ENG4U Unit 4 Literary Terms (Literary Devices)

The repetition of identical vowel sounds in different words in close proximity. Example: deep green sea.

Comparison of two things without using like or as.

A comparison between two things using like or as

A rhetorical figure that describes a sensory impression through different senses. Ex. "green thought," "sharp odour"

Reference to a well-known person, event, place, literary work or work of art.

An author's word choice

Giving inanimate objects human characteristics

Anything that stands for or represents something else

A description that appeals to one's five senses

An exaggeration for effect; overstatement or understatement, often used for irony.

Two successive rhyming lines

A group of poetic lines corresponding to paragraphs in prose; the meters and rhymes are usually repeating or systematic

Repetition of identical consonant sounds, most often at beginning of words, in close proximity. Example: pensive poets

A blending of consonant and vowel sounds designed to imimtate or suggest the activity being described. Ex: buzz, slurp

Repeated word or series of words in response or counterpoint to the main verse, as in a ballad