Question

His action was alternately vivacious and sullen. Pay close attention to the words in the sentence. What meaning is the author trying to convey?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

The author is trying to say, the person being described has two defining characters. At a point in time, he can be very lively and animated. Some other times, he is withdrawn, cool and lonely.

The figure of speech to describe this is an OXYMORON.

Answer 2

This sentence is taken from The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe, and it refers to Usher, one of the protagonists. In this excerpt, the author is trying to convey that Usher's actions varied or alternated from lively or animated to gloomy, dismal, and sulky. In other words, sometimes he seemed happy and sometimes he seemed sad.