Figurative Language and Literary Devices

Vocabulary flashcards covering figurative language, sound devices, rhetorical techniques, structural conventions, diction, narration, poetic elements, and parts of speech.

Simile

compares two things using "like" or "as".

Metaphor

directly compares two things, where an object is said to "be" something else.

Personification

human qualities to non-human things.

Hyperbole

exaggeration for an effect

Symbolism

An object with a deeper idea

Irony

When words, in context, mean the opposite of what they say.

Pun

Word play involving the use of a word with two different meanings or two words that sound the same but mean different things.

Allusion

A reference to another work.

Oxymoron

A contradiction placed together to create emphasis.

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words used close together.

Assonance

Vowel sounds repeated at the beginning or middle of nearby words.

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like the sounds they name.

Imperative

An order, command, or instruction, consisting of a verb used without a noun or a pronoun.

Direct Address

The use of the second person pronoun "you" to address the audience or reader directly.

Rhetorical Question

A question that does not expect an answer from the reader or audience.

Quotation

The direct use of another person's words, whether spoken or written.

Repetition

The deliberate repetition of words close together to create emphasis.

Listing

A structural device where objects, reasons, or parts of a whole are listed, usually separated by commas or bullet points.

Contrast (Juxtaposition)

Two words, phrases, or things placed close together with contrasting effect.

Colloquial Language

Casual, informal, everyday spoken language that is often not grammatically correct.

Connotation

The emotional meaning or mood of a word as opposed to its literal meaning.

Jargon

Language belonging to a particular job, hobby, or field of study.

Emotive Language

Words deliberately chosen to stir the emotions of the reader.

Sensory Imagery

Words used to evoke the five senses.

Cliche

An overused phrase that has lost its interest over time.

Stream of Consciousness

A narrative style where the story is told through the random flow of thoughts passing through the protagonist's mind, often lacking proper punctuation.

Tone

The attitude the author has toward their subject, conveyed by the style the author uses.

Narrator

The person who tells the story.

1st Person Narrative Point of View

A point of view where a character in the story tells the story using "I".

3rd Person Narrative Point of View

A point of view where the author tells the story from a position outside the story using "he" or "she".

3rd Person Limited

A third-person narration where only one character is closely followed.

3rd Person Omniscient

A third-person narration where many characters are followed closely.

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounding words in poems and songs.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhyme in a poem.

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme where words in the middle and end of the line rhyme.

End Rhyme

A rhyme where words at the end of lines rhyme.

Stanza

A section or group of lines in a poem, functioning like a paragraph.

Free Verse

Unrhymed verse with no regular rhythm.

Verb

Action words describing movement, thought, and existence.

Adjective

A word that describes a noun.

Adverb

A word that describes a verb or action.

Conjunction

Words that join phrases and clauses in a sentence.