Literary Devices

Literary Devices

Alliteration:  Number of words, having the same first consonant sound occur close together in a series.  Ex:  He had a Hunting Hat   

Analogy:  It is the comparison of an idea or a thing with another.  Ex: Metaphors and similes, Go is to Green as Red is to Stop

Allegory:  An Allegory is a story that is used to represent a more general message about real - life issues or events.  Ex: Animal Farm is an  Allegory as it represents the Russian Revolution.

Allusion: It is an indirect reference to a figure, place, event or idea originating from outside the text.  Ex: You are behaving like a Socrates.  It is an Allusion to the famous real life character.

Anachronism: It occurs when there is an error in the time line of a text.  They are often used for comedic effect.  Ex: 

Anaphora:  It is a word or phrase repeated at the beginning of multiple  sentences throughout the poem. 
Ex: It was the best time
      It was the worst time
      It was the age of wisdom

Anthropomorphism:  It occurs when something nonhuman such as an animal, place or inanimate object, behaves in a human like way.
Ex:  Mickey and Minnie can speak, wear clothes like human.         
                               

Irony: statement is used to express an opposite meaning than the one literally expressed by it.  Ex: A teacher yelling "Be Quite"

Verbal Irony:  saying something happens that is opposite what was expected. Ex: someone saying during a storm, its such a nice day. 

                                                     Dramatic Irony:  When the audience is aware of the true outcomes, 

                                                     while the characters are not. Ex: A scary Movie

                                                    Situational Irony:  something happens that is opposite to what was expected.  Ex:  The local fire station has burnt to the ground.

Imagery:  When they described scene, thing or idea, it appeals to our senses.  Ex:  I saw a crowd. A host of Golden Daffodils dancing...

Hyperbole:  It is an exaggerated statement that is not taken literally by the reader. Ex:  I could eat a horse means hungry.

Foreshadowing: Indirectly hint at things such as dialogue, description or characters action, what is to come later on in the story.


Flashback:  A narrative that depicts events that have already occurred to give more background in formation detail about specific character, events, plot points.  Ex:  Wuthering Heights.

Euphemism: It is when more mild or indirect word or expression is used in place of another word or phrase that is regarded harsh, blunt or vulgar.  Ex:

Juxtaposition:  it is a comparing and contrasting of two or more different ideas, objects and characters.  This device is used to help create a clearer picture of the character. Ex  The tale of two cites.

Metaphor/Simile:  Metaphors are when ideas, actions or objects are described in non - literal terms compares one thing to another.  Ex
A simile is a type of metaphor in which an object is compared t another thing using words "as" or "like"

Colloquialism:  It is the use of informal language and slang.  It is used to lend a sense of realism to their characters and dialogue.  Ex: "hey, what's up man?"

 Epistrophe:  It is similar to anaphora, repeated words or phrases.  Ex: I swear to tell the truth,the whole truth,and nothing but the truth.

Mood: General feeling the writer wants the audience to have.  Ex:  It was a dark stormy night.

Onomatopoeia: Group of words represents sound. Ex: Boom, Zoom, Sizzle.

Oxymoron:  It is a combination of two words that together express a contrast meaning.  Ex: Organized chaos, Cruelly kind.

Paradox:  It is a statement that appears illogical or self contradictory.  Ex: Its hard work doing nothing.

Personification:  describing non-human figure or other abstract having human-like qualities or characters.. and non human to human. Ex: The wind howled at night

Repetition:  Word or Phrase is written multiple times.  It is often used in poetry. Ex: It's okay to be okay.

Satire: Criticizing something.  It often employs irony humor and hyperbole.  Ex: 

Soliloquy:  Often used in dramas.  It refers to when a character speaks to himself.  Ex: " to be not to be"

Symbolism:  It refers to object, figure, even in  a work to represent deeper meaning.  Ex:  black for Evil, white for peace.

Synecdoche:  Part of something represents the whole or vice versa.
Ex: wow! nice wheels  meaning nice car.

Tone:  Tone is directed towards a subject.  Ex: serious, angry.

Metonym:  word or Phrase is substituted for the actual thing.
Ex: Denis drank the bottle.

Malapropism:  usage of incorrect word in place of a word has similar sound.  Ex:  I cant wait to dance Flamingo.  Flamenco is the name of the dance but wrongly pronounced.

Epigraph:  Inserting a famous quotation, poem or song at the beginning of a larger text. Ex: A short quotation below the title of a work.

Persona:  Role or character adopted by an author to speaker in first Person. Ex: the speaker of the poem is most often not the author.

Assonance: Repetition of a vowel sound in non-rhyming words. Ex: the cat ran after the alligator

Enjambment:  It is incomplete syntax at the end of a line, the meaning runs over from one line to the next.  Ex:"that's my last Duchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive I call.

Sonnet: Poem of 14 lines. sonnet 18 of Shakespeare

Rhetoric Question: It is a technique of using language effectively and persuasively in spoken or written form.  Ex:

Iambic Pentameter:  Foot containing unaccented and short syllables followed by long and accented syllable in a single line of a poem.  Ex: 

Antithesis:  Person or things that is the direct opposite of someone or something.  Ex: One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Setting:  It is time and place in which the story takes place.  Ex: it was a dark stormy night.

Genere:  Category  or kind of story.  Ex:  fiction or non fiction poetry etc.


Pun:  A play words focusing on a word with more than one meaning or words that sound alike.

Themes:  The meaning and focus of  author

more to come...........