Literary Devices Flashcards
Allegory
A picture, poem, or story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning.
ex. Animal Farm by George Orwell
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same sound and or letter adjacent or at the beginning of closely connected words.
ex. The Hedgehog hid in the hedge.
Allusion
An expression designed to bring something to mind without mentioning it directly.
ex. He smiles like the Cheshire cat.
Hyperbole
Uses exaggerated comparisons for emphasis.
ex. The dog escaped more times than Houdini.
Idiom
A group of words established to have a meaning not understandable from those specific words.
ex. It was raining cats and dogs.
Imagery
Visually descriptive / figurative language
Taste - sweet / bitter / spicy
Metaphor
When a phrase or a word is applied to an action or an object to which it is not (literally) applicable.
ex. They have hearts of gold.
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the actions or objects they refer to.
ex. “Pop!”
Personification
Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things.
ex. The leaves danced in the wind.
Pun
A play on words.
ex. A horse is a very stable animal.
Oxymoron
Involves the use of two words which seem to contradict one another appear side by side
ex. Awfully nice
Simile
A comparison that uses: as or like
ex. He is as busy as a bee.
