Literary Devices Quiz

Literary Devices

• Allegory: Symbolic use of characters or story elements to represent ideas.
• Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds.
• Allusion: Reference to a well-known work, event, or figure.
• Ambiguity: Multiple meanings of a word, phrase, or passage.
• Analogy: Comparison to explain an unfamiliar idea.
• Antithesis: Contrasting ideas in parallel structure.
• Aphorism: Brief, memorable statement of truth or principle.
• Apostrophe: Directly addressing an absent or imaginary figure.
• Caricature: Exaggerated description for comic effect.
• Conceit: Extended metaphor comparing dissimilar objects.
• Euphemism: Polite or mild substitute for harsh terms.
• Figurative Language: Non-literal, vivid, imaginative expressions.
• Hyperbole: Deliberate exaggeration for effect.
• Imagery: Descriptive language appealing to the senses.
• Irony: Contrast between expectation and reality (verbal, situational, dramatic).
• Litotes: Understatement by negating the opposite.
• Metaphor: Implied comparison of unlike things.
• Metonymy: Substituting a term closely associated with another.
• Oxymoron: Contradictory terms juxtaposed for effect.
• Paradox: Contradictory statement that holds truth.
• Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human entities.
• Simile: Comparison using "like" or "as."
• Symbolism: Using objects to represent abstract ideas.
• Synecdoche: Part used to represent the whole, or vice versa.
• Synesthesia: Mixing sensory experiences (e.g., "loud color").
• Understatement: Presenting something as less significant.

Rhetorical Techniques

• Anaphora: Repetition at the start of successive clauses.
• Rhetoric: Art of persuasive writing or speaking.
• Rhetorical Modes: Exposition, argumentation, description, and narration.
• Parody: Imitation for comic effect or ridicule.
• Satire: Criticism of human flaws or society through humor.
• Sarcasm: Sharp, biting language meant to hurt or mock.

Grammar and Syntax

• Antecedent: Word a pronoun refers to.
• Clause: Subject-verb group; independent or dependent.
• Loose Sentence: Main idea first, followed by details.
• Periodic Sentence: Main idea at the end for emphasis.
• Parallelism: Structural similarity in words or phrases.
• Repetition: Duplication of language elements.
• Syntax: Arrangement of words into phrases and sentences.
• Wit: Clever, humorous language that delights.

Vocabulary and Style

• Colloquialism: Informal, conversational expressions.
• Connotation: Implied or associative meaning.
• Denotation: Literal, dictionary meaning.
• Diction: Word choice.
• Didactic: Instructional, especially in moral principles.
• Homily: Serious talk or lecture, often moral.
• Pedantic: Overly scholarly or academic tone.
• Semantics: Study of word meanings and relationships.
• Style: Author's unique way of writing.

Structural and Logical Tools

• Extended Metaphor: Metaphor sustained throughout a work.
• Generic Conventions: Traits defining a genre.
• Genre: Categories of literary works (e.g., prose, poetry).
• Inference: Logical conclusion based on evidence.
• Point of View: Perspective from which the story is told.
• Subject Complement: Predicate nominative or adjective that completes a subject.
• Subordinate Clause: Dependent clause needing an independent clause.
• Syllogism: Logical reasoning with major and minor premises leading to a conclusion.
• Thesis: Central argument or point in writing.
• Transition: Words signaling shifts in ideas.

Emotional and Aesthetic Elements

• Atmosphere: Emotional tone of a work.
• Mood: Reader's emotional response to the work.
• Tone: Author's attitude toward subject or audience.

Miscellaneous

• Narrative: Storytelling.
• Prose: Ordinary written language.
• Theme: Central idea or insight.
• Figure of Speech: Non-literal devices like irony, metaphor, etc.