literary and poetic devices

Prose

Ordinary spoken or written language; natural sentence flow

Iambic pentameter

Rhythmic pattern in poetry with ten syllables per line split into five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables

Irony

The oppostite of what we expect to happen happens

Assonance (rhyme)

The repetition of the vowel sound in a word

Oxymoron

A phrase where two words contradict and don’t go together

Allusion

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect passing on reference

Foreshadow

A warning or indication of a future event

Proverbs

A popular saying that contains advice

Personification

When non human objects or abstract ideas are given human attributes

Pathetic fallacy

When human feelings and responses are attributed to inanimate things or animals

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis

Anaphora

The repetition of short phrases or single words at the beginning of clauses or sentences. Used to enhance rhythm and or evoke emotion

Adage

Traditional sayings that often include common observations or truths

Symbolism

A symbol is something that stands for/represents something else

Idiom

An expression that doesn’t exactly mean what it says

Alliteration

The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

Paradox

A sentence that contradicts itself and defies logic, but is possibly true

Cliche

An expression or idea that is overused

Pun

A play on words

Onomatopoeia

When words are used to imitate sounds