Literary Device

Figures of Speech

Using original figures of speech in our writing is a way to convey meanings in fresh,
unexpected ways. They can help our readers understand and stay interested in what we
have to say.

Alliteration: The repetition of an initial consonant sound. (Tongue twister/neighbouring

words.)

Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.

Allusion: is when a person or author makes an indirect reference in speech, text, or

song to an event or figure.

Example: Your backyard is a Garden of Eden. (Biblical allusion)

Anaphora: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive
clauses or verses.

Example: Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time on the wrong day.

Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

Example: As Abraham Lincoln said, "Folks who have no vices have very few virtues."

Apostrophe: Directly addressing a non-existent person or an inanimate object as

though it were a living being.

Example: "Oh, you stupid car, you never work when I need you to," Bert sighed.

Assonance: Identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighbouring

words.

Example: How now, brown cow?

Chiasmus: A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced

against the first but with the parts reversed.

Example: The famous chef said people should live to eat, not eat to live.

Euphemism: The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively

explicit. (Substituting words to make it less harsh.)

Example: "We're teaching our toddler how to go potty," Bob said.

Hyperbole: An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of
emphasis or heightened effect.

Example: I have a ton of things to do when I get home.

Irony: The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Also,
a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or
presentation of the idea.

Example: "Oh, I love spending big bucks," said my dad, a notorious penny pincher.

Litotes: A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is

expressed by negating its opposite.

Example: A million dollars is no small chunk of change.

Metaphor: An implied comparison between two dissimilar things that have something in
common. (Direct comparison.)

Example: "All the world's a stage."

Metonymy: A figure of speech in a word or phrase is substituted for another with which
it's closely associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by
referring to things around it.

Example: "That stuffed suit with the briefcase is a poor excuse for a salesman," the
manager said angrily.

Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or
actions they refer to.

Example: The clap of thunder went bang and scared my poor dog.

Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side

by side. (Putting two words to come up with a new meaning.)

Example: "He popped the jumbo shrimp in his mouth."

Paradox: A statement that appears to contradict itself.

Example: "This is the beginning of the end," said Eeyore, always the pessimist.

Personification: A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is

endowed with human qualities or abilities.

Example: That kitchen knife will take a bite out of your hand if you don't handle it safely.
Pun: A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes
on the similar sense or sound of different words.

Example: Jessie looked up from her breakfast and said, "A boiled egg every morning is
hard to beat."

Simile: A stated comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two
fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common.

Example: Roberto was white as a sheet after he walked out of the horror movie.

Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole.

Example: Tina is learning her ABC's in preschool.

Understatement: A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a

situation seem less important or serious than it is.

Example: "You could say Babe Ruth was a decent ballplayer," the reporter said with a
wink.
Elements of Fiction

A. Plot

Definition of Plot: Events that form a significant pattern of action with a beginning, a
middle and an end. They move from one place or event to another in order to form a
pattern, usually with the purpose of overcoming a conflict. The plot is more formally
called a narrative.

Plot Techniques

1. Suspense: Frequently involves dilemma. e.g. Caught in a bad situation with a choice
in a boating accident, you can save either your mother or your husband from drowning.
2. Flashback: The author waits until the story is moving and then flashes back to reveal
biographical data or deep psychological reasons why a character acts as s/he does. It
focuses more on whythings happen, rather than on what happens.
3. Telescoping: It's a matter of economy. The author can't describe every motion of the
character or event during the time the story covers. S/he has to choose the significant
and merely suggest the others by saying they happened, without much description. Art
attempts verisimilitude, not "reality."
4. Foreshadowing: The outcome of a conflict is often hinted at or "foreshadowed" before
the climax and resolution. These clues are usually very subtle; you don't realize they are
foreshadowing clues until you've finished the story.

B. Conflict in Plot

Plot usually involves one or more conflicts, which are problems that need to be solved.
The "movement" towards a solution is what drives the narrative forward, and is what
occupies most of the protagonist's time. The more rewarding plots are often built around
mental, emotional and moral conflicts. Plots involving physical conflict, war, exploration,
escapes often contain the most excitement and suspense. Here are the major types of
conflict:

1. Person vs. nature

2. Person vs. person
3. Person vs. society
4. Person vs. fate
5. Person vs. him/herself (e.g. facing a difficult personal choice or a dilemma)

The first four types are said to be "external conflicts", while the last is "internal conflict".

C. Setting: Aspects of Setting

Setting is defined as the physical location and the time of a story. In short stories, one
or both of these elements are often not defined.
D. Mood or Atmosphere: The mood is the feeling the reader gets while reading the
story. The author helps to create the mood by using carefully chosen descriptive or
evocative words. It can be compared to the use of music in films. Examples of mood
are: hostile, optimistic, threatening, ominous, bitter, defiant, etc.
E. Theme: The theme is a recurring social or psychological issue, like aging, violence,
alienation or maturity. The author or poet weaves the theme into the plot, which is used
as a vehicle to convey it. The title of the story or poem is often of significance in
recognizing the theme.

F. Point of View

In interpreting fiction, point of view can be thought of as "where are the camera(s) and
the microphone(s)?"

