LITERARY DEVICES-Rev. 9/18/14
1. Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words
(Ex: Mendelson’s Mini Munchkins)
2. Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds, usually at the beginning of words
(Ex: Aunt Annie’s awesome artichokes)
3. Hyperbole: Exaggeration, not meant to be taken seriously
(Ex: If you do that one more time, I’m going to KILL you!)
4. Flashback: Interruption of the present action in a story to insert an episode from
the past
5. Foreshadowing: Clues to alert the reader about events that will occur later in the
story. Don’t confuse this with “making a prediction.” These are actually clues that
the author gives in the story.
6. Idioms: Phrases that mean something different from the literal meaning. These
would be difficult for a foreign person to understand, as they don’t translate. (Ex:
It’s raining cats and dogs. I’m going to catch some z’s this weekend.)
7. Imagery: Mental pictures appealing to the senses. The author actually writes so
that the reader can “picture” something clearly in their mind’s eye. The reader may
almost be able to hear, taste or smell something if described well. (Ex: Goldilocks
climbed carefully into the beautiful white wooden baby bed, lined with soft, red
velvet cushions, when suddenly the bed crashed to the ground and splintered into
a thousand pieces. OR The pungent smell of garlic wafted up from the kitchen so
that the entire house had the aroma of an Italian restaurant.)
8. Simile: Compares two unlike things using the words LIKE or AS in the
comparison. (Ex: The road was like a black ribbon winding through the
mountains. The clouds look as fluffy as cotton.)
9. Metaphor: Figurative language that says something IS something else. (Ex: Her
smile is a neon sign. He is the apple of my eye.)
Don’t confuse Simile or Metaphor with a simple comparison: Ex. The day was like
any other day. OR She was happier than she had ever been.
10. Onomatopoeia: Use of words that imitate the sound (Ex: Ruff, BANG, Clack,
BOOM)
11. Personification: Assigning human qualities to inanimate objects. (Ex: The sun
smiled down on the July 4th parade.)
12. Symbolism: A person or object that has additional meaning beyond itself (beyond
the concrete meaning) to represent more abstract ideas. (Ex: A bird can symbolize
flight or freedom; the flag symbolizes the USA and freedom; an evergreen tree
might symbolize Christmas.
13. Oxymoron: Contradictory ideas combined to make a statement or phrase:
Examples: jumbo shrimp
rush hour
Small difference
non-dairy creamer
Plastic glasses
least favorite
Freezer burn
only choice
Working vacation
alone together
14. Local Color: Using details which are common in a certain place or part of the
country. (Ex: A story taking place on the west coast might contain details about
the ocean and the life and people living near the ocean. The ocean would play an
important part in the story.)
15. Stereotype: A character that fits a “Standard mental picture” of what members of a
certain group are like. (Ex: The Greasers in The Outsiders were all portrayed as
greasy hair, cigarette-smoking, loud-mouthed, fast drivers etc.)
16. Theme: The underlying message, meaning, or lesson of a story. It is usually a
generalization about life.
17. Mood: The atmosphere or feeling created in the reader by a literary work. Does
the author make you feel happy, frightened, excited? How? What words and
phrases and writing techniques does the author use to make you feel that way?
18. Tone: The attitude a writer takes with a book, character, events or the audience.
Is the author trying to “preach” to you, “amuse” you etc.?
19. Irony: Contrast between what appears to be or is expected, and the actual way
that things turn out. (Ex: Your dad FINALLY gets the filthy dirty car washed and
that night, it rains.)
a. Verbal Irony: Shows contrast between what is said and what is meant/saying
one thing and meaning the opposite. (Ex: “What a great guy you are,” Mike
said as his brother ate the last piece of chocolate cake. This is also sarcasm.
b. Irony of Situation: Occurs when things turn out contrary to what is expected.
(Ex: Big, strong football player makes it through the whole season uninjured,
then trips on his way up to the stage to get his MVP award, and breaks his leg!)
c.
Dramatic Irony: Reader or viewer knows more about the actual situation than
the characters do (common in cartoons).
20. Satire: Makes fun of peoples’ mistakes or weaknesses.
21. Understatement: Opposite of exaggeration. Similar to sarcasm. (Ex: A nuclear
bomb will ruin your day.)
22. Denotation: The exact meaning of a word. Example: It was her house and she
loved it. In this sentence, “house” means the building in which she lives.
23. Connotation: The secondary or “emotional” meaning of a word. Example: House
meant everything to this family; it meant “home.” In this sentence, house and
home have “bigger” meanings….not just the building, but all the emotions that
come along with home and family. (Love, security etc.)