Literary Device Examples

Metaphor

The teacher planted the seeds of wisdom

Personification

Winter's icy grip squeezed his rib cage

Sight and Smell Imagery

there is something musty and moldy about that place

Pun

I've been to the dentist many times so I know the drill

Pun

I was struggling to figure out how lightning works then it struck me

Hyperbole

I cried a thousand tears.

Idiom

Curiosity killed the cat.

Metaphor

He was a New York taxi that went through all the red lights.

Personification

The sun pushed down my eyeballs and told them to relax.

Personification

The wind whispered through dry grass.

Personification

The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.

Personification

The fire swallowed the entire forest.

Simile

That went over like a lead balloon

Hyperbole

Your suitcase weighs a ton!

Hyperbole

The bag is as heavy as an elephant!

Idiom

"Every cloud has its silver lining"

Metaphor

The assignment was a breeze.

Simile

as brave as lions.

Simile

The water well was as dry as a bone.

Simile

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

that floats on high o'er vales and hills."

Sight Imagery

It was dark and dim in the forest.

Sound Imagery

The children were screaming and shouting in the fields.

Smell Imagery

He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee.

Touch Imagery

The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric.

Taste and Touch Imagery

The fresh and juicy orange is very cold and sweet.

Simile

The light bulb is as bright as the sun.

Metaphor

The polar bear is the lion of the north pole.

Personification

The chair is staring at me.

Hyperbole

I'm so thirsty I could drink a barrel of water.

metaphor

The night is a big black cat, the moon is her eye, The stairs are the mice she hunts at night

personification

Autumn's breath/The breath of autumn.

The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

simile

strong as an ox; sneaky like a fox on the hunt

hyperbole

I had a million chores to do!

idiom

barking up the wrong tree

idiom

a fish out of water

idiom

a bull in a china shop

simile

strong as an ox; sneaky like a fox on the hunt

hyperbole

I had a ton of chores to do!

idiom

driving me nuts

Simile

The light bulb is as bright as the sun.

Symbolism

The 50 stars on the flag are symbolic of the 50 states and freedom.

Simile

You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.

Hyperbole

My grandmother is as old as the hills.

Hyperbole

I am dying of shame.

Hyperbole

I am trying to solve a million issues these days.

Idiom

If we play our cards right, we might be able to get our parents to treat us to ice cream.

Idiom

Tickled Pink

Idiom

Ahead of the curve

Idiom

Go through the motions

Metaphor

My brother was boiling mad.

Metaphor

Her voice is music to his ears.

Metaphor

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

Metaphor

Life is a journey.

Simile

Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

Simile

Her cheeks are red like a rose.

Simile

The water well was as dry as a bone.

Simile

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

that floats on high o'er vales and hills."

Situational Irony

I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is

Situational Irony

The name of Britain's biggest dog was "Tiny".

Situational Irony

You laugh at a person who slipped stepping on a banana peel and the next thing you know, you slipped too.

Verbal Irony

"Oh great! Now you have broken my new camera."

Metaphor

He was a New York taxi that went through all the red lights.

Simile

It's been a hard day's night,

and I've been working like a dog

Personification

Money is the only friend that I can count on

Personification

Winter's icy grip squeezed his rib cage

Sight Imagery

his brown hair hangs down to the middle of his sloping back

Allusion

He was a real Romeo with the ladies

Allusion

I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio's

Situational Irony

A pilot with a fear of heights

Situational Irony

A teacher fails a test