Year 9 Literary Device Continuum

Start
Here

Metaphor—comparing two things directly

Ex. Henry was a lion on the battlefield
Simile—shows similarities between two different things using “like” or “as”. Beginner
Ex. He is as funny as a monkey
Personification—attaching human traits and characteristics with inanimate objects,
phenomena, or animals
Ex. The wise owl
Alliteration—creating a repetition of similar sounds in a sentence with consonants
Ex. The Wicked witch of the West went her own way

Assonance—a repetition of similar sounds in a sentence with vowels

Ex. A long song Intermediate
Onomatopoeia—words that describe and imitate sounds
Ex. The hum of a thousand bees
Sibilance—an alliteration that uses soft consonants with s, sh, ch, th, softer c
Ex. Summer’s sweet winds swift through sunny ocean sides
Symbolism—the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic
meanings different from their literal sense.
Ex. The dove is a symbol of peace

Oxymoron—using contradictory concepts together to make sense

Ex. Great Depression
Juxtaposition—comparing two or more dissimilar things side by side to develop
comparisons Challenging
Ex. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Pathetic Fallacy—to attribute human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects of
nature
Ex. The somber clouds darkened our mood

Hyperbole—exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Ex. I've told you to clean your room a million times!
Irony—a situation in which there is a contrast between expectation and reality Thinking to Year 10
Ex. a character stepping out into a hurricane and saying, “What nice weather we're
having!”
Allusion—an indirect or passing reference
Ex.  You don’t have to be Albert Einstein to understand poetry.
Diction—a writer or speaker's word choice that helps define the written or spoken word
and express your style.
Ex. And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just
died. (word choice affects tone/atmosphere)