Common Literary Devices and Terms

Front

What is Personification?

Back

A literary device where human qualities are attributed to non-human things or abstract ideas. Example: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

Front

What is a Metaphor?

Back

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things by stating one is the other. Example: 'Time is a thief.'

Front

What is a Simile?

Back

A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Her smile is like the sun.'

Front

What is Alliteration?

Back

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words. Example: 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore.'

Front

What is Irony?

Back

A literary device where the intended meaning is opposite to the literal meaning. Example: A fire station burns down.

Front

What is Foreshadowing?

Back

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story. Example: Dark clouds foreshadow a storm.

Front

What is an Allusion?

Back

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. Example: 'He has the Midas touch.'

Front

What is Hyperbole?

Back

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. Example: 'I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.'

Front

What is Onomatopoeia?

Back

A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes. Example: 'Buzz', 'hiss', 'clang'.

Front

What is a Symbol?

Back

An object, character, figure, or color used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Example: A dove symbolizes peace.