Literary Devices and Figurative Language

Examples and Analysis

What is a Simile?

A comparison using ‘as’ or ‘like’

Example: He was as brave as a lion.

What is a metaphor?

A direct comparison between two unlike things.

Example: The classroom was a zoo.

What is personification?

Attributing human characteristics to non-human things.

Example: The old car groaned up the hill.

What is a hyperbole?

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.

Example: This bag weighs a ton.

Define symbolism and what does a locked gate symbolize in a story?

Symbolism mean the practice of using objects, colors, characters, or events to represent larger, abstract ideas and deeper meanings beyond their literal sense.

Example: In a story, a locked gate stand for the character’s feeling of being trapped.

What is imagery?

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Example: Warm, buttery bread crackled as she tore it up.

What is alliteration?

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words.

Example: Peter picked a pile of purple plums.

What is onomatopoeia?

Words that imitate sounds.

Example: The bees buzzed around the hive.

What is repetition in literature?

The deliberate use of the same words or phrases multiple times.

Example: We will fight. We will fight. We will never stop fighting.

What is diction (word choice)?

The choice of words and style of expression.

Example: An author writes that a man ‘devoured’ his dinner instead of ‘ate’ it.

What is contrast in literature?

The comparison of two opposing elements.

Example: Her brother was loud and careless; she was quiet and careful.

What is juxtaposition?

Placing two elements close together to highlight their differences.

Example: Children laughed in the park beside the silent hospital.

What is irony?

A situation where the opposite of what is expected occurs.

Example: A lifeguard nearly drowns.

What is an oxymoron?

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

Example: Bittersweet

What is tone in literature?

The author’s attitude toward the subject.

Example: Oh great, another Monday,’ he muttered, rolling his eyes.

What is mood or atmosphere?

The emotional setting created by the author.

Example: The house sat silent, its broken windows staring into the fog.

What is foreshadowing?

Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Example: Little did he know that the letter would change everything.

What is a flashback?

A scene that interrupts the present action to show an event from the past.

Example: The story pauses as the narrator recalls her grandmother’s kitchen twenty years earlier.

What is dialogue?

The spoken exchanges between characters.

Example: “Where were you last night?” her father demanded.

What is a foil character?

A character that contrasts with another to highlight particular qualities.

Example: A kind, honest character is placed beside a selfish, scheming one to make the first seem even kinder.