Sound and Word Play
This device repeats the same beginning sound in words like “wild windy weather.”
Alliteration
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
Simile
The feeling the reader gets from the story.
Mood
When what happens is the opposite of what is expected.
Irony
“He runs like the wind.”
Simile
A word that sounds like the noise it describes, such as “buzz” or “bang.”
Onomatopoeia
A comparison that does NOT use “like” or “as.”
Metaphor
The writer’s attitude about the subject.
Tone
“He was so nervous before the test that he had butterflies in his stomach.”
Idiom
“My backpack weighs a ton.”
Hyperbole
Two opposite words placed together, like “jumbo shrimp.”
Oxymoron
Calling something that is not human by giving it human traits, like “the sun smiled.”
Personification
Language that appeals to the five senses.
Imagery
“The warm smell of fresh bread floated through the quiet kitchen.”
Imagery
“It was a seriously funny movie.”
Oxymoron
A phrase that means something different than what the words literally say, like “spill the beans.”
Idiom
An object or person that stands for something bigger, like a dove meaning peace.
Symbol
“Time is a thief.”
Metaphor
“The white dove flew into the sky, a symbol of peace.”
Symbolism
A fire station burns down.
Irony
Saying something is much more than the truth for effect, like “I could eat a million burgers.”
Overstatement
A reference to a famous person, story, or event, like mentioning Odysseus.
Allusion
An extreme exaggeration, like “I’ve told you a thousand times!”
Hyperbole
“She was as brave as Katniss when she volunteered.”
Allusion
“Busy bees buzzed by.”
Alliteration