AP Lit Devices

The most crucial line(s) in a poem or prose passage; the heart of the text

a character who acts as a contrast to another character; often a villain contrasting the hero

Words or phrases from the 1st half of a sentence are repeated in the 2nd half in reverse order

commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, emphasizing the parts equally

a statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

two or more clauses that are related conceptually and grammatically are reversed

The quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words

a brief saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way

an elaborate metaphor comparing two things that are startlingly different

device of repetition in which same expression is repeated at the end of two or more lines

word or phrase in used in everyday conversation but is inappropriate for formal situations

Figure of speech in which a noun is referred to by something else closely associated with it

a deliberate repetition of word or phrase at beginning of sentences to make point more coherent

a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind

Figure of speech in which the speaker both asks and then immediately answers a question

calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or thing, as if they can answer

a short statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct

a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used to unify the work

description for fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral

The substitution of words that sound less offensive or more neutral than others

story in which characters, settings, and events stand for abstract ideas or qualities

the repetition of conjunctions in close succession, without the use of commas

cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle

inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence