Figurative Language and Sound Devices

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining figurative language types and sound devices based on lecture notes.

Figurative Language

Using words or expression with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation to create a special effect or feeling.

Simile

Comparing two different things using the words "like" or "as". Example: "Her smile is as bright as the sun".

Metaphor

Comparing two different things by saying one thing is the other without using "like" or "as". Example: "Time is a thief".

Personification

Giving human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human things (animals, objects or ideas). Example: "The wind howled in the night".

Hyperbole

Using extreme exaggeration to make a point or show strong emotion that is not meant to be taken literally. Example: "I've told you a million times to clean your room".

Sound Devices

Tools writers use to create rhythm or emphasize certain sounds in a text.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words that are close together. Example: "Peter Piper Picked a Peck OF Pickled Peppers".

Assonance

The repetition of similar vowel sounds within words that are close to each other. Example: "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain".

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within the words (beginning, middle, or end), but usually not at the very start like alliteration. Example: "He struck a lucky stroke." (the "ck" sound).

Onomatopoeia

Words that actually imitate the natural sound of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described. Example: "The buzzing bee Flew past my ear".