Literary Terms (2023)

The repetition of a beginning consonant sound within a phrase or sentence.

• alliteration

• assonance

• consonance

• imagery

direct or indirect reference to a significant person, event, time, or work of literature.

• alliteration

• allusion

• idiom

• oxymoron

compares similar concepts, characters, or works of literature so the reader better understands a difficult idea.

• cliche

• euphemism

• analogy

• metaphor

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds found within or at the end of words and phrases.

• assonance

• paradox

• personification

• consonance

An expression that has been used so often that its meaning and impact are no longer effective.

• pun

• verbal irony

• cliche

• paradox

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words in a phrase or sentence.

• simile

• situational irony

• alliteration

• consonance

A polite word or phrase used in place of an offensive or crude word or phrase.

• euphemism

• cliche

• pun

• paradox

Uses exaggeration to provoke strong emotion, to create humor, or to make a point.

• paradox

• oxymoron

• pun

• hyperbole

An expression that is clear only to those who are familiar with the language of its origin and cannot be understood based on its literal meaning.

• hyperbole

• idiom

• personification

• allusion

The use of figurative language to paint a sensory picture for the reader.

• onomatopoeia

• idiom

• imagery

• euphemism