Literary devices

Allegory

A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning, often a symbolic narrative with both literal and larger meanings.

Alliteration

Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other.

Allusion

A reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place, thing, or event.

Ambiguity

A word or phrase that can mean more than one thing, adding richness to poetry.

Analogy

A comparison between something unfamiliar and something familiar.

Anaphora

The repetition of words at consecutive lines of poetry.

Apostrophe

Speaking directly to a real or imagined listener or inanimate object.

Assonance

Repeated vowel sounds in words placed near each other, usually in stressed syllables.

Ballad

A narrative poem recounting stories centered on dramatic events, traditionally in rhymed quatrains.

Blank Verse

Poetry written in regular meter that does not contain rhyme.

Cacophony

A discordant series of harsh sounds conveying disorder.

Cliché

An overused figure of speech that has lost its original effectiveness.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural implications of a word, apart from its literal meaning.

Consonance

Repeated consonant sounds at the endings of words placed near each other.

Contrast

Closely arranged things with strikingly different characteristics.

Denotation

The dictionary definition or literal meaning of a word.

Diction

Word choice intended to convey a specific effect.

Dramatic Monologue

A poetic form where a speaker reveals their character through self-conversation.

Elegy

A poem expressing sadness about death but ends in consolation.

Enjambment

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

Euphemism

An understatement used to lessen the impact of a statement.

Euphony

A series of musically pleasant sounds that convey harmony.

Free Verse

Unrhymed, nonmeterical lines of verse that may exhibit a regular pattern.

Hyperbole

An outrageous exaggeration used for effect.

Imagery

Descriptive language appealing to the senses, representing objects and feelings.

Inversion

The rearranging of sentence structure for impact.

Irony

A contradiction between expectation and reality, revealing a different truth.

Juxtaposition

The arrangement of ideas or characters side by side for comparison or contrast.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as.'

Metonymy

Referring to something by a closely associated term.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate the sounds they describe.

Oxymoron

A combination of contradictory terms.

Paradox

A statement that contradicts itself but reveals a hidden truth.

Pastoral

A poem idealizing rural life or nature.

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.

Pun

Wordplay exploiting different meanings of similar-sounding words.

Repetition

Deliberate use of elements of language more than once.

Rhyme

The repetition of sounds in two or more words or phrases.

Sarcasm

Verbal irony that mocks or conveys contempt.

Satire

Writing that ridicules the shortcomings of individuals or societies.

Setting

The time and place where events occur in a narrative.

Shift (or Volta)

A change in a piece resulting from an epiphany or realization.

Simile

A comparison of two unlike things using 'like' or 'as.'

Sonnet

A 14-line poem with a traditional structure, either Petrarchan or Shakespearean.

Symbol

An ordinary object that represents a larger, often abstract meaning.

Synecdoche

A part representing the whole.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and grammatical elements in a sentence.