Literary Techniques Flashcards
Allegory
Using a character or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.
The tortoise and hare race teaches that slow and steady wins the race.
The red apple in the story represents the temptation of forbidden desires.
Alliteration
The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words. (She sells seashells.)
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
Allusion
A direct or indirect reference to something presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.
He was a real Romeo with the ladies.
She’s like the Mona Lisa of our group.
Ambiguity
The multiple intentional or unintentional meanings of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
The chicken is ready to eat
I saw her duck
Anaphora
A sub-type of parallelism is the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.
I have a dream..-Mlk
It was the best, it was the worst- charles dickens
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause is referred to by a pronoun. Chelsey finished her presentation. Chelsey is the antecedent and “her” is the pronoun.
The dog barked loudly, and it scared the neighbors. ant is “it”
Sarah lost her keys, and she couldn’t find them anywhere. ant is “she”
Antithesis
The opposition or contrast of ideas expressed in a grammatically balanced statement.
Fair is foul, foul is fair
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Aphorism
A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or a moral principle. A memorable summation of the author’s point.
Actions speak louder than words
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Apostrophe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction. Liam hit throsbys car. Thorsby refers to Liam even if he isn’t in the room.
O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
The sky is crying. I can hear it.
Cacophony
Words combining unpleasant, discordant sounds that produce an effect of harshness.
The clash and clang of metal filled the air as the battle raged on.
The sound of car horns, sirens, and shouting flooded the street.
Caricature
A verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person’s distinctive physical features or other characteristics.
Political cartoons, a leader with an exaggerated large nose or big ears
A character with an oversized, comically large head and tiny body
Catharsis
A purging of pity and/or terror in the audience when watching or reading a tragic event.
Crying after watching a sad movie.
Feeling relieved after venting frustration.
Clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.
She went to the store (independent)
Because it was raining. (dependent)
Colloquialism
The use of slang of informalities in speech of writing.
gonna instead of going to, y’all instead of you all.
Connotation
The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; implied suggested meaning.
Home( more than just the place you reside in)
Cheap( low cost it oftens carries a negative connotation).
Diction
Related to style, writers’ word choice; informal, formal, plain.
Digression
The use of material unrelated to the subject of the work.
Changing the subject from climate change to your favorite vaction spot.
Ethos
The ethical appeal means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character.
Euphemism
A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. Earthly remains rather than corpses.
“passed away” instead of “died”
“let go” instead of “fired”
Foil
A character that contrasts sharply with another character in the same work.
Draco and Harry Potter
Nick and Gatsby
Foreshadowing
hints or clues that suggest events yet to occur.
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Genre
the major category into which a literary work fits: subdivisions, types of things.
science fiction, mystery
Hyperbole
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
“I’ve told you a million times.”
Imagery
The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.
“The crisp, salty air of the ocean.”
“The bright red leaves rustled in the wind.”
