AP Lit: Lit Devices

Fleeson 2026

enjambment

continuation of a sentence without a pause at the end of the line for flow in poems

end stop

line ends with a natural pause marked by punctuation

caesura

dramatic pause / break in a middle of poetry (usually by punctuation)

line inversion

standard word order (subject verb object) is reversed

• ex: never have I…

parallel structure

repetition of similar grammatical forms in a sentence or a list for ideas with consistency

• ex: hiking, baking, swimming

anaphora

repetition of word / phrase in a beginning of sentences

• ex: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

cacophony

harsh mixture of loud sounds

• consonants like p, d, b, t, k, g

euphony

mixture of smoothing, pleasant sounds

• ex: l, m, n, r, f, v

assonance

repettition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words (usually “e” sound)

• ex: Try to light the fire

consonance

repetition of the same consonant sounds in nearby words

• ex: Mike likes his new bike

sibilance

repetition of harsh, hissing, or hushing sounds produced by pushing air through closed teeth

• s. sh, z, ch