Latin Literary Devices

Alliteration

repetition of the same consonantal sound

Anaphora

repetition of a word, usually at the beginning of successive phrases

Apostrophe

the address of a person or object not present

Asyndeton

the omission of connectives such as “and” in order to present items rapidly

Chiasmus

Arrangement of words in the order ABBA

Ellipsis

the omission of an easily understood word in order to avoid repetition

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or rhetorical effect

Metaphor

an implied comparison between a thing that is actually described and something else

Metonymy

use of one noun to represent or symbolize another

Onomatopoeia

use of a word whose sounds suggest its meaning

Personification

attribution of human qualities to an inanimate object

Polyptoton

repetition of a word but in a different form

Polysyndeton

excessive use of connectives to produce an intensified, cumulative effect

Rhetorical Question

a question making a suggestion rather than expecting an answer

Simile

like/as comparison between one thing and another

Synchesis

interlocking word order in an ABAB pattern

Transitional Epithet/Enallage

a word describes one noun in sense, another in grammar

Tricolon Crescens

three closely connected phrases increasing in size of emphasis