Literary Devices Overview

Extended Metaphor

Implied comparison between two essentially unlike things

Metonymy

Use of a closely related idea for the idea itself

Oxymoron

Two contradictory words placed close together with truth

Paradox

Apparent contradiction that is actually true

Personification

Giving human attributes to an animal, object, or idea

Simile

Comparison between two essentially dissimilar things using like, as, than, or resembles

Consonance

Close repetition of identical consonant sounds before and after different

Hyperbole

Exaggeration in the service of truth

Idiom

Term or phrase with figurative meaning understood through common use

Imagery

Representation through language of sense experience

Irony

Reveals concealed or contradictory meanings

Juxtaposition

Overlapping or mixing of opposite situations to clarify meaning

Litotes

Form of understatement by denying the opposite

Metaphor

Comparison between two essentially dissimilar things

Meter

Regular pattern of rhythm based on stressed and unstressed syllables

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

Direct or indirect reference to familiar figure, place, or event

Assonance

Close repetition of similar vowel sounds in stressed syllables

Atmosphere / Mood

Prevailing feeling created in a story or poem

Connotation

Emotional suggestions attached to words beyond strict definitions

Onomatopoeia

Use of words that sound like what they mean