Literary Devices PDF

Literary Device Example --------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alliteration \"She sells sea shells by the sea shore.\"...

Literary Device Example --------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alliteration \"She sells sea shells by the sea shore.\" Allusion \"He was a real Romeo with the ladies.\" Anaphora \"Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better.\" Antithesis \"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.\" Apostrophe \"O Death, where is thy sting?\" Assonance \"The early bird catches the worm.\" Asyndeton \"I came, I saw, I conquered.\" Chiasmus \"Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.\" Consonance \"The lumpy, bumpy road.\" Euphemism \"He passed away\" instead of \"He died.\" Hyperbole \"I\'m so hungry I could eat a horse.\" Imagery \"The golden yellow sunlight filtered down through the pale new leaves on the oak trees.\" Irony Saying \"What a beautiful view\" when looking at a brick wall. Juxtaposition \"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.\" Litotes \"Not bad\" meaning \"Good.\" Metaphor \"Time is a thief.\" Metonymy \"The pen is mightier than the sword.\" Onomatopoeia \"Buzz,\" \"hiss,\" \"clang.\" Oxymoron \"Deafening silence.\" Paradox \"Less is more.\" Personification \"The wind whispered through the trees.\" Polysyndeton \"We have ships and men and money and stores.\" Pun \"A bicycle can\'t stand on its own because it is two-tired.\" Simile \"Her smile was as bright as the sun.\" Symbolism \"A dove represents peace.\" Synecdoche \"All hands on deck.\" Understatement \"It\'s just a scratch,\" when referring to a large wound. Allegory \"Animal Farm by George Orwell.\" Anadiplosis \"Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.\" Anthropomorphism \"The dog in Animal Farm represents the working class.\" Colloquialism \"Wanna\" instead of \"want to.\" Conceit \"A broken heart is like a damaged clock.\" Epistrophe \"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.\" Epizeuxis \"Alone, alone, all, all alone, alone on a wide, wide sea.\" - Samuel Taylor Coleridge Flashback A character remembers their childhood. Foreshadowing \"The dark clouds on the horizon hinted at the coming storm.\" Hubris \"Oedipus\' downfall due to his hubris.\" Idiom \"It\'s raining cats and dogs.\" In medias res \"The Odyssey begins in the middle of Odysseus\' journey.\" Intertextuality \"The many references to Shakespeare in T.S. Eliot\'s poetry.\" Malapropism Homodiegetic narrator \"I saw the thief running down the alley.\" Autodiegetic narrator \"As I faced the dragon, I knew this was my moment of truth.\" Heterodiegetic narrator \"She walked into the room, unaware of the danger that awaited her.\" Focalisation \"John couldn\'t see the thief, but he could hear footsteps behind him.\" Unreliable narrator \"I never lied to anyone, except when I had to.\" Direct discourse \"He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. \'And just what pleasure have I found, since I came into this world?\' he asked.\" Indirect discourse \"He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. He asked himself what pleasure he had found since he came into the world.\" Free indirect discourse \"He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. And just what pleasure had he found, since he came into this world?\" Point of attack Exposition \"In a small village, surrounded by mountains, lived a young boy named Jack.\" Inciting Incident \"When Jack found the mysterious key, his life changed forever.\" Rising Action \"Jack\'s quest to unlock the secrets of the key led him through many dangers and discoveries.\" Climax \"In a fierce battle, Jack confronted the dark sorcerer.\" Falling Action \"With the sorcerer defeated, Jack began the journey back home.\" Resolution \"Jack returned to his village, wiser and stronger from his adventures.\" Deus Ex Machina \"Just as the dragon was about to strike, a bolt of lightning from the gods struck it down.\" Closed ending \"Jack married his true love, and they lived happily ever after.\" Open ending \"As Jack looked out over the horizon, he wondered what new adventures awaited him.\" Major characters \"Jack, the young hero of the story.\" Minor characters \"Jack\'s friend, Sam, who provided comic relief.\" Protagonist \"Jack, the key-wielding hero.\" Antagonist \"The dark sorcerer, Jack\'s nemesis.\" Character complexity \"Jack is a multi-dimensional character who grows through his journey, while Sam is more static, primarily providing support.\" Explicit characterisation \"Jack was brave and kind.\" Implicit characterisation \"Jack\'s actions in saving the villagers showed his bravery.\" Reliability of characterisation \"Jack\'s boastful claims about his deeds were sometimes exaggerated.\" Narrative past \"Jack ventured into the dark forest.\" Narrative present \"Jack ventures into the dark forest.\" Narrative tense switch \"Jack ventured into the dark forest. Now, he stands at the edge of a cliff, looking out.\" Chronological \"Jack woke up, ate breakfast, and then left for his journey.\" Anachronological \"Jack remembered the day he found the key as he stood at the dragon\'s lair.\" Prolepsis \"Years later, Jack would recall this moment as the turning point in his life.\" Analepsis \"Jack thought back to the day he first met the sorcerer.\" Point of attack \"The story begins with Jack already on his journey, facing his first challenge.\" Ab ovo \"From the day Jack was born, his destiny was shaped by a mysterious prophecy.\" In medias res \"Jack was already deep into the forest, facing dangers at every turn.\" In ultimas res \"Jack stood victorious, the key in his hand, thinking back on his journey.\" Frequency Singulative \"Jack defeated the dragon.\" Repetitive \"Jack kept remembering the day he found the key, every detail etched in his memory.\" Iterative \"Every morning, Jack trained with his sword, honing his skills.\" Synaesthesia \"The aroma of the roses was like a sweet melody to his senses.\"