Literary Devices 1
A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one is the other (e.g., "Time is a thief").
What is Metaphor?
A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one is the other (e.g., "Time is a thief").
What is Simile?
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of closely connected words (e.g., "She sells seashells by the seashore").
What is Alliteration?
An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect (e.g., "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse").
What is Hyperbole?
Giving human characteristics to non-human objects or abstract ideas (e.g., "The wind whispered through the trees").
What is Personification?
A word that imitates the natural sound of a thing (e.g., "buzz," "clang," "whisper").
What is Onomatopoeia?
A situation or statement where the actual meaning is opposite to what is expected (e.g., A fire station burns down).
What is Irony?
A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect (e.g., "jumbo shrimp," "deafening silence").
What is Oxymoron?
A brief reference to a person, event, place, or work of art, often from history, culture, or literature (e.g., "He’s a real Romeo with the ladies").
What is Allusion?
A literary device that hints at events to come in a story, often creating anticipation or suspense (e.g., dark clouds indicating future trouble).
What is Foreshadowing?
The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal sense (e.g., a dove representing peace).
What is Symbolism?
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a vivid picture in the reader’s mind (e.g., "The golden rays of the setting sun bathed the field in a warm glow").
What is Imagery?
A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth (e.g., "Less is more").
What is Paradox?
A narrative in which characters, events, and details represent abstract ideas, often conveying a moral or political message (e.g., George Orwell's Animal Farm).
What is Allegory?
A literary device that interrupts the chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time, often providing background or context (e.g., a character remembering their childhood).
What is Flashback?
A mild or indirect word or expression used in place of one that is considered too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing (e.g., "passed away" instead of "died").
What is Euphemism?
The deliberate repetition of the first part of a sentence for emphasis or effect (e.g., "Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better").
What is Anaphora?
Placing two or more ideas, places, characters, or actions side by side in a narrative or poem to develop comparisons and contrasts (e.g., beauty and ugliness, light and darkness).
What is Juxtaposition?
A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or vice versa (e.g., "all hands on deck" where "hands" represent sailors, or "wheels" referring to a car).
What is Synecdoche?
A rhetorical device in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or an inanimate object as if it were present and capable of responding (e.g., "O Death, where is thy sting?").
What is Apostrophe?