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English literature
Literary Devices
15 terms · by ineedtostudy · updated 4 hours ago
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Terms in this set
Metaphor
A direct comparison without like or as. "Time is a thief."
Simile
A comparison using like or as. "Cold as marble."
Personification
Giving human qualities to something that is not human. "The wind argued with the shutters."
Alliteration
Repeated initial consonant sounds in nearby words.
Assonance
Repeated vowel sounds within nearby words.
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it names. Hiss, clatter.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration for effect, not meant literally.
Irony
A gap between what is said and meant (verbal), expected and happening (situational), or known by audience and character (dramatic).
Foreshadowing
An early hint at something that happens later.
Juxtaposition
Placing two things side by side so each sharpens the other.
Motif
A recurring image or idea that builds meaning across a work.
Symbol
Something concrete standing for something abstract.
Allusion
A passing reference to another work, person or event, relying on the reader to recognise it.
Enjambment
A line of verse running past its end into the next without pause.
Anaphora
Repeating the same word or phrase at the start of successive clauses.