Literary & Figurative Language

Allusion

An indirect reference to a famous person, place, or text.

Paradox

A self-contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth.

Prose

Ordinary written language without metrical or poetic structure.

Anecdote

A brief personal story used to illustrate a point.

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Metaphor

A direct comparison without using "like" or "as".

Simile

A comparison explicitly using "like" or "as".

Alliteration

Repeating the same consonant sound at word beginnings.

Diction

The deliberate choice and use of words.

Connotation

The emotional meaning or association of a word.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.