LITERARY TECHNIQUES

Alliteration
- Repetition of consonants at the beginning of successive words or within sentences/phrases
to create a sense of rhythm, though they can be overdone (as in tongue twisters). Also
common in poetry.
Example: ”Peter piper picked a peck of pickled pepper”

Apostrophe
-Addressing a dead or absent person as if it was there in front of you.
Example: “ Dear Mr/Ms. Atienza”

Caesura
-A caesura is a pause in a line of poetry that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech rather
than by metrics. A caesura will usually occur near the middle of a poetic line but can also occur
at the beginning or the end of a line.
Example: “Sing a song of sixpence, // a pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds, // baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened, // the birds began to sing;
Wasn't that a dainty dish, // to set before the king?’”

Hyperbole
-The purposeful over-exaggeration of a statement in order to create a more intense or over
the top effect. Hyperbole can also be paired with similes or metaphors and are most
commonly used in highly emotive situations or dialogue to create an even greater emotional
reaction. Can also be humourous if used in mundane settings.
Example: “yo mama so fat her picture was taken by a freaking satellite”

Irony
-A disconnect between what is said and what is meant, usually with the words said having a
second insulting, humorous or satirical meaning.
Example: “Ain’t that lovely” said by the person looking at that ugly piece of ****.”

Onomatopoeia
-A word that it the ‘sound’ of what it represents, allowing the reader to ‘hear’ what is
occurring. The words themselves are meant to represent the actual sound it made. Thus can
often become ‘made up’ words.
Example: Bang! Bang! into the room. I know you want it.
Personification
-The attribution of human characteristics to non-human objects, by which inanimate object
appear to have life and/or feelings. This is often used in figurative descriptive language and is
common in poetry
Example: “The wind whispers into my ears with words of wisdom.”

Anaphora
-consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby
lending them emphasis.
Example:- “Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better.”
-“ Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!”

Assonance
- takes place when two or more words, close to one another repeat the same vowel sound,
but start with different consonant sounds
Example: “Men sell the wedding bells.”

Consonance
- the repetition of consonant sounds within sentences, phrases, or in poems. Typically this
repetition occurs at the end of the words, but may also be found within a word or at the
beginning.
Example:
Norm, the worm, took the garden by a storm this morn.

Imagery
-vivid and descriptive language to add depth to their work. It appeals to human senses to
deepen the reader's understanding of the work. Powerful forms of imagery engage all of the
senses.
Example:
Her face a fearsome grimace, with fanged grinning mouth, protruding tongue and bulbous
eyes. Her hair is not just a mess: it’s actually snakes sprouting from her head!
 Metaphor
- words or phrases that are ordinarily applied to one thing are applied to something you
wouldn't necessarily pair it with.
Example:
-Spending too much time with him is worse than swimming in a sea of sharks.
-I'm drowning in a sea of grief.

Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two
different things.
Example:
-Our soldiers are as brave as lions
-I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills

Oxymoron
-words that seem to contradict each other. It's often referred to as a contradiction in terms.
Example:
-"We're busy doing nothing."