Literary Devices and Poetic Forms

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Alliteration

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Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Example: 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.' Citation: Nursery Rhyme

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Assonance

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Repetition of vowel sounds within words. Example: 'The crumbling thunder of seas.' Citation: Tennyson, 'Ulysses'

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Consonance

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Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words. Example: 'He struck a streak of bad luck.' Citation: Common idiom

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Metaphor

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A direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as.' Example: 'All the world’s a stage.' Citation: Shakespeare, 'As You Like It'

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Simile

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A comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as.' Example: 'My love is like a red, red rose.' Citation: Robert Burns, 'A Red, Red Rose'

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Personification

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Giving human qualities to inanimate objects or animals. Example: 'The wind cried in the dark.' Citation: Unknown

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Imagery

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Vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses. Example: 'The woods are lovely, dark and deep.' Citation: Robert Frost, 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'

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Symbolism

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The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Example: 'The road not taken' as a symbol of life choices. Citation: Robert Frost, 'The Road Not Taken'

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Hyperbole

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Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. Example: 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.' Citation: Common idiom

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Understatement

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The presentation of something as being smaller or less important than it actually is. Example: 'It's a bit chilly' when it's freezing. Citation: Common idiom