Literary Terms and Devices

Front

Onomatopoeia

Back

(noun) the formation of a word that sounds like the noise it describes (e.g., “pop” or “hiss”)

Front

Assonance

Back

(noun) similar vowel sounds repeated in neighboring words (e.g., rise high in the bright sky)

Front

Stanza

Back

(noun) a group of lines that make up a unit in a poem

Front

Allusion

Back

(noun) a brief reference to something without mentioning it directly, esp. in literature

Front

Alliteration

Back

(noun) similar consonant sounds repeated in the beginning of neighboring words (e.g., the clever cat clawed)

Front

Hyperbole

Back

(noun) an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken as true (e.g., I’m so hungry I could eat my shoe)

Front

Internal rhyme

Back

(noun) a rhyme between two words in the same line of poetry

Front

Consonance

Back

(noun) similar consonant sounds repeated mostly in the ending of neighboring words (e.g., the big frog on the log).

Front

Symbolism

Back

(noun) the use of a physical object to represent an abstract idea

Front

Imagery

Back

(noun) descriptions that appeal to the senses (e.g.,Her cheeks were as pink as fresh roses, and she smelled as sweet as a whole garden.)