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Literary

The document defines and provides examples of 16 different types of literary devices used in writing including allegory, allusion, alliteration, colloquialism, diction, euphemism, flashbacks, foreshadowing, imagery, juxtaposition, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, symbolism, and tone.

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76 views2 pages

Literary

The document defines and provides examples of 16 different types of literary devices used in writing including allegory, allusion, alliteration, colloquialism, diction, euphemism, flashbacks, foreshadowing, imagery, juxtaposition, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, symbolism, and tone.

Uploaded by

mjmabini047
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Types of literary devices:

1. Allegory is a figure of speech where abstract ideas are described using characters, events,
or other elements.
Example:
One of the most famous works using allegory is George Orwell's Animal Farm. The perceived
story is about a group of farm animals who rise up and defeat humans, but the underlying
story is about the Russian Revolution.

2. Allusion is a literary device that references a person, place, thing, or event in the real
world.
Example: My sister is a real Scrooge when it comes to gift-giving. The reference is to
Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

3. Alliteration is a literary device that uses the same letters or sounds at the beginning of
words in a sentence or title.
Example:
The Wicked Witch of the West went her own way. The ''W'' sound is repeated throughout the
sentence.

4. Colloquialism refers to expressions, words, and phrases used in informal, everyday


speech, including slang.
Examples:
Gonna – going to
Be blue – to be sad

5. Diction is a literary device that refers to the choice of words or style used by the writer to
convey their message.
Example:
I remember her hair in particular, because it was on fleek!

6. Euphemism is a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be


too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
Examples:
Gone to heaven – This is a polite way to say that someone is dead.

7. Flashbacks in literature occur when the narrator goes back in time for a specific scene or
chapter to give more context to the story.
Example:
A woman is about to get married. As she puts on her veil, she remembers her fiancé three years
before, swearing he would make her his wife someday. A tear comes to her eye, and she
prepares to walk down the aisle.

8. Foreshadowing happens when the author places elements within the writing that give
clues about what will happen in the story's future.

Example:
"The leaves fell early that year." This is a line in Ernest Hemingway's opening line of A
Farewell to Arms that foreshadows an early death.
9. Imagery refers to using visually descriptive or figurative language in your writing. It is
more like showing versus telling in writing where you use more sensory language versus
blunt, plain words.
Example:
The sunset was stunning as ever; the clouds were edged with pink and gold.

10. Juxtaposition means placing contrasting elements next to one another to emphasize one
or both, including words, scenes, or themes.
Example:
You will soon be asked to do great violence in the cause of good. – The Yellow Birds by Kevin
Powers

11. A metaphor compares two things that are NOT alike and replaces the word with
another word.
Example:
He was a statue waiting for the news.

12. Onomatopoeia is a word or phrase that shows you the sound something makes. Since we
can't hear books, this literary device is best used to paint a clear picture and include the
sense of hearing in your writing.
Example:
Lightning crackles, and thunder rumbles.

13. Personification is a literary device where you give human-like qualities to non-human
elements.
Example:
The newspaper headline glared at me.

14. A simile makes comparisons between two things that are NOT alike, and this
replaces the word with another word but uses "like" or "as" within it.
Example: He ran like a cat, lightly and quietly

15. Symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols, may it be words, people, marks,
locations, or abstract ideas, to represent something beyond the literal meaning.
Example:
The color red can symbolize death, struggle, power, and passion.

16. The tone is something that conveys the narrator's opinion, attitude, or feelings about
what is written.
Some examples of literary tone are: airy, comic, condescending, facetious, funny, heavy,
intimate, ironic, light, playful, sad, serious, sinister, solemn, somber, and threatening

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