First 20 English Literary Devices Vocab

Figurative Language

A type of communication that does not use a word’s strict or realistic meaning. In other words, it’s not the literal sense of the word.

Ex. “That runner’s on fire” (we don’t literally mean he’s on fire; we mean that he’s doing really well)

Imagery

Appeal to any of the 5 senses through highly descriptive language.

Ex. “In the hard-packed dirt of the midway, after the glaring lights are out and the people have gone to bed, you will find a veritable treasure of popcorn fragments, frozen custard dribblings, candied apples abandoned by tired children, sugar fluff crystals, salted almonds, popsicles, partially gnawed ice cream cones and wooden sticks of lollipops.”

Simile

Comparison of two objects to transfer a quality of one to another, using the word “like” or “as”.

Ex. “He was as brave as a lion” / “He was big like an elephant”

Metaphor

Comparison of two objects by saying that one is the other to transfer a quality from one to the other.

Ex. “The classroom was a zoo”

Personification

Using human traits to describe non-human things.

Ex. “A leaf dancing in the wind” / “A single lonely shoe”

Repetition

Multiple instances of the same words, phrases, lines, or stanzas.

Ex. “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”

Rhyme

Two or more words with the same final sound

Ex. “The cat in the hat sat on the mat”

“Once upon a midnight dreary,

while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious

volume of forgotten lore—

While I nodded, nearly napping,

suddenly there came a tapping,

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping

at my chamber door—

Only this and nothing more.”

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of each word

Ex. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”

Contrast

A difference between two things that have some basis for comparison

Ex. Contrast: Cats vs dogs No contrast: Cats vs Trains

Juxtaposition

Two or more dissimilar characters, themes, concepts, etc. placed close to each other, and the profound contrast highlights their differences.

Ex. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…”

Oxymoron

Two seemingly contradictory terms, placed side-by-side, make sense together.

Ex. “He’s the dumbest genius I know” "Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Paradox

A statement or argument that seems to contradict itself but can in fact be true. In Literature, it is used to illustrate something profound or insightful

Ex. “You need to spend money to make money”; “Doing nothing is exhausting”

“War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.” - from George Orwell’s 1984, used to illustrate how falsehoods can be accepted as truths.

Pun/Wordplay

When a word has two or more meanings, and that gives two interestingly different interpretations of what someone is saying, usually for humorous effect

Ex. “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana”

“My shoe is a foot long”

Irony

A contrast between expectations and reality.

Ex. A lifeguard drowning

Diction

Choice of words and phrases in speech or writing

Ex. “I climb up the shed and crept up to my window just before day was breaking. My new clothes was all greased-up and clayey, and I was dog-tired.” - Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“At last, after walking two hours, we had attained a depth of about 300 yards, that is to say, the extreme limit on which coral begins to form.” - Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Tone

The attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience conveyed through word choice and the style of the writing. Tone reflects the emotional state or position of the author.

Ex. “His eye was like the eye of a vulture, the eye of one of those terrible birds that watch and wait while an animal dies, and then fall upon the dead body and pull it to pieces to eat it.” - Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart

The tone is fearful, distressed and anxious, creating a tense mood that is full of dread.

Mood

The overall feeling, or atmosphere, of a text often created by the author's use of imagery and word choice. Mood reflects the effect on the reader.

Ex. “He looked across the sea and knew how alone he was now. But he could see the prisms in the deep dark water and the line stretching ahead and the strange undulation of the calm. The clouds were building up now for the trade wind and he looked ahead and saw a flight of wild ducks etching themselves against the sky over the water, then blurring, then etching again and he knew no man was ever alone on the sea.” - Ernest Hemmingway, The Old Man and the Sea

The mood is peaceful and comforting, despite the character being alone. The mood is created in part by the calm, observant tone used by the author.

Symbol

Something that represents or stands in for something else.

Ex. Roses are a symbol of love. A dove is a symbol of peace.

Hyperbole

An exaggeration that’s not meant to be taken literally.

Ex. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”

Foreshadowing

An advance warning about something that’s going to happen in the future.

Ex. Harry Potter’s scar hurts just before Voldemort’s presence is felt

Lines of dialogue, e.g. “I have a bad feeling about this”.

It could also be a symbol (e.g. blood), the weather (e.g. clouds), omens (e.g. a broken mirror), a character action, etc.