Literary devices Flashcards
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Allusion
An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
Analogy
Involves drawing a comparison between two things in order to clarify or explain something.
Allegory
A literary device in which that uses symbolism or other hidden messages to reveal a deeper meaning.
Anthropomorphism
The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.
Imagery
Refers to writing that invokes the reader’s senses with descriptive word choice to create a more vivid and realistic recreation of the scene
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Antithesis
Places two contrasting and polarized sentiments next to each other in order to accent both.
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words that do not end the same.
Foreshadowing
Where the author subtly lets the reader know the ending or an upcoming event
Metaphor
Compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another
Anachronism
A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.
Anecdote
A short account of an interesting or humorous event, often personal or biographical.
Asyndeton
The omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence, as in I came, I saw, I conquered.
Diction
The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
Hyperbole
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Irony
When the audience knows something key about the plot or a character that the characters themselves do not know.
Onomatopoeia
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named
Personification
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Anadiplosis
The repetition of the last word of a preceding clause
Anastrophe
The inversion of the usual order of words or clauses.
Cacophony
A harsh discordant mixture of sounds.
Euphemism
A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
Flashback
An interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story
