Poetic Devices

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds

Rhyme

Repetition of sounds at the end of words

Tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem

Lines

Phrases or words in a stanza

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words

Symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else

Anecdote

Short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point

Understatement

Minimizing something for effect

Irony

When the actual outcome/meaning of something is opposite to what is expected

Paradox

Seemingly contradictory statement with underlying truth

Denotation

Dictionary definition of a word

Connotation

Implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in a reader's mind

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

Syntax

Sentence structure

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

Quatrain

a stanza of four lines

Colloquialism

a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions

Asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art