AP English Literature List of literary Devices

Plot

Sequence of events in a story.

Setting

Time and place of the action in a narrative.

Characterization

How characters are developed, either directly or indirectly.

Conflict

Struggle between opposing forces, either internal or external.

Theme

Central idea or message conveyed in a literary work.

Tone

Author’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

Mood

Emotional atmosphere created for the reader.

Point of View

Perspective from which a narrative is told (e.g., first person, third person).

Structure

Organization of a text, such as chapters, stanzas, or acts.

Symbolism

Objects or events that represent larger ideas.

Motif

Recurring element that reinforces the theme.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about future events in a narrative.

Flashback

Interruption in the narrative to show past events.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Diction

Choice of words used in writing (formal, informal, etc.).

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality, expressed in verbal, situational, or dramatic forms.

Juxtaposition

Placing contrasting ideas side by side for effect.

Allusion

Reference to historical, literary, or cultural elements.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things.

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as.'

Personification

Attributing human qualities to non-human things.

Hyperbole

Deliberate and often outrageous exaggeration.

Understatement

Presentation of something as being smaller or less important than it actually is.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but may reveal a truth.

Oxymoron

Contradictory terms appearing in conjunction (e.g., 'deafening silence').

Connotation vs. Denotation

Implied meaning versus the literal meaning of a word.

Ambiguity

An expression that is open to multiple interpretations.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.

Parallelism

The use of similar grammatical constructions in writing.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in parallel structure.

Chiasmus

The reversal of the structure in successive phrases.

Rhetorical Question

A question posed for effect rather than a question that requires an answer.

Polysyndeton

The use of multiple conjunctions in close succession.

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between related clauses.

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate the sound they describe.