Literary Terms - definitions

Front

Simile

Back

A comparison of two unlike objects using the words 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Her smile was as bright as the sun.'

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Front

Hyperbole

Back

Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. Example: 'I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.'

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.5A

Front

Alliteration

Back

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words that are close together. Example: 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore.'

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Front

Onomatopoeia

Back

Words that imitate the sounds they describe. Example: 'buzz', 'clang', 'sizzle'.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.L.7.5

CCSS.L.8.5

Front

Idiom

Back

A phrase or expression that isn't meant to be taken literally. Example: 'It's raining cats and dogs.'

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5B

CCSS.L.5.5B

Front

Metaphor

Back

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Time is a thief.'

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Front

Personification

Back

Attributing human characteristics to non-human objects or abstract ideas. Example: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

Front

Theme

Back

The central idea or message in a literary work. Example: 'The theme of friendship in 'Harry Potter'.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.6

CCSS.L.7.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.W.7.2D

CCSS.W.8.2D

Front

Allusion

Back

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art. Example: 'He has the Midas touch.'

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Front

Oxymoron

Back

A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction. Example: 'deafening silence'.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5A