click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Literary Devices
Literary Devices and figurative language terms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
allusion | A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art |
alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant sounds |
flashback | A temporary break in action to take the reader back in time. |
hyperbole | extreme exaggeration |
mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader using word choice and tone |
foreshadowing | When the author gives hints or clues about something that will happen in the future. |
imagery | The use of vivid descriptions, figurative language, and the senses to paint a picture in the reader's mind. |
verbal irony | What is said is the opposite of what is meant (sarcasm) |
situational irony | occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected |
dramatic irony | when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't |
juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast |
metaphor | A comparison without using "like" or "as" |
simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" |
personification | the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea |
onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. |
oxymoron | conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence') |
symbolism | A person, place or object which has a meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well |
tone | Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character. Created by word choice |