Literary Devices and Poetic Terms

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in words.

Couplet

Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.

Simile

Comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

Denotation

Literal meaning of a word.

Connotation

Emotional or cultural meaning of a word.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds.

Tone

Author's attitude toward the subject.

Personification

Attributing human traits to non-human entities.

Internal Conflict

Struggle within a character's mind.

External Conflict

Struggle between a character and outside forces.

Motif

Recurring element that has symbolic significance.

Symbol

Object representing a larger idea or concept.

Theme

Central idea or message in a work.

Metaphor

Direct comparison between two unlike things.

Irony

Contrast between expectation and reality.

Allegory

Story with a deeper moral or political meaning.

Mood

Emotional atmosphere created by a piece.

Rhythm

Pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Foreshadowing

Hints about what will happen later.

Imagery

Descriptive language appealing to the senses.

Repetition

Deliberate use of the same word or phrase.

Refrain

Repeated line or group of lines in poetry.

End Rhyme

Rhyme occurring at the end of lines.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.