Academic Vocabulary Unit 3 Literary Devices & Figures of Speech

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

• anecdote

• analogy

• allusion

• allegory

the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

• alliteration

• allusion

• analogy

• anecdote

a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance

• allegory

• alliteration

• allusion

• analogy

a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification

• allegory

• alliteration

• analogy

• anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

• anecdote

• allusion

• alliteration

• allegory

the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object

• epithet

• euphemism

• figurative language

• anthropomorphism

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned

• epithet

• euphemism

• foreshadowing

• anecdote

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarassing

• anthropomorphism

• epithet

• euphemism

• allegory

language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation

• figurative language

• alliteration

• allusion

• analogy

a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story

• euphemism

• epithet

• foreshadowing

• anecdote