Literary Devices and Language Techniques: Definitions and Examples

Abstract Language

words and phrases that describe intangible concepts, ideas, qualities, or generalizations that cannot be directly experienced with the five senses

Concrete Language

language that describes things and experiences using specific, tangible details that appeal to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch),

making the message vivid, relatable, and easier for the audience to visualize and

understand

Colloquial

Ordinary language. the vernacular. For example, depending on where in the

United States you live, a sandwich is called a sub, a grinder, or a hero.

Elegy

Poem or prose lamenting the death of a particular person.

Antihero

Protagonist of a literary work who does not embody the traditional qualities

of a hero

Catharsis

Purification or cleansing of the spirit through the emotions of pity and terror

as a witness to a tragedy.

Epigraph

Quote set at the beginning of a literary work or at its divisions to set the tone

or suggest a theme.

Motif

Recurrent device, formula, or situation that often serves as a signal for the

appearance of a character or event

Epistrophe

The repetition of a word or group of words at the end of successive phrases,

clauses, or sentences.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next

clause.

Imagery

Sensory details in a work. the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call

to mind an idea, or describe an object. Imagery involves any or all of the five senses

Euphemism

Substitution of a milder or less direct expression for one that is harsh or

blunt. For example, using "passed away" for "dead."

Tone

The attitude a literary work takes towards its subject and theme. It reflects the

narrator's attitude.

Theme

The central or dominant idea or concern of a work the main idea or meaning

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word. the direct and specific meaning

Connotation

What is implied by a word. For example, the words sweet, gay, and

awesome have connotations that are quite different from their actual definitions.

Mood

The feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the

writer/narrator's attitude and point of view. The effect is created through descriptions

of feelings or objects that establish a particular feeling such as gloom, fear, or hope

Realism

The literary practice of attempting to describe life and nature without

idealization and with attention to detail

Prose

The ordinary of form of written language without metrical structure, as

distinguished from poetry or verse

Asyndeton

The practice of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

In a list, it gives a more extemporaneous effect and suggests the list may be incomplete.

Assonance

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or

proximate words.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds or any vowel sounds within a

formal grouping, such as a poetic line or stanza, or in close proximity in prose

Invective

The use of angry and insulting language in satirical writing

Persona

The voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who

may or may not share of the values of the actual author.

Syntax

The way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. It is

sentence structure and how it influences the way a reader perceives a piece of writing.

Personification

Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by

giving it human qualities.

Anachronism

Use of historically inaccurate details in a text for example, depicting a

19th-century character using a computer. Some authors employ anachronisms for

humorous effect, and some genres, such as science fiction or fantasy, make extensive

use of anachronism

Ambiguity

Use of language in which multiple meanings are possible. can be

unintentional through insufficient focus on the part of the writer. in good writing,

Rhetorical Question

A question not answered by the writer because its answer is

obvious or obviously desired

Simile

A type of metaphor that compares two different things in order to create a new

meaning. In this case, we are made explicitly aware that a comparison is being made

due to the use of "like" or "as."

Symbol/symbolism

Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for

something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete - such as object, action,

character, or scene - that represents something more abstract.

Understatement

A satirical device involving the ironic minimizing of fact, or presenting

something as less significant than it is.

Wit

In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A

___ statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating

ingenious and perceptive remarks.

Parallelism:

Recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences equal in importance. It also adds balance, rhythm, and clarity to the sentence.

Anaphora:

regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. For example, "We shall fight in the trenches. We shall fight on the oceans. We shall fight in the sky."