Common Literary Elements and Rhetorical Devices
Analogy
Comparing two things alike in some way
Attitude
A speaker’s, author’s or character’s disposition
toward an opinion of a subject (respect, revulsion,
respect, disapproval, etc.)
Author’s craft
Elements which lead the reader to feel/react in ways
the author intends—Examples of deliberate choices
an author makes: choice of vocabulary, structure of a
piece of writing, tone created.
Author’s purpose
Reasons for writing usually include one of these:
inform, persuade, express, entertain
Characters
People or animals in a story—author reveals traits
through what the characters say or do, as well as
through what other characters say about them.
Conflict
Struggle between opposing forces:
Internal—within a character’s mind or emotions
External—between two characters, character and
society or between character and natural forces
Details
Items/parts that make up larger picture or story
Dialogue
Written conversation between two or more characters
Diction
Word choice—any word that is important to the
meaning and the effect of a passage—several words
that have a similar effect are worth discussion.
Drawing conclusions
When given a piece of evidence, a reader is expected
to arrive at a reasoned conclusion; decision made
after gathering information and thinking about it.
Figurative Language
Writing/speech that is not intended to carry literal
meaning, usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.
Figure of Speech
Devices (apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor,
metonym, oxymoron, paradox, personification,
simile, synecdoche, and understatements) used to
produce figurative language
Flashback
Interrupts a story to relate an event that occurred in
the past
Foreshadowing
Language used or expressions or hints about
something that may happen in the future.
Imagery
Images that figurative language evokes or sensory
details/images of a work (visual, auditory, or tactile)
evoked by the words of the literary work.
Inferences
Combining information read with known information
to make a reasonable guess
Irony
Difference between what appears to be and what
actually is...
Verbal irony-spoken differences—characters say
the opposite of what they really mean
Situational irony--event/situation turns out to be
different from what the reader expects
Dramatic irony-difference between what
characters say and think and what the readers
know is true
Language
Analyzing “language” requires examining how the
elements of language combine to form a whole, explain
how diction, syntax, figurative language and sentence
structure create a cumulative effect.
Making predictions To answer, “What will happen next?” the reader notices:
foreshadowing clues, how a character reacts to
problems, and important details about plot, setting, and
characters.
Metaphor
Implied comparison without using the words like or as
Mood
Overall feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates
through details and/or language he or she uses.
Organization
broader structure of framework in a
piece of writing—the larger pattern:
beginning, ending, sequence
Personification
Human qualities are given to an
object, animal or idea
Plot
What happens in a story: includes the
conflict and the resolution of that
conflict (the denouement--outcome).
Point of View
Vantage points from which the story
is told. (omniscient, limited to a
single character or several
characters). Or
First person—narrator is a
character in story.
Third person—narrator does
not participate in the action
Resolution
Outcome; loose ends are tied up
Satire
Irony or sarcasm used to attack/
expose foolishness or stupidity.
Setting
Time and place in which story occurs
Simile
Comparison using like or as
Style
The manner of expression of a
particular writer: word choice,
grammatical structures, use of
literary devices, etc. General styles
include: scientific, ornate, plain, and
emotive.
Symbolism
Something stands for something else
in a story that is beyond itself.
Syntax
Sentence structure (simple,
compound, complex,
compound/complex) and phrasing
that suit the author’s purpose
(repetition, inverted word order,
questions, exclamations, rhetorical
questions, etc.)
Text Structure
Organizational pattern an author
chooses to present ideas:
sequencing, description,
comparison/contrast, cause/effect,
and problem/solution.
Theme
Overall message of a literary work;
underlying message; reveals something about human experience;
lesson learned
Tone
Author’s attitude (mood/ moral
view) toward readers and subject is
reflected in the text, affecting the
way readers understands it.
Considering how a work would
sound if read aloud can help identify
the author’s tone. (See boxed list of
STAAR choices for tone.
TONE
WORDS
used in the
STAAR
released tests
2011-14:
academic
admiring
angry
apologetic
apprehensive
bewilderment
bleak
bored
bright
carefree
cautionary
celebratory
complimentary
condescending
contemptuous
conversational
cynical
deliberate
depressed
desperation
discouraged
dreamy
fierce
gloomy
hopeful
impartial
impassioned
indifference
informative
intolerant
lighthearted
matter-of-fact
melancholy
moralistic
nostalgic
objective
optimistic
outraged
pessimistic
playful
reflective
regretful
resentful
resigned
respectful
reverent
scornful
self-righteous
skeptical
stark
straightforward
strident
sweet
threatening
unemotional
uninhibited
uninspired
uplifting
warm
whimsical
Sometimes the answer choice show a
shift from one to another so the reader has to consider
both words carefully. Sometimes it will give a choice
for one text and then another text. Again, the reader
must consider BOTH choices to answer correctly. )
---List of terms, including some devices specifically mentioned in the TEKS and STAAR released test and other sources, compiled by Kaye Price-Hawkins, Priceless Literacy ©2014