literary techniques ☕️ Flashcards
hyperbole
a figure of speech that is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect. example ‘i’m so hungry i could eat a horse’
metaphor
a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated. example ‘ life is a highway’
inclusive/exclusive pronouns
An inclusive pronoun means ‘we including the hearer’, and an exclusive pronoun means ‘we excluding the hearer’.
alliteration
the repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words. example ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper’
rhyme
the repetition of syllables, typically at the end of a verse line. ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, / Sugar is sweet, and so are you.’
juxtaposition
when you place two concepts or objects next to or near each other, thereby highlighting their innate differences and similarities. example ‘darkness and light’
repitition
using the same word or phrase over and over again in a piece of writing or speech
symbolism
the use of words or images to symbolize specific concepts, people, objects, or events. example, dove symbolises freedom
enjambment
poetic term for the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next with a lack of punctuation. example,
onomatopoeia
a term that describes when a word is formed from the sound associated with what it’s named. ‘ mumble, slam, splash’
euphanism
a word or phrase that softens an uncomfortable topic. example, ‘passed away instead of died.
truncated sentences
A truncated sentence has to have been cut short – there need to be words missing. example, ‘i like reading’ rather than ‘i like reading better than Napolean’.
sibilance
involving the repetition of the ‘s’ sound (or alternatively, a repeated soft ‘c’ sound, a ‘sh’ sound, or a ‘ch’ sound) within a phrase or sentence.
similie
a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words “like” or “as. example, ‘ as cold as ice’
Personification
Human characteristics given to an object. Eg; ‘the trees danced with the breeze’
Allusion
Reference in literature to previous history, literature, art, pop culture, religious texts
Stanza
Deliberate placement of lines in poetry
Foreshadowing
Hints of what’s to come. Eg ‘ thunder means something and is going to happen’
Verbal irony
When someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing but means another
Situational irony
Contrast between what a reader or charicters expects and what actually exists or happens
Flashback
Interruption of narrative by the introduction of passed event
Possitive connotation
Good vibes
Negative connotation
Bad vibes
Allegory
A deeper political, cultural meaning
polysindition
long sentences using ‘ and, and, and, and’
caesura
a pause near the middle of a line.
eg, “To be, or not to be — that is the question…”
