English 9H Literary Devices

foreshadowing

a warning or indication (of a future event)

verbal irony

saying something but meaning something else

dramatic irony

when the audience knows something the characters do not

situational irony

something happening that is different from what is expected

symbolism

the use symbols to represent ideas

anaphora

the repetition of the first part of a sentence. The word or phrase repetition occurs at the beginning.

soliloquy

speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of hearers.

pun

It’s a play on words with a double meaning, and that’s where the comedy comes in

motif

a recurring symbol or idea in a narrative

imagery

the use of figurative language that evokes a sensory experience in the reader

oxymoron

contradictory terms that appear in conjunction

foil

Kirk and Spock

parallelism

a parallel construction in which similar or repeated words, phrases, clauses, or sentence structure appear.

aside

An aside is a device used in dramatic literature where a character speaks directly to the audience but usually goes unheard by the other characters onstage. 

allusion

an indirect or passing reference to another piece of media

personification

gives human qualities to something not human

simile

comparing two things using “like” or “as”

metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thing becomes the other.

tone

indicates the writer’s attitude toward the subject.

hyperbole

uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or to create a comic effect