Studied by 4 people
Study Stylistic Devices for IB English Literature SL
Simile
A comparison using "like" or "as" between two different things.
Metaphor
A direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other.
Personification
Giving human qualities to non
Synecdoche
Using a part of something to represent the whole or vice versa.
Symbol
A concrete thing representing something abstract.
Alliteration
Repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.
Metre
A rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
Iambic Metre
A metrical pattern with unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.
Onomatopoeia
Words imitating the sounds they describe.
Elision
Omitting unstressed syllables.
Rhyme
Words ending with the same sounds, often at the end of lines.
Assonance
Repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words.
Consonance
Repetition of similar consonant sounds in nearby words.
Rhyming Scheme
A pattern of rhyming words at the end of sentences.
Stanza
Grouping lines of poetry together.
Enjambment
Continuing a sentence without a pause over multiple lines.
Sonnet
A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme.
Anaphora
Repeating words at the beginning of successive clauses.
Parallelism
Structuring phrases or sentences with similar syntactical structures.
Triple
Presenting ideas, words, or phrases in groups of three.
Climax
A series of words or ideas increasing in importance.
Anticlimax
A sudden shift from important to trivial.
Enumeration
Listing words or phrases to emphasize a point.
Allusion
Reference to a person, work, or event.
Euphemism
Substituting a mild term for something unpleasant.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect.
Understatement
Downplaying the importance of something.
Irony
Saying the opposite of what is meant for emphasis.
Satire
Criticizing through ridicule, often using humor.
Paradox
A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth.
Oxymoron
A condensed form of paradox using contradictory words.
Pun
A play on words with similar sounds but different meanings.
Rhetorical Question
A question not expecting an answer.
Intensifier
Enhancing the meaning of a word.
Metonymy
Substituting a word with one closely associated with it.
Antithesis
Balancing contrasting ideas or words.
Mood
The emotional atmosphere of a piece of writing.
Tone
The attitude of the writer or speaker.
Narrator
The storyteller's perspective in a narrative.
Point of View
The vantage point from which a story is told.
Plot
The sequence of events in a story.
Protagonist
The main character in a story.
Antagonist
The character opposing the protagonist.
Theme
The central idea or message in a work.
Register
The formality level of language.
Connotation
The additional meaning attached to a word.
Soliloquy
A speech by a character alone on stage.
Note
Flashcard