Literary/Poetic Devices

Alliteration

Repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together.

Allusion

A reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture.

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the start of consecutive lines.

Apostrophe

Calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place, thing, or a personified abstract idea.

Assonance

The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds, especially in words that are together.

Chiasmus

A type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed.

Conceit

An elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different. Often an extended metaphor.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words. Also known as near rhyme, off rhyme, or slant rhyme.

Enjambment

When the writer uses line breaks meaningfully and abruptly to either emphasize a point or to create dual meanings.

Epithet

An adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing to emphasize a characteristic quality.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement for effect.

Imagery

When the writer or speaker uses descriptions to access the senses of the reader or listener.

Juxtaposition

A poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, often for comparison.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words whose sounds echo their sense.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a kind of truth.

Parallel Structure (Parallelism)

The repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.

Personification

Giving an object human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes, or giving an abstract concept a human form.

Repetition

When the writer or speaker knowingly repeats a word or group of words for effect.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for an effect, not actually requiring an answer.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole.