Literary Terms and Figurative Language

the repetition of the beginning sounds of neighboring words. (Also known as Tongue Twisters)

Example: Nick needed new notebooks.

• irony

• alliteration

• hyperbole

a reference to a famous person, place, event, or work of literature.

Example: “I got the moves like Jagger” is a reference to the singer Mick Jagger who was the lead singer in the Rolling Stones.

• metaphor

• imagery

• allusion

compares two things that are mostly different from each other but have some traits in common.

Example: kitten : cat or puppy : dog

Kitten is to cat as puppy is to dog.

• Analogy

• Simile

• Idiom

The repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together.

Example: Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee.

• Assonance

• Personification

• Symbolism

exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Example: It cost a billion dollars!

• Onomatopoeia

• Alliteration

• Hyperbole

a common phrase that means something different from its literal meaning.

Example: That’s a piece of cake.

• Idiom

• Personification

• Allusion

describe something so that it appeals to our sense of smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing.

Example: The golden rays of the setting sun reflected the clear water of the lake.

• Symbolism

• Imagery

• Hyperbole

a contrast between what is said and what is meant, or between appearance and reality.

Example: A police officer is arrested for stealing.

• Simile

• Analogy

• Irony

compares two unlike things or ideas.

Example: It’s raining cats and dogs.

• Allusion

• Idiom

• Metaphor

A word that sounds like what it is describing. Think of a sound effect.

Example: Whoosh, Splat, Buzz

• Onomatopoeia

• Analogy

• Assonance