12 Questions
What literary device is characterized by the use of a word that imitates or suggests its meaning?
Onomatopoeia
In which type of irony does the audience know something that a character in the story does not?
Dramatic irony
Which rhetorical appeal focuses on appealing to logic and common sense?
Logos
What is the term for a recurring feature like a name, image, or phrase that contributes to the theme of a literary work?
Motif
Which literary device involves giving human qualities to nonhuman entities?
Personification
What literary element refers to the author's attitude towards the subject and theme of a literary work?
Tone
Which literary term refers to a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor?
Allegory
What literary device involves the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or phrases?
Epistrophe
Which term describes an exaggeration of fact used for serious or comic effect?
Hyperbole
What literary device involves the use of hints or clues to suggest future events in a narrative?
Foreshadowing
Which term refers to the dictionary definition or direct, specific meaning of a word?
Denotation
What literary device involves the use of words to create vivid sensory impressions or mental images?
Imagery
Study Notes
Literary Devices
- Irony: a contrast between what is said and what is meant, with three types: verbal, dramatic, and situational.
- Juxtaposition: placing unlike objects or ideas together to highlight their contrast.
- Metaphor: a comparison without direct indication of a relationship between two items.
- Motif: a recurring feature that contributes to the theme of a work.
Sound Devices
- Onomatopoeia: a word that imitates or suggests its meaning through its sound.
- Alliteration: the repetition of similar sounds in a sequence of words to create a memorable phrase.
Figurative Language
- Personification: giving nonhuman things human qualities.
- Simile: a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as".
- Symbol: an object, person, place, or action that represents something larger than itself.
Rhetoric
- Logos: an appeal to logic and common sense in persuasive communication.
- Pathos: an appeal to emotions or beliefs in persuasive communication.
- Ethos: an appeal based on the character or credibility of the speaker.
Syntax and Style
- Parallel Structure: the use of grammatically similar constructions in writing.
- Point of View: the perspective of the narrator, with options including first, second, and third person, omniscient, and limited.
- Tone: the author's attitude toward the subject and theme, conveyed through diction and detail.
Other Literary Terms
- Allegory: a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor with both literal and figurative meanings.
- Allusion: a reference to another work of literature to lend authority or create an association.
- Anaphora: the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or phrases.
- Connotation: the association suggested by a word, different from its literal meaning.
- Denotation: the direct and specific meaning of a word.
- Diction: the choice of words, their arrangement, and the force and distinction of their use.
- Epistrophe: the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or phrases.
- Foreshadowing: the use of hints or clues to suggest what action is to come.
- Hyperbole: an exaggeration of fact used for serious or comic effect.
- Imagery: words used to create or suggest pictures in the reader's mind.
Test your knowledge of literary terms with a quiz on Allegory, Alliteration, and Allusion. Explore how these concepts are used in narratives to convey deeper meanings and make connections to other works.
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