English Literary Devices: Homonyms, Hyperbole, and Irony

homonym

two or more words that are spelled and pronounced alike but are different in meaning (Ex: The fly (n) landed in my food. He will fly (v) away tomorrow.)

homophones

two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning and spelling (Ex: here & hear; there & their; your & you're; son & sun; dear & deer)

hyperbole

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible.

idiom

a word or group of words used in a sense different from the literal meaning (Ex: -- under the gun; over your head; go out on a limb; raining cats and dogs; take matters into your own hands; ... gets under my skin)

imagery

thoughts that come to us as pictures or imagined sensations. The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.

inversion

a technique in which the normal order of words is altered. Writers use inversion for emphasis and variety.

irony

a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens (Ex: If Mr. Jordan always preached about not smoking cigarettes, it would be ironic if Mr. Jordan died of lung cancer from smoking.)

verbal irony

occurs when a writer or speaker says one thing but really means something completely different (Ex: If you call a clumsy basketball player "the next Michael Jordan," you are using verbal irony.)

situational irony

occurs when there is a contradiction between what we expect to happen and what really does take place.

dramatic irony

occurs when the audience or the reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know.

jargon

the specialized or technical language of a trade or profession.

malapropism

a ludicrous or humorous misuse of a word (Ex: It wasn't until we stopped outside a decapitated church that we were allowed to rest. -- it should be "a dilapidated church"...)

metaphor

a figure of speech wherein an implied comparison of two unlike things is made without using the words like, as, or than.