Literary devices

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

a story, poem, or painting in which the characters and events are symbols of something else. Allegories are often moral, religious, or political.

i.e. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

a short, informal reference to a famous person or event.

i.e. ‘He met his Waterloo’ (referring to a decisive defeat)

Question 3

Analogy

Answer 3

comparison between two similar but different things in order to highlight their similarity.

i.e. ‘Life is like a box of chocolates’ (from Forrest Gump)

Question 4

Cliché

Answer 4

an overused sentence or phrase expressing a common thought.

i.e. ‘Love is blind’

Question 5

Colloquialism

Answer 5

casual/informal words or phrases to be avoided in formal writing.

i.e. ‘gonna’, ‘wanna’

Question 6

Dialect/Slang

Answer 6

informal language that is culturally based.

i.e. ‘lit’, ‘fam’

Question 7

Diction

Answer 7

writer’s choice of words, creates tone, mood, character.

i.e. ‘The diction in Shakespeare’s plays is rich and varied.’

Question 8

Epiphany

Answer 8

a sudden moment of realization.

i.e. ‘He had an epiphany about his true calling.’

Question 9

Euphemism

Answer 9

an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh.

i.e. ‘passed away’ instead of ‘died’

Question 10

Flashback

Answer 10

a break in the storyline to introduce what has taken place earlier.

i.e. ‘In a flashback, we see the character’s childhood.’

Question 11

Foreshadowing

Answer 11

a hint that something is going to happen before it does.

i.e. ‘The dark clouds were a foreshadowing of the storm ahead.’

Question 12

Hyperbole

Answer 12

obvious and intentional exaggeration.

i.e. ‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.’

Question 13

Imagery

Answer 13

descriptive language that evokes a sensory experience.

i.e. ‘The imagery in the poem painted a vivid picture in my mind.’