Literary Elements: Fiction

Review literary terms associated with literary fiction.

hyperbole

I am so hungry; I could eat a horse!

hyperbole

the peanut weighed a ton.

hyperbole

Grandpa is older than the hills.

personification

The trees danced in the wind.

personification

Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there. - Proverb

personification

The flowers begged for water.

metaphor

The teenage boy's stomach was a bottomless pit.

metaphor

The inside of the car was a refrigerator.

metaphor

The teacher descended upon the exams, sank his talons into their pages, ripped the answers to shreds....

simile

An emerald is as green as grass - Christina Rossetti

simile

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun - Shakespeare

simile

My life is like an open book.

symbol

The U. S. flag \= democracy

symbol

wearing a ring on the third finger of the left hand

symbol

Most people wear black to a funeral

oxymoron

We ordered jumbo shrimp drizzled with bitter-sweet chocolate.

oxymoron

The tank was fully empty, so we stopped at a gas station.

oxymoron

The plumber gave us an exact estimate for a new kitchen.

irony

The famous actress died alone.

irony

The dentist accidentally broke my tooth during a routine checkup.

irony

Except for Sarah, everyone knew her husband had died in a freak accident.

paradox

I close my eyes so I can see...

I burn a fire to stay cool...

Shut the door so I can leave ~ Shut the Door, Fugazi

paradox

I must be cruel to be kind. ~ William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

paradox

What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young. ~ George Bernard Shaw

imagery

descriptive and expressive language that appeals to the reader's senses

personification

giving human qualities to non-humans

simile

comparison using "like/as"

metaphor

direct comparison WITHOUT "like/as"

hyperbole

exaggeration intended to emphasize an idea

oxymoron

a word pair consisting of opposite ideas

paradox

something that sounds contradictory but is true

verbal irony

saying one thing but meaning another

dramatic irony

reader/audience knows something characters don't

situational irony

when the unexpected occurs

imagery

What do these details create? -- "The leaves shriveled and browned under the blazing sun."

personification

What figure of speech is used? -- The animals in the movie Shrek speak and sing.

simile

What figure of speech is used in the following example? -- "Like the sands of the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."

metaphor

What figure of speech is used? -- "The Litch home was a whirlwind of nonstop activity."

oxymoron

What figure of speech is used? -- "The new sweater Grandma knit for me was a little big."

paradox

What figure of speech is used? -- I always lie.

verbal irony

What figure of speech is used? -- When Johnny breaks the window, his father exclaims, "Great! Well done, boy!"

dramatic irony

What figure of speech is used? -- In a horror movie, the audience knows the killer is hiding under the bed.

situational iron

What figure of speech is used? -- The local Turkey Hill is robbed by a well-loved and respected priest.

hyperbole

What figure of speech is used? -- "I once had a goldfish the size of a surfboard!"

alliteration

the repetition of a BEGINNING CONSONANT sound

assonance

the repetition of a VOWEL sound

hyperbole

an exaggeration

personification

"humanizing" objects/things

metaphor

a direct comparison without the use of "like/as"

simile

a comparison using "like/as"

onomatopoeia

a word that sounds like what it means

symbol

something that represents or stands for something else

oxymoron

to contradictory words used side-by-side

alliteration

Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled pepers

alliteration

Too Much Talent in Tennessee?

alliteration

Spoiled by the sunset

assonance

Row, row, row your boat.

assonance

on a proud round cloud in white high night

assonance

an owl does not howl

hyperbole

I am so hungry; I could eat a horse!

hyperbole

the peanut weighed a ton.

hyperbole

Grandpa is older than the hills.

personification

The trees danced in the wind.

personification

Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there. - Proverb

personification

The flowers begged for water.

metaphor

The teenage boy's stomach was a bottomless pit.

metaphor

The inside of the car was a refrigerator.

metaphor

The teacher descended upon the exams, sank his talons into their pages, ripped the answers to shreds....

simile

An emerald is as green as grass - Christina Rossetti

simile

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun - Shakespeare

simile

My life is like an open book.

onomatopoeia

The pit bull yelped / As the police took him away - Alsup

onomatopoeia

Crack the eggs, smash the bananas, and whirr it in milk.

onomatopoeia

She clinked her diamond ring on the glass, which tinkled into a million pieces.

symbol

The U. S. flag \= democracy

symbol

wearing a ring on the third finger of the left hand

symbol

Most people wear black to a funeral

oxymoron

We ordered jumbo shrimp drizzled with bitter-sweet chocolate.

oxymoron

The tank was fully empty, so we stopped at a gas station.

oxymoron

The plumber gave us an exact estimate for a new kitchen.

irony

The famous actress died alone.

irony

The dentist accidentally broke my tooth during a routine checkup.

irony

Except for Sarah, everyone knew her husband had died in a freak accident.

paradox

I close my eyes so I can see...

I burn a fire to stay cool...

Shut the door so I can leave ~ Shut the Door, Fugazi

paradox

I must be cruel to be kind. ~ William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

paradox

What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young. ~ George Bernard Shaw

dramatic

When the reader or audience knows something the characters don't.

dramatic

There is a serial killer hiding in alley. The people watching the movie know this, but some sorority sisters out on the town don't. They decide to cut through the alley to get to their favorite night club faster.

dramatic

What type of irony is this?

dramatic

What type of irony is this?

situational

When the opposite of what is supposed to happen, happens.

situational

What type of irony is this?

situational

What type of irony is this?

situational

What type of irony is this?

situational

What type of irony is this?

situational

What type of irony is this?