Literary Devices Flashcards
Anthromorphism
Where animals or obstinate objects are portrayed in a story as people, such as walking, talking, or being given arms, legs, and/or facial features
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds within close proximity, usually in consecutive words within the same sentence or line
Blank Verse
Non-rhyming poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter
Creative License
Exaggeration or alteration of objective facts or reality for the purpose of enhancing meaning in fictional content
Dialogue
Where characters speak to one another; may often be used to substitute for exposition
Dramatic Irony
Where the audience or reader is aware of something important, of which the characters in the story are not aware
Exposition
Where an author interrupts a story in order to explain something, usually to provide important background information
Figurative Language
Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal meaning of the words themselves
Foreshadowing
Where future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested by the author before they happen
Hyperbole
A description which exaggerates
Iambic pentameter
Poetry written with each line containing ten syllables, in five repetitions of a two-syllable pattern wherein the pronunciation emphasis is on the second syllable
Imagery
Language which describes something in detail, using words to substitute for and create sensory stimulation, including visual imagery and sound imagery
Irony
Where and event occurs which is unexpected, and which is in absurd or mocking opposition to what is expected or appropriate
Metaphor
A direct relationship where one thing or idea substitutes for another
Onomatopoeia
Where sounds are spelled out as words; or when words describing sounds actually sound like the sounds they describe
