A to Z Literary Devices

A
allusion; reference to history
alliteration; words together with the same first letter
allegory; an extended meaning or metaphor
analogy; comparing two things
antithesis; comapring with two opposites
anaphora; "there was" statements

B


C
connotation; beyond the literal level
characterization; the personality of a character
conflict; the thing conflicting with other things throughout the story
D
diolouge; words between characters
denotaion; a literal meaning of a word
E

F
first-person; where the author writes about themselves using I
foreshadowing; something in the text that predicts something that happens in the future part of the book
flashback; a part of the story that brings back a story from the past

G
genere; the type of book

H
hyperbole; exaggerated statements not to be taken literally
haiku; a type of poem using 5,7,5
I
irony; the opposite of what was expected
imagery; using your 5 senses to descirbe something
J

K

L

M
metaphor; comparing two things without using like or as
motif; a repeating symbol or idea
mood; the emotion of the reader
monolouge; a paragraph where a character is talking to themselves
N

O
oxymoron; ex- jumbo shrimp
otomotopia; a word that defines a sound

P
paradox; a situation that contradicts itself
personification; giving a non-human thing a human quality
plot; the line of the story
pun; a play on words
perspective; the way a charcter sees things about situations

Q

R
rhyming; rhyme
repetition; using a word or idea more than once
rhythm; the beat of the line

S
simile; comparing things using like or as
satire; making fun of a bigger thing
sarcasm; harsh or mean satire
symbol; something in the story that represents something
soliloquy; where the character is talking to themselves
T
third-perosn; where the author writes about themselves using their name or they
theme; a central idea throughout the story
tone; the authors style while writting

U

V
voice; the voice of a character

W

X

Y

Z