Literary Devices, Poetry Terms, and Narrative Elements

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards defining literary devices, poetic structures, and narrative concepts listed across Page 1 and Page 2 of the notes.

Allegory

A literary device where characters, figures, and events represent abstract ideas or moral principles.

Alliteration

The repetition of identical initial consonant sounds in consecutive or neighboring words.

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to a well-known person, event, work of art, or literary piece.

Analogy

A comparison between two different things designed to highlight a point of similarity.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech where a speaker directly addresses an absent person, an abstract concept, or an inanimate object.

Approximate Rhyme/slant rhyme

A type of rhyme where the sounds of the rhyming words are similar but not exact.

Assonance

The repetition of similar or identical vowel sounds within nearby words.

Conceit

An extended, elaborate, or unusual metaphor that compares two drastically different things.

Connotation

The implied emotional, cultural, or secondary meaning of a word beyond its literal definition.

Denotation

The direct, literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

An author's specific choice and use of words and phrasing in writing or speech.

Elegy

A serious, reflective poem or work that mourns or laments the death of someone.

Eulogy

A formal speech or written piece praising a person, typically given after someone's death.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect expression used in place of one considered harsh, blunt, or unpleasant.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that is developed and sustained across multiple lines or throughout an entire work.

Extended Simile

A detailed and elaborate comparison using like or as that spans across multiple lines.

Foil

A character designed to contrast with another character to accentuate particular traits.

Hyperbole

An intentional and extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or comedic effect.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five physical senses.

Irony (Verbal, Dramatic, Situational)

A literary device involving a contrast between expectation and reality, manifesting in verbal, dramatic, or situational forms.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two contrasting elements side-by-side to emphasize their differences.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that directly compares two distinct things without using like or as.

Metonymy

A figure of speech where the name of one object or concept is replaced with a closely associated word.

Onomatopoeia

A word that phonetically mimics or suggests the sound it describes.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech combining two contradictory terms directly next to each other.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory but expresses a deeper truth upon closer inspection.

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical structures, sentence patterns, or phrasing.

Point-of-view

The perspective or angle from which a story or poem is narrated.

Personification

A literary device giving human attributes, emotions, or behaviors to non-human entities or abstract ideas.

Satire

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize human folly or flaws.

Setting

The time, location, and social environment in which a story takes place.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two distinct things using explicit comparison words such as like or as.

Symbol

An object, character, or action that represents a broader idea or meaning beyond its literal self.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa.

Synesthesia

A literary device describing one sensory experience in terms of another sense.

Syntax

The specific arrangement and ordering of words and phrases to form sentences or lines of verse.

Tone

The perspective or attitude that an author or narrator adopts toward a subject or audience.

Understatement

A statement that intentionally represents something as less important, smaller, or less intense than it really is.

Ballad

A narrative poem or song traditionally composed of four-line stanzas that tells a story.

Blank verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.

Cacophony

A combination of harsh, discordant, or unpleasant sounds in poetic or prose language.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of nearby words.

Couplet

A pair of consecutive lines of verse, usually rhyming and sharing the same meter.

Dimeter

A line of verse consisting of two metrical feet.

Dramatic Poem

A poem written in verse that uses drama, dialogue, or monologue to tell a story.

English(Shakespearean) Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem consisting of three quatrains and a concluding rhyming couplet with an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme.

Euphony

The use of pleasant, harmonious, and melodious sounds in language.

Free Verse

Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme.

Hexameter

A line of poetic verse consisting of six metrical feet.

Iamb

A metrical foot composed of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry rather than at the end of lines.

Lyric Poem

A short poem expressing the personal feelings, thoughts, or emotions of a single speaker.

Meter

The structured rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.

Monometer

A line of poetic verse consisting of a single metrical foot.

Narrative Poem

A poem that tells a complete story with plot, characters, and setting.

Ode

A formal, serious lyric poem written in praise of a specific person, object, or event.

Pentameter

A line of poetic verse consisting of five metrical feet.

Quatrain

A poetic stanza or unit consisting of four lines.

Rhyme Scheme

The deliberate pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines in a poem.

Sestet

A stanza or poem consisting of six lines, or the final six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.

Soliloquy

A speech in a drama where a character speaks their thoughts aloud while alone on stage.

Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem typically written in iambic pentameter with a structured rhyme scheme.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines forming a structural division within a poem.

Tercet

A poetic unit or stanza composed of three lines.

Terza Rima

A poetic form composed of tercets with an interlocking rhyme scheme (aba bcb cdc).

Tetrameter

A line of poetic verse consisting of four metrical feet.

Trimeter

A line of poetic verse consisting of three metrical feet.

Trochee

A metrical foot composed of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.

Stream-of-consciousness

A narrative technique that seeks to portray the continuous, unstructured flow of a character's thought process.

Tragedy

A serious literary work depicting noble characters experiencing a major downfall or catastrophe.

Plot

The organized sequence of connected events that make up a narrative story.

Conflict

The central struggle or tension between opposing forces in a literary work.