Figurative Language and Literary Devices

Figurative Language and
Common Literary Devices

8th Grade ELA

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds at
the beginning of words,
usually consonant sounds.

Example:

The flames of the fire
flickered in the darkness.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds
within words.

Example:

Patience always pays.

The long “a” (aye)
sound is repeated in
this sentence. This
is an example of
assonance.

Simile and Metaphor

Simile

Comparing two things using
“like” or “as”.

Examples:

She was as pretty as a
picture.

Compares a girl’s
prettiness to that of a
picture.

Metaphor

Comparing two things NOT
using “like” or “as”.

Examples:

He was a cheetah on the
track.

Compares a boy’s speed to
that of a cheetah’s.

Personification

Giving human characteristics
to something that is
non-human.

Example:

The chair cried when Mr.
Ordway sat in it.

This sentence gives a chair
the ability to cry in order
to make a point of how heavy
Mr. Ordway is.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration.

Example:

It’s a million degrees
outside today.

Exaggerates how hot it is
outside.

Repetition

Repeating something.

Examples:

“Almost nothing was more annoying
than having our time wasted on
something not worth wasting it
on.”

-Joshua Ferris, Then We Came to
the End

Onomatopoeia

Sounds written out in word
form.

Example:

The clock tick tick ticked
on and on throughout the
day.

Allusion

A hint at another work of
literature or a reference to
some other known work.

Example: Chocolate is his
Kryptonite.

Kryptonite alludes to
Superman’s weakness.

Paradox

A statement that logically
may seem self-contradictory,
but when explained points out
a truth.

Example:

“All animals are equal, but
some are more equal than
others”

-George Orwell’s Animal Farm

This paradox logically makes
no sense upon a first read.
However, when considered, it
points out the flaws in
government claiming everyone
as equal but failing to treat
everyone equally.

Oxymoron

A phrase that has two
seemingly contradictory
terms beside each other.

Examples:

●Friendly fire

●Wise fool

●Terribly good

●Freezer burn

●Jumbo shrimp

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or
phrase at the beginning of
sentences next to each other.

Examples:

It rained on his lousy
tombstone, and it rained on
the grass on his stomach. It
rained all over the place.

-J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher
in the Rye

Pun

A play on words that uses a
word’s multiple meanings to
show wit or humor.

Example:

This vacuum sucks.

Sucks refers to something
not working properly
(figuratively) and something
that uses suction
(literally).