English Literary Devices Vocab Flashcards
alliteration
the repetition of an initial consonant sound in two or more words of a line
example: Tony the tiger is terrific!
anaphora
The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses
Example: “with malice towards none, with charity for all” – Abraham Lincoln
antagonist
the character who initiates the conflict; the character who is in direct conflict with the protagonist
An antagonist may not even be a person. It is also possible for the antagonist and
protagonist to be the same person.
antithesis
a figure of speech in which opposing or contrasting ideas are balanced against each other in grammatically parallel syntax
example: Fair is foul; foul is fair - Shakespeare
apostrophe
address to a person or personified object not present
example: O’ world! Tell me thy pain
assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words of a line that end with different consonants
example: Look at my new blue shoes. (repetition of “oo” vowel sound)
chiasmus
the verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed
example “Love as if you would one day hate,
and hate as if you would one day love.” – Bias
connotation
the emotional implications that a word may carry; the implied or associated meaning for a particular word
example: thin (positive connotation) versus skinny (negative connotation)
denotation
the dictionary definition of a word; the specific, exact meaning of a word
diction
word choice; an author’s choice of words
euphemism
substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit
example: You’re becoming a little thin on top (bald)
flashback
an interruption in the chronological sequence of work in order to describe or present an event that occurred prior to the main time frame
foreshadowing
hinting at future events in a story
hyperbole
a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement for effect
example: There were a million people in front of me in the checkout line.
imagery
essentially the creation of a visual picture with words and phrases that appeal to the senses – sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell
irony
when the opposite of what is expected occurs, demonstrating a contrast between reality and expectation
- situational irony: a situation where what happens is the opposite of what is expected
- verbal irony: a figure of speech in which there is a contrast between what is said and what
is actually meant - dramatic irony: an occurrence in a play or narrative where the audience or reader possesses
knowledge that the character(s) do not know
litotes
understatement in which the affirmative is expressed through negation
example: A marathon is no stroll in the park.
metonymy
figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated
example: The White House issued a press release.
metaphor
a direct comparison of two unlike objects without using the words like or as
example: She is a fox!
onomatopoeia
the use of words that imitate the sounds they describe
examples: pow, bang, meow, poof, slap
oxymoron
a figure of speech that fuses two opposite or contradictory ideas
examples: jumbo shrimp, pleasing pain, wise fool, living dead
paradox
a statement that seemingly contradicts itself but is true
example: “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” - Thoreau
parallelism
the use of similar grammatical constructions – words, phrases, or clauses – to clearly express similar ideas
example: “To err is human; to forgive is divine” - Pope
personification
a form of comparison that gives human qualities to an animate or inanimate object
example: The bright headlights of the car stared back at us.
point of view
the way in which a story is told
- first person: one of the characters (usually the main character) is the narrator telling the
the story as it occurs or did occur using the pronoun “I” - third person objective: the narrator is an outside reporter of the story
- second person: the narrator uses the indefinite pronoun “you” or the placement of the
reader within the story to involve him/her on a deep level (uncommon!) - example: children’s “Choose Your Own Adventure” tales
protagonist
the character who is the object of the conflict, usually the main character
example: Sanger Rainsford from “The Most Dangerous Game”
Pun
a play in words
example: “Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes with nimble soles; I have a sole of
lead” – Romeo from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
simile
a direct comparison of two unlike objects using the words like or as
symbol
an object, person, place, or action that represents something in addition to its literal meaning, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value
Conventional symbols include colors, nature, plants, and weather.
synecdoche
a comparison where a part of something is used to represent the whole
example: All hands on deck.
syntax
sentence structure; the arrangement of words in a sentence; the grammar of the sentence
understatement (also
known as “meiosis”)
a form of under-exaggeration in which something is purposely represented as being far less
important than it actually is for ironic effect
example: Hurricane Wilma was just a little thunderstorm.
