Poetic Devices and Literary Techniques in English Literature

Onomatopoeia

Creation of a word describing its sound.

Alliteration

Phonetic structure and repeated usage of sound or letter in the first syllable of a word.

Rhyme

Widely used poetic device that adds charm and mood to a poem.

Assonance

Repetition of the same vowel sounds in close proximity.

Consonance

Repetition of sounds produced by consonants in a phrase or sentence.

Euphony

Repetitive use of mellow, melodic tones that are enjoyable to read or listen to.

Cacophony

Use of unappealing, repulsive, or harsh noises to evoke chaos or disorder.

Rhythm

Flow of words throughout each meter and stanza that highlights elements of the poem.

Allusion

Phrase or word meant to call something without mentioning it clearly.

Irony

Words framed in such a way that their original meaning gets changed.

Allegory

Narrative or description in which abstractions or concepts are represented by events, behaviours, characters, or objects.

Euphemism

Act of replacing a term that can offend with one that is less hurtful.

Ambiguity

Statement structure that leaves room for alternative interpretations.

Personification

Attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or animals.

Analogy

Literary device that establishes a relationship between two concepts based on similarities.

Denotation

Neutral, objective meaning of a term.

Cliche

Overused scenario or term deemed unoriginal.

Connotation

Use of a word to imply an association beyond its literal meaning.

Metaphor

Figure of speech that draws a comparison between unrelated things.

Pun

Frequently used figure of speech that can be humorous.

Hyperbole

Figure of speech consisting of exaggeration.

Simile

Figure of speech that compares two different things using 'as' or 'like'.

Metonymy

A figure of speech when one term or phrase is used in place of another with which it is closely related.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that links two opposing ideas at once.

Paradox

A figure of speech that emphasizes something by discussing the exact opposite of it.

Synecdoche

A literary device where a term for a minor aspect of anything may be used to represent the main idea or vice versa.

Symbolism

A technique used by poets to communicate underlying ideas through symbols.

Rhyme Scheme

The sequence of sounds that repeats at the conclusion of a line or stanza.

Stanza

A method of splitting and grouping lines in a poem, separating one group of lines from others.

Verse Line

A writing technique referring to single-line poetry.

Blank Verse

Poetry written in strict iambic pentameter without a rhyme scheme.

Free Verse

Poetry that contains no rhyme and no meter.

Ballad

A type of narrative poem written in a sequence of four-line stanzas.

Ode

A brief, lyrical poetry that frequently praises something.

Synthesia

A figure of speech in which terminology from one sense is used to describe another.

Imagery

The author's use of vivid language and description to enhance the reader's comprehension by appealing to their senses.

Tone or Mood

The general mood that a work of literature radiates, created by the reader's perception of the cumulative moods and mental or emotional states.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several subsequent lines.

Mesodiplosis

Repetition of a word in the middle of every line or clause.

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word at the end of every line or clause.

Symploce

A combination of anaphora and epistrophe, repeating a word or phrase at the beginning and another at the end of the line.

Antanaclasis

Repetition of the same word, but with different denotations or connotations.

Antistasis

Repetition of words in opposite senses.

Negative-Positive Restatement

Repetition of an idea in a negative way first, and then in a positive way.

Epizeuxis

Repetition of the same word or phrase without any words in between.

Diacope

Repetition of a word or phrase with only one or two words between the repeated words.

Conduplicatio

Repetition of one word in different places throughout a line or paragraph.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one line as the first word of the next.

Epanalepsis

Repetition of the first word or words of a line also at the end of that line.

Diaphora

Repetition of a name to refer to the person and then to the meaning of the name.

Epimone

Repetition of a phrase question for emphasis or to dwell on a point.

Polyptoton

Repetition of words with the same root but different forms.

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