Honors Literary Devices

expresses a resemblance between thing of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as")

An expression that cannot be understood if taken literally.

A story, play, or picture in which characters are used as symbols; fable.

A written account of events one has lived through; an autobiography.

A line that consists of five "feet", each containing an unaccented & accented syllable

Told from the reader's point of view, using "you".

A humorous play on words.

The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.

A belief or statement taken for granted without proof.

A person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself, but also represents something else

Something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred.

Drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance.

repetition of consonant sound within words

The rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language

A letter or syllable added to the end of a word.

A word formed from the first letter of each word in a series.

A syllable or word that comes before a root word to change its meaning.

A reference to something literary or historical that the author assumes the reader will know.

Any one of a variety of tools a writer may use to achieve the tone or communicate the purpose.

The attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature.

A symbol, story pattern, or character type that is found in the literature of many cultures.

A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event.

An account of the writer's own life.

When an object or event represents or stands for something.

a short moral story (often with animal characters)

Two words that are pronounced or spelled the same way but have different meanings.

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way.

end of the story where loose ends are tied up

The common American language, words and grammatical forms that are used and expected.

A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or make a point.

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.

the central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer

description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

Used to create vivid impressions by setting up comparisons between dissimilar things.

a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes...10 syllables per line

The direct opposite, a sharp contrast.

The fundamental or core meaning of a word.

Refers to the suggested meanings associated with a word beyond its dictionary definition.

A brief written record or communication, used within an office.

the analysis of a poem's meter...the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

most exciting moment of the story; turning point

A humorous imitation of a serious work.

The parts before or after a word or statement that influence its meaning.

a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but really expresses truth

words that are pronounced the same way but differ in meaning or spelling or both (bear bare)

Words that have similar or the same meaning.

The use of words that imitate sounds.

similarity of structure in a pair or or series of related words

A scene that interrupts the action of a work to show a previous event.

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

A written or typed note to help one remember something.

word or phrase used in everyday conversation, but often not used in formal writing (y'all aint)

introduces the character, setting and basic situation

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

the literal dictionary meaning of a word

Told from the narrator's point of view, using"I".

a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning

To make an overstatement or to stretch the truth, hyperbole.

poem with five lines rhyming aabba and a set rhythm

Events after the climax, leading to the resolution.

A type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people in an attempt to make a change.

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

the series of conflict or struggles that build a story toward a climax

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using like or as.

The basic word you start with before adding prefixes or suffixes.

A short narrative designed to teach a moral lesson.

A unit of poetic meter, used for line lengths most common in English poetry

A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

Narrator is outside the action and refers to characters as he or she.

A Japanese form of poetry, made of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables

repetition of similar vowel sounds

The skillful manipulation of words, often for humorous effect. 

 A worn-out idea or overused expression.

A generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

part used as whole (hand used for sailor) or whole used as part (law for police)