The major points of view used in fiction are:

 Omniscient (3rd Person)

 Limited omniscient (3rd Person)
 Objective (3rd Person)
 First person

G. Tone: is the emotional colouring of a piece of writing. It reflects the author's attitude,
and the feelings that he or she puts into the writing. It can, for instance, be angry,
demanding, or humorous. The author controls the tone by choosing diction, sentence
structure, and figurative language that will heighten the desired effect on the reader.

H. Characters: In fictional literature, authors use many different types of characters to tell
their stories. Different types of characters fulfill different roles in the narrative process,
and with a little bit of analysis, you can usually detect some or all of the types below.

 Major or central characters are vital to the development and resolution of the
conflict. In other words, the plot and resolution of conflict revolves around these
characters.
 Minor characters serve to complement the major characters and help move the
plot events forward.
 Dynamic - A dynamic character is a person who changes over time, usually as
a result of resolving a central conflict or facing a major crisis. Most dynamic
characters tend to be central rather than peripheral characters, because
resolving the conflict is the major role of central characters.
 Static - A static character is someone who does not change over time; his or
her personality does not transform or evolve.
 Round - A rounded character is anyone who has a complex personality; he or
she is often portrayed as a conflicted and contradictory person.
 Flat - A flat character is the opposite of a round character. This literary
personality is notable for one kind of personality trait or characteristic.
 Stock - Stock characters are those types of characters who have
become conventional or stereotypical through repeated use in particular types
of stories. Stock characters are instantly recognizable to readers or audience
members (e.g. the femme fatale, the cynical but moral private eye, the mad
scientist, the geeky boy with glasses, and the faithful sidekick). Stock characters
are normally one-dimensional flatcharacters, but sometimes stock personalities
are deeply conflicted, rounded characters (e.g. the "Hamlet" type).
 Protagonist - The protagonist is the central person in a story, and is often
referred to as the story's main character. He or she (or they) is faced with a
conflict that must be resolved. The protagonist may not always be admirable (e.g.
an anti-hero); nevertheless s/he must command involvement on the part of the
reader, or better yet, empathy.
 Antagonist - The antagonist is the character(s) (or situation) that represents the
opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In other words, the
antagonist is an obstacle that the protagonist must overcome.
 Anti-Hero - A major character, usually the protagonist, who lacks conventional
nobility of mind, and who struggles for values not deemed universally
admirable. Duddy, in Mordecai Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy
Kravitz, is a classic anti-hero. He's vulgar, manipulative and self-
centered. Nevertheless, Duddy is the center of the story, and we are drawn to
the challenges he must overcome and the goals he seeks to achieve.
 Foil - A foil is any character (usually the antagonist or an important supporting
character) whose personal qualities contrast with another character (usually the
protagonist). By providing this contrast, we get to know more about the other
character.
 Symbolic - A symbolic character is any major or minor character whose very
existence represents some major idea or aspect of society. For example, in Lord
of the Flies, Piggy is a symbol of both the rationality and physical weakness of
modern civilization; Jack, on the other hand, symbolizes the violent tendencies
(the Id) that William Golding believes is within human nature.
Idiomatic Expressions - are a type of informal language that have a meaning different from
the meaning of the words in the expression. Here's an example of an idiomatic expression:
Hold your tongue. This idiom doesn't actually mean that you should stick your fingers in your
mouth and grab a hold of your tongue.

Idiom Meaning Usage

A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first as part of a

sentence

A dime a dozen Something common as part of a

sentence

Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually as part of a
because it is uncomfortable sentence

Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at by itself
all

Bite the bullet To get something over with because it as part of a

is inevitable sentence

Break a leg Good luck by itself

Call it a day Stop working on something as part of a

sentence

Cut somebody some slack Don't be so critical as part of a

sentence

Cutting corners Doing something poorly in order to save as part of a

time or money sentence

Easy does it Slow down by itself

Idiom Meaning Usage

Get out of hand Get out of control as part of a

sentence

Get something out of your Do the thing you've been wanting to do as part of a
system so you can move on sentence

Get your act together Work better or leave by itself

Give someone the benefit Trust what someone says as part of a

of the doubt sentence

Go back to the drawing Start over as part of a

board sentence

Hang in there Don't give up by itself

Hit the sack Go to sleep as part of a

sentence

It's not rocket science It's not complicated by itself

Let someone off the hook To not hold someone responsible for as part of a
something sentence

Make a long story short Tell something briefly as part of a

sentence

Miss the boat It's too late as part of a

sentence

No pain, no gain You have to work for what you want by itself
Idiom Meaning Usage

On the ball Doing a good job as part of a

sentence

Pull someone's leg To joke with someone as part of a

sentence

Pull yourself together Calm down by itself

So far so good Things are going well so far by itself

Speak of the devil The person we were just talking about by itself
showed up!

That's the last straw My patience has run out by itself

The best of both worlds An ideal situation as part of a

sentence

Time flies when you're You don't notice how long something by itself
having fun lasts when it's fun

To get bent out of shape To get upset as part of a

sentence

To make matters worse Make a problem worse as part of a

sentence

Under the weather Sick as part of a

sentence

We'll cross that bridge Let's not talk about that problem right by itself
when we come to it now
Idiom Meaning Usage

Wrap your head around Understand something complicated as part of a

something sentence

You can say that again That's true, I agree by itself

Your guess is as good as I have no idea by itself

mine