Literary Devices

Allusion…

a reference to a famous or historic person, place, or event within a literary work.

Apostrophe…

when the writer addresses something that is not usually addressed, like an inanimate object or an absent person.

Hyperbole…

an overexaggeration.

Imagery…

using words to recreate the sensory impressions of actual experience.

Irony…

divergence between the actual result and the expected result.

Verbal irony…

saying the opposite of what you mean.

Situational irony…

an event has an unexpected “twist”.

Dramatic irony…

the audience knows something the characters do not know.

Metaphor…

a comparison of two things that is simply stated without using “like” or “as”.

Metonymy…

a thing is represented by something that is closely associated with it (the White House issued a statement today). 

Oxymoron…

joining two words next to each other or very close to each other that seem to contradict each other. 

Personification…

giving human qualities to objects that are not human.

Pun…

a play on words; a word may have two different meanings.

Simile…

comparing two things using “like” or “as”.

Symbol…

an object that is meant to stand for another larger idea or feeling.

Synecdoche…

a part of something is used to represent the whole thing (your butt better be down here and ready to leave in one minute, or else!). 

Tone…

the attitude an author intends to convey through a piece of writing (author)

Mood…

the intended feeling an author creates for the reader (reader).

Understatement…

intentionally describing something as less than it is, either for ironic effect or politeness.