poetic devices

semester 1 english

rhyming verse

when words placed at the end of 2 lines rhyme (aa bb cc pattern)

oxymoron

when 2 opposite words are placed side by side

metaphor

a direct comparison between 2 things without using like or as

foreshadowing 

a warning or indication of a future event 

pun 

a joke exploiting the different possible meanings 

simile 

an indirect comparison between 2 things using the words like or as 

theme

the message or main idea a story is attempting to engage the reader in thinking about

dramatic irony

when the audience or reader knows something the characters do not

personification 

when a non human object, creature or idea is given human characteristics 

hyperbole 

a deliberate, extravagant and often exaggeration that can be used for either serious or comic effect 

soliloquy

giving info to the audience but the characters don’t know