is needed in this word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A reader looking for an allegory should pick up ____.
a) a report on the bird life of the city lakes
b) a tale of a caged bird who stands for freedom
c) a recipe book of quick evening snacks
d) a diary of a school holiday in Ooty
Show answer
b) a tale of a caged bird who stands for freedom
2. What skill does reading an allegory call for most?
a) looking for meaning beneath the plot
b) copying out neat paragraphs
c) memorising long lists of names
d) reading aloud at a steady speed
Show answer
a) looking for meaning beneath the plot
