Literary Devices Vocabulary B4 AP Lit

Alliteration

a literary device that reflects repetition in two or more nearby words of initial consonant sounds

allusion

a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar

connotation

a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly

denotation

a word’s literal, dictionary definition

diction

the linguistic choices made by a writer to convey an idea or point of view, or tell a story, in an effective way

figurative language

used to make writing more effective

ex: metaphors, similes, allusions, alliterations, imageries, onomatopoeias

imagery

a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words for a reader

verbal irony

occurs when a speaker speaks something contradictory to what he intends to say

metaphor

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two non-similar things

parallel structure

a stylistic device, and a grammatical construction having two or more clauses, phrases or words, with similar grammatical form and length

repetition

a literary device that involves intentionally using a word or phrase for effect, two or more times in a speech or written work

rhetorical question

asked just for effect, or to lay emphasis on some point being discussed when no real answer is expected

sarcasm

generally takes the form of an ironic remark, somewhat rooted in humor, that is intended to mock or satirize something

satire

a literary device for the artful ridicule of folly or vice as a means of exposing or correcting it

simile

a figure of speech in which two essentially dissimilar objects or concepts are expressly compared with one another through the use of “like” or “as.”

structure

the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex

style

the way a writer writes

styles include: argumentative, descriptive, persuasive, narrative

syllogism

a rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general, and from this it draws a conclusion about something more specific

symbol

an object, image, place, person, or idea that represents a message beyond the literal meaning

syntax

a set of rules in a language