Literary Devices
Theme
What is the main message or lesson of a story called?
Claim
What is the author’s main argument called?
What is a comparison using “like” or “as” called?
Simile
What is the struggle between opposing forces called?
Conflict
What is connotation?
The emotional meaning of a word.
Saying the opposite of what is meant.
What is verbal irony?
What type of appeal focuses on trust or credibility?
Ethos
What is a comparison without “like” or “as” called?
Metaphor
Who is the main character in a story?
Protagonist
What punctuation introduces a list?
Colon
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
What is imagery?
What type of appeal uses logic and facts?
Logos
What is free verse?
Poetry without a regular rhyme or rhythm.
Who opposes the protagonist?
Antagonist
What is diction?
Word choice.
Satire
What type of writing uses humor or exaggeration to criticize society?
What type of appeal uses emotion?
Pathos
Who is the speaker in a poem?
The voice telling the poem.
What type of play usually ends in disaster?
Tragedy
What punctuation joins closely related independent clauses?
Semicolon
A reference to another text, person, or event.
What is an allusion?
What is a counterclaim?
The opposing argument.
What is the rhyme pattern in a poem called?
Rhyme scheme
What is dramatic irony?
What is dramatic irony?When the audience knows something the characters do not.
What is parallel structure?
Using the same grammatical pattern in a sentence.