English Literary Techniques Defintions

Allusion

A refernce to a well-known person, place, or event in history, literature or popular culture/

Allegory

A narrative that serves as an extended metaphor for a larger idea or concpet.

Foreshadowing

The use of hints of clues to suggest what will happen later in the story.

Imagery

The use of vivid sensory language to create mental iages or pictures in the readers mind.

Irony

The use of language that signifies the opposite of waht is meant, often for humorous or dramatic effect.

Metaphor

A cmoparison of two unliek things withour using “like” or “as”,

Personification

Tha attributino of human qualities to non-human things

Similies:

A compariosn of two unlike things using “like” or “as”.

Symbolism

The use of sumbols to represent or suggest larger, abtracts ideas or concepts

Tone

The overal mood or attitude conveyed teh by the narrators word choice

Hendiadys

The use of two nouns joined byu adn to express a singel ocmplex idea.

Hendiatris

A rehtorical device taht uses a combination of three wrods or phrases to express a singel idea.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of succsesive caluses or sentences

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which teh writer addresses an absent person an idea or an inanimate object

Inclusio

A rhetorical device that invovlved placinga word phrae or idea at the beginning and end of a text paragrahp of sentecen in order to create a sense of compoelteness or closue. It can also invovle repeating a word or phrase at teh beginning and end of each sentence or paragraphs within a larger text.

Chaismus

A rhetorical device in which words or ideas are repreated in reverse order.

Polysyndeton

The sue of several conjunctions in clsoe successin to create a rythmic effect.

Asyndetno

The omission of conucntion in a series of related clasues.

Paralell Construction

the repretition of teh same or similar grammatical form in diferent lines of sentences.

Metonym

The use of a closely related term as a replacement for the actual object ocncept or being referred to

Litotes

A form of understatement that ironically uses a double negative to express a positive statement

Epistrophe

The repreition of the aem word at the end of successive phraes caluses or sentences

Antithesis

The use of exxageration for emphasis not to be take literally.

Hyperbole

The use of exxageration of emphasis, not to be take literally

Synechdoche: A type of metonym a figure of speech i which ater for part of osethin is used to refer to teh whole of ice versa.

Polypoton

The repreition of a root work in different infelction or diferen tcase for rehtorical effct.

antaclasis

A figure of pseech in which a word o rpharse is use several time and teh meaning changes

Aphorismus

Occurs when a words use is called int oq eustion.

Epizeuxis Aka Diacope

A figure of speech that occurs when the writer repreats a word or phrase in immediate succession.

Metalpesis Aka Transnumption

A figure of speech that occurs when a writer uses a phrase or word in a new contex

Agananorisis

The point in a play, novel etc in whic a principal charachter recognises or discovers another charachters true idenitt or the true nature of their own circumstances.