Literary Devices

Intro to Literary
Devices

Onomatopoeia

A word that represents a sound

Imagery

Detailed description using sensory
details to help the reader picture it
in their head

Idiom

A common saying people use to
explain or describe something. The
literal meaning is different than
the figurative meaning.

Simile

compares two things using like or
as

Metaphor

directly compares two things
without using like or as,
substitutes one thing for the other

Hyperbole

an extreme exaggeration or
overstatement

Anaphora

the repetition of the same word or
words at the beginning of a
successive phrase or sentences.

Alliteration

repetition of a sound at the
beginning of successive words.

Allusion

a reference to a person, place or
thing in history or another work of
literature.