Sound Devices
The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words or syllables.
"She sells seashells by the seashore."
What is Alliteration?
A figure of speech that compares two things using "like" or "as".
"My love is like a red, red rose."
What is Simile?
The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences. "Of the people, by the people, for the people"
What is Epiphora?
A figure of speech in which human qualities or characteristics are attributed to non-human entities, such as animals, objects, or abstract concepts.
""I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills"
What is personification?
A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole.
"All hands on deck!"
What is synedoche?
The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words or syllables.
"Do not go gentle into that good night."
What is Assonance?
Exaggerated language or claims not meant to be taken literally.
"I've told you a million times"
What is Hyperbole?
A figure of speech in which a speaker addresses an absent or non-human entity as if it were present and capable of responding.
"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"
What is Apostrophe?
A literary device in which human emotions or characteristics are attributed to elements of nature, such as the weather or landscape, to mirror or enhance the mood of a scene, character, or situation.
"The storm began to walk in the woods and the clouds" (In this passage, the storm and the wind are described in a way that reflects the turbulent emotions and dramatic events taking place in the story.)
What is pathetic fallacy?
A rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures.
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
What is Chiasmus?
A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
"The crumbling thunder of seas."
What is Cacophony?
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Time is a thief.
What is Metaphor?
The continuation of a sentence or clause over a line break or stanza break.
"Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me."
What is Enjambment?
A metrical pattern used in poetry, particularly in English verse. It consists of five iambs per line, where each iamb is a metrical foot made up of two syllables: an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
"To be, or not to be, that is the question:" (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1)
To BE, / or NOT / to BE, / that IS / the QUESTion.
What is iambic pentameter?
A figure of speech in which a harsh, derogatory, or unpleasant term is used instead of a more neutral or polite one.
Instead of saying, "He passed away," one might say, "He kicked the bucket."
What is dysphemism?
The repetition of consonant sounds in neighboring words or syllables.
"Rough and rugged rocks rumbled."
What is Consonance?
A narrative in which characters, objects, or events represent abstractions, often with a moral or lesson.
What is an allegory?
The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words or syllables.
"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."
What is Assonance?
A form of poetry that does not follow a specific meter or rhyme scheme, allowing the poet more freedom in their use of language and structure.
For example: "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman or "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot
What is free verse?
An understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.
"Mr. Darcy is not a man to be trifled with. He is not at all bad-looking; in fact, I would say he is quite handsome."
What is litotes?
A pleasing, harmonious combination of sounds.
"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;"
What is euphony?
A contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens that can be humorous, tragic, or ironic.
What is situational irony?
A stanza or unit in poetry consisting of three lines which can follow various rhyme schemes, such as AAA, ABA, or ABB, depending on the poet's preference and the structure of the poem.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, (A)
And sorry I could not travel both (B)
And be one traveler, long I stood (A)
What is a tercet?
The emotional or cultural meaning that a word carries beyond its literal definition. It refers to the associations, feelings, or ideas that a word invokes in addition to its primary meaning.
Childish vs. Child-like
What is connotation?
A literary device that places two or more contrasting elements side by side to create a striking comparison, highlight differences, or emphasize a point.
""It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity"
What is juxtaposition?