Literary Devices Flashcards

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Allegory

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A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

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Alliteration

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The repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely positioned words or syllables.

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Ambiguity

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The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.

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Anaphora

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The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

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Apostrophe

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A figure of speech in which the poet addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing.

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Assonance

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The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in neighboring words.

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Blank Verse

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Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.

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Caesura

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A pause near the middle of a line of poetry, usually placed between syllables, but can be placed between words.

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Consonance

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The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity, not limited to the initial letter of words.

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Couplet

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Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme and often have the same meter.