GRADE 12 LITERARY DEVICES

Allusion

a reference to another work of literature, person, or event

"He was a real Romeo with the ladies."

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words.

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers"

Anecdote

short account of event

"In a speech about teamwork, a coach shares a quick story about how one player helped another during a tough game"

Analogy

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

"A heart is like a pump because it moves blood"

Comparison

the act or instance of comparing

"Her smile is as bright as the sun"

Contrast

difference between things

"He is tall and serious; she is short and cheerful"

Conflict

a struggle between opposing forces

"A character struggles with fear (internal) or fights an enemy (external)"

Dramatic irony

when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

"In a scary movie, we know the killer is in the house but the character doesn't"

Situational irony

what happens is the opposite of what is expected

"A fire station burns down"

Verbal irony

a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.

"Saying great weather during a storm"

Juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

"A wealthy character standing next to a homeless person"

Metaphor

a comparison without using like or as

"Time is a thief"

Onamotopeoia

a word that imitates the sound it represents.

"Achoo!"

Oxymoron

conjoining contradictory terms

"Bittersweet"

Paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

"Less is more"

Parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

"She likes reading, writing, and jogging"

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

"The wind whispered"

Pun

a humorous play on words

"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana"

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

"She is as brave as a lion"