Lit devices IB English year 1

Allusion

 Form of figurative language that references a person, place, text, or event.

Simile

Figure of speech comparing two unlike things using like or as 

Rhetorical Question

A question that is asked not to get an answer but rather to make or prove a point.

Alliteration

The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of consecutive and or nearby words.

Irony

A contrast between what is stated and what is meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

Parallelism

The usage of similar structure for multiple parts of a sentence or multiple sentences to connect them.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using exaggeration, or overstatement, for special effect.

Polysyndeton

Repetition of conjunctions in close succession (as in we have ships and men and money)

Telegraphic Sentence

A concise sentence typically containing five words or less; very short sentences.

Chiasmus

The reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses – but no repetition of words.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Cacophony

Deliberate use of harsh letter sounds.

Anaphora

The regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.

Epistrophe

Where a word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive clauses or sentences to create emphasis and rhythm.

Antithesis

A figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together in a sentence or verse

Analogy

A cognitive process of transferring traits from one thing or idea to another.

Personification

A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities.

Imagery

Visual description; words that create a visual in the reader’s mind.

Tricolon

A series of three parallel words, phrases, clauses, or statements.

Loose Sentence

A sentence where the main point is at the start of the sentence and then is followed by side points.

Exclamatory Sentence

A sentence containing an exclamation or strong emphasis.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to bring out their differences.

Periodic Sentence

The main idea comes last in the sentence, leaving the reader with a powerful final impression.