Literary Device
Alliteration
A repetition of familiar sounds at the beginning of a sentence.
Foreshadowing
When an author hints at something that will occur later on in the story.
Imagery
When an author uses explicit visual details that are powerful enough to draw an image to mind.
Language that is not literal, used for effect ( e.g. simile, metaphor)
Figurative Language
Form
The structure or type of a poem (e.g. sonnet, ballad, free verse)
Allusion
When an author uses an expression in order to call something to mind.
Hyperbole
an extremely exaggerated statement
Tone
The overall attitude of a work.
A comparison that does not use "like" or "as". This comparison is stronger than a simile. (ie. He is a bear in the mornings).
Irony
when an author uses a word that means the opposite of its literal meaning, it is often used to be sarcastic or funny.
Soliloquy
Typically found in poetry or in theatre, when a character gives their thoughts aloud as though they were alone.
Synecdoche
When a part of something is able to represent the whole. (ie. Jonesboro won the football game. Jonesboro=JHS)
Onomatopoeia
Sound word!
Personification
Giving Human-like characteristics to an inanimate object.
A piece of writing arranged in lines, often with rhythm and imagery
Poem
Anaphora
When repetition occurs at the beginning of a sentence. (ie. three or four sentences will begin with the same word or phrase).
Syntax
Word order! (ie. Yoda has a funny syntax because he inverts the order of most words).
Placing two contrasting ideas or images close together for effect
Juxtaposition
Assonance
When vowels rhyme at the conclusion of a word.
(Fight, Might, Kite)
An author's purpose can typically be defined as one of these three types:
1. Informational
2. Persuasive
3. To entertain
Paradox
A seemingly absurd statement / a self-contradicting statement. (ie. "I am nobody")
A turning point or shift in tone or argument, especially in sonnet
Volta
Denotation
The literal meaning of a word.
A word that imitates the sound it describes (e.g. buzz, crash)
Onomatopoeia