English Literary Devices

(For midterm)

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story

Suspense

Feeling of tension, curiosity, or excitement created by the author withholding information, using cliffhangers, or placing characters in risky or uncertain situations

STEAL

Speech, Thoughts, Effects on others, Actions, & Looks

Theme

Central, underlying message, big idea, or universal truth of a story, film, etc…

Absolutes

A noun and a participle used together, with the noun coming first.

Appostivies

A noun or pro-noun that explains another noun in the sentence

Participles

An -ed or -ing verb that’s used as an adjective to describe a noun

Vivid verbs

A string verb producing powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind.

Similes

The comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind using ‘Like’ or ‘As’

Metaphors

A word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable(comparison w/o ‘Like’ or ‘As’)

Show VS Tell

Using sensory details (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste), actions, and dialogue to let the reader experience the story directly to make emotions, character traits, and events feel real, immediate, and engaging