LITERARY DEVICE DEFINITIONS

Front

Pun

Back

A play on words that has a humorous effect by using a word that suggests two or more meanings, or by using similar sounding words that have different meanings.

Front

Allusion

Back

A brief and often indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

Front

Alliteration

Back

The repetition of beginning consonant sounds in neighboring words.

Front

Metaphor

Back

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one thing is another (may use the key words 'am, is, are, was, were').

Front

Simile

Back

A literary device that makes a comparison between two unrelated things using the key words 'like' or 'as'.

Front

Irony

Back

A literary device where the intended meaning is opposite to the literal meaning, often highlighting a contrast between expectation and reality.

Front

Personification

Back

A figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts.

Front

Imagery

Back

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates vivid mental pictures.

Front

Hyperbole

Back

An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect.

Front

Oxymoron

Back

A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction, such as 'deafening silence'.