ELA Poetic Devices/Terms

Allegory

A representation of an abstract meaning that is only understood after reading the whole thing

Imagery

Words or phrases writers use to describe the setting using senses.

Oxymoron

A combination of 2 words that contradict each other

Paradox

A statement in which a contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth.

Setting

The time and place in which events take place

Shift/Volta

A change in a story resulting from a realization or insight gained by the speaker, character, or reader.

Alliteration

Repeated CONSONANT sounds at the BEGINNING of words placed near each other

Assonance

Repeated VOWEL sounds in words placed near each other

Cacophony

A discordant series of unpleasant sounds, opposite of euphony

Consonance

Repeated CONSONANT sounds at the MIDDLE or END of words placed near each other

Euphony

A series of musically pleasant sounds, opposite of Cacophony

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like their meanings

Rhyme

The repetition of sounds in 2+ words/phrases that appear close to each other

Allusion

A reference to mythological, literary, or famous people, places, things, or events.

Ambiguity

A word/phrase that can mean more than one thing

Analogy

A comparison between 2 different things to explain a concept by highlighting their similarity

Apostrophe

Speaking directly to a real or imagined object that is not present or cannot respond itself

Hyperbole

An outrageous exaggeration used for emphasis

Irony

A contradictory statement or situation that reveals a reality different than what it makes seem true

Verbal Irony

A speaker or narrator says one thing while meaning the opposite

Situational Irony

A situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect

Dramatic Irony

A character or speaker says or does something that has different meanings from what they think it means, though the audience and other characters know the full meaning.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it

Personification

Giving human traits to something not human

Satire

A mode of writing that exposes the failings of society

Similie

A direct comparison of 2 unlike things using “like” or “as”

Symbol

An ordinary object which we attached extraordinary meaning and significance to

Synecdoche

Indicating a person, object, etc. letting a certain part represent the whole

Anaphora

The repetition of words at consecutive lines of poetry, especially at the beginning

Contrast

Closely arranged things with strikingly different characteristics

Enjambment

The continuation of a line of poetry without a pause or use of punctuation

Inversion

The rearranging of sentence structure for impact

Juxtaposition

The arrangement of 2+ ideas, characters, actions, etc. in similar narrative moments

Repetition

The deliberate use of any element of language more than once

Cliche

Any figure of speech that was once clever and original but is now overused or outdated

Connotation

The overtones of a word

Denotation

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word.

Diction

Word choice intended to achieve a certain effectE

Euphemism

An understatement used to lessen the effect of a statementP

Pun

Word play in which words with totally different meanings have similar or identical sounds

Sarcasm

The use of verbal irony in which a person conveys the opposite of what is actually spoken

Syntax

The arrangement of words and the order of grammatical elements in a sentence

Ballad

Narrative song passed down orally, usually recounts of tragic or heroic stories

Blank Verse

Unrhymed but metered poetryMon

Dramatic Monologue

A poem where an imagined speaker addresses a silent listener written as a speech, there is an internal audience that doesn’t speak.

Elegy

A lament to the dead, it usually reflects mourning and loss, thought it can also have some redemption and consolation

Free Verse

No rules

Pastoral

A type of poem that idealizes the natural world and the poet’s relation with it

Sonnet

3 types:
Petrarchan: Breaks into 2 parts, 8 and 6 line stanzas, ABBAABBA scheme for the 8 and the 6 can vary
Shakespearean: ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
Modern: 14 lines, no rhyme scheme needed