Literary Devices Review

A story that is used to represent a more general message about real-life (historical) issues and/or events.

• Oxymoron

• Imagery

• Euphemism

• Allegory

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

An author makes an indirect reference to a figure, place, event, or idea originating from outside the text.

• Flashback

• Allusion

• Irony

• Personification

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

The use of informal language and slang.

• Metaphor

• Foreshadowing

• Colloquialism

• Repetition

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

When an author inserts a famous quotation, poem, song, or other short passage or text at the beginning of a larger text (e.g., a book, chapter, etc.).

• Epigraph

• Symbolism

• Simile

• Hyperbole

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

When a more mild or indirect word or expression is used in place of another word or phrase that is considered harsh, blunt, vulgar, or unpleasant.

• Oxymoron

• Imagery

• Euphemism

• Allegory

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5A

An interruption in a narrative that depicts events that have already occurred, either before the present time or before the time at which the narration takes place.

• Flashback

• Allusion

• Irony

• Personification

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

When an author indirectly hints at—through things such as dialogue, description, or characters’ actions—what’s to come later on in the story.

• Metaphor

• Foreshadowing

• Colloquialism

• Repetition

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

An exaggerated statement that's not meant to be taken literally by the reader.

• Euphemism

• Flashback

• Foreshadowing

• Hyperbole

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

When an author describes a scene, thing, or idea so that it appeals to our senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, or hearing).

• Oxymoron

• Imagery

• Euphemism

• Allegory

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5A

When a statement is used to express an opposite meaning than the one literally expressed by it.

• Flashback

• Allusion

• Irony

• Personification

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5A