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Literary Devices: Meanings andExamplesUpdated on June 19, 2013

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Literary Devices

The English language comprises many literary deices that add richness and li!e to phrases and

e"pressions# In our daily lies $e encounter literary deices inpoems, stories, newspapers, plays,

songs, moviesand een in our ery o$nconversations#

This article de!ines the most common literary deices, and gies e"amples o! each#

ALLEGORY

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%n allegoryis a deice used to represent an idea, principle or meaning, $hich can &e presented in

literary !orm, such as a poem or noel' or in a isual !orm such as a painting or dra$ing#

%s a literary deice, an allegory is de!ined as an (e"tended metaphor), or (sym&olic representation)#

*ery o!ten an allegoric story or play illustrates an idea or moral principle in $hich o&+ects tae on

sym&olic meaning#

%llegory e"ample

ALLITERATION

Alliterationis the repetition o! the !irst sylla&les o! a series o! $ords and- or phrases# .odern

alliteration is predominantly consonantal#

%lliteration can &e &roen do$n into t$o groups/

Assonance

Assonance isthe repetition o! o$el sounds &ut not consonant sounds#

%ssonance e"ample

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Consonance

Consonanceis the repetition o! consonant sounds &y not o$el sounds#

onsonance de!inition

ALLUSION

%nallusionis a !igure o! speech that maes a re!erence to, representation o! a place, historicaleent, literary $or, myth, or $or o! art# %llusions can &e direct re!erences or implications#

%llusion e"ample

In the !irst e"ample a&oe, the sentence alludes to %chilles, the $arrior o! ree mythology, $ho

could only &e harmed i! something hit his heel# i#e# %chilles only $eaness $as his heel4

ANALOGY

%n analogyis a comparison that is made &et$een t$o things that are in some $ay- $ays similar# %n

analogy is o!ten used to help e"plain something or mae it easier to understand

%nalogy e"ample

CLIMAX

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The turning point o! the action in a story, play or plot is re!erred to as the clia!#

The clima" represents the point at $hich the story gets e"citing and more alie# In some stories

there may &e seeral points that can &e argua&ly called the climatic points#

lima" e"ample

"Y#ER$OLE

% %y&er'oleis a !igure o! speech in $hich an oerstatement or e"aggeration occurs#

5!ten used in poetry or in casual speech, hyper&oles are usually used to create emphasis or e!!ect#

6yper&ole e"ample

IRONY

Ironyis incongruity &et$een $hat might &e e"pected and $hat actually occurs#

(er'al Irony

Ironic statements er&al irony4 typically imply a meaning that is opposite to the literal meaning#

Sarcasm is a !orm o! er&al irony#

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*er&al irony e"ample

Situational Irony

% situation is ironic i! actions taen hae an e!!ect e"actly opposite !rom $hat $as intended or

e"pected#

Situational irony e"ample

META#"OR

% eta&%oris a comparison in $hich one thing is said to &e another# The $ords (lie) and (as) arenot used in metaphors#

.etaphor e"ample

ONOMATOE#IA

Onoato&oeiais the !ormation o! a $ord that imitates or suggests the sound that it represents#

5nomatoepia e"ample

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OXYMORON

%n o!yoronis !igure o! speech that com&ines contradictory terms#

5"ymoron e"ample

#ERSONI)ICATION

#ersoni*icationis a !igure o! speech $here something nonhuman is gien the characteristics o! a

human#

Personi!ication e"ample

#UN +also calle, #ARANOMASIA-

%&unis a play on $ords $herein one $ord is used to coney t$o meanings at the same time# Puns

are o!ten intended !or a humorous or rhetorical e!!ect#

Pun e"ample

SIMILE

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% siileis a !igure o! speech that compares t$o unlie 7uantities &y employing the $ords (lie),

(as), or (than)#

Simile e"ample

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