Literary Device Chart
Literary Device Definition Example
Alliteration The repetition of a speech sound in a sequence of Clashed and clattered
words; the term is usually applied only to consonants.
It is the recurrent sound at the beginning or a stressed
syllable within a word.
Italics I could not have been that silly.
Italics is to give emphasis to key words and phrases in You met with him?
a sentence.
Reported speech A literary device in which nature or inanimate things 'They said you didn't like it', 'I asked her what her
are described in a way that is sympathetic to or plans were', and 'Citizens complained about the
prophetic about events and the emotions of the smoke'.
characters.
Foreshadowing Close-up of a knife on the table indicating some
A hint of events that are yet to come. violence later in the story.
Imagery A picture created by a writer using concrete details, Simile, metaphor, descriptive language that uses 2
adjectives, and figures of speech, which gives readers a or more of the 5 senses (see, hear, touch, taste,
vivid impression of what or who is being described. smell)
Irony (Verbal): Occurs when a character says one thing literally, but Like sarcasm: That was a delightful argument!
really means something else.
Irony (Dramatic) Occurs when the writer or dramatist reveals something The police officers eating the lamb leg in Lamb to
important to the reader or audience that a character in the Slaughter – audience knows the lamb leg is the
the plot does not know. murder weapon, the characters do not
Metaphor A figure of speech that makes a comparison between The girl is a rose blooming quickly.
two seemingly unlike things without using connective The shoe is a boat.
words such as like or as.
Oxymoron A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory Deafening silence
terms appear together. Tall midget, Icy Hot
Paradox A statement that seems contradictory or absurd but is "War is peace." "Freedom is slavery." "Ignorance is
actually valid or true. strength." (George Orwell, 1984)
Personification A metaphor in which human attributes are given to The flowers danced in the sun.
inanimate objects.
Rhetorical Question A rhetorical question is a question someone asks Is this supposed to be some kind of a joke?
without expecting an answer. The question might not Who cares?
have an answer, or it might have an obvious answer.
Onomatopoeia The formation or use of words with meanings that are Buzz, Boom, Bang
connected to their sounds.
Simile A figure of speech that makes a comparison between She’s as skinny as a toothpick.
two seemingly unlike things using a connective word The moon was like a flashlight in the sky.
such as like or as.
Symbol: A person, place, thing, or event that stands both for Maple leaf = Canada
itself and for something beyond itself. Bald Eagle=freedom
