Literary Devices

What is a Literary Device (Figurative Device)?

A literary device/figurative device is a writing technique that authors, poets and playwrights use
to enhance the expression of their ideas, convey meaning, and highlight important themes in a
piece of text.
1. Allegory: a type of story that uses characters and plots to depict ideas and themes.
Example: The story of the Tortoise and the Hare depicts the theme of Humility.

2. Alliteration: the repetition of same consonant sound at the beginning of several words.
Example: She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

3. Assonance: the repetition of the same vowel sounds within words, phrases or sentences.
Example: The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains.
Mike’s bike has bright white stripes.

4. Allusion: a reference to a person, place, thing or concept that a reader is likely to

recognize.
Example: Don’t act like a Scrooge – reference to Ebenezer Scrooge who is cold-
hearted and unpleasant.
Don’t go opening Pandora’s box – reference to Greek Mythology and
the forbidden box that contains humanity’s woes.

5. Anaphora: the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a series of clauses or

sentences.
Example: Every breath you take
every move you make
every bond you break
every step you take, I’ll be watching you

6. Epistrophe: is the opposite of anaphora. A word or phrase being repeated at the end of a
series of clauses or sentence.
Example: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

7. Repetition: where a specific word or phrase is repeated several times, in order to make a
point.
Example: Polly put the kettle on, kettle on, kettle on
8. Contrast/Antithesis/Juxtaposition: when two contrasting words, phrases, sentences,
characters, themes or ideas are placed side by side to highlight their differences.
Example: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness.
Man proposes, God disposes
Speech is silver, but silence is gold
9. Oxymoron: when two words that are opposite in meaning are placed together.
Examples: bitter-sweet.
same-difference.
open–secret.
alone-together.
deafening-silence.

10. Paradox: a statement which contradicts itself, but makes sense.

Example: Sometimes you must be cruel to be kind.
War is the way to peace.

11. Archetype: a character, a setting, a theme, or an action that is a “universal symbol” which
brings familiarity and context to a story.
Examples: Superman is a symbol is justice, self-sacrifice and heroism

12. Symbolism: an object, character, figure, place or colour used to represent an idea or
concept.
Example: Skull – death.
Dove – peace.
Crown – wealth, royalty.

13. Synecdoche: when a part of something is used to represent the whole of it

Example: Stanford won the game –“Stanford” referring to the full title of the
Stanford football team.
Nice wheels you got there –“wheels” referring to the entire car.

14. Anecdote: a short story within a greater story.

15. Cliché/ Idiom: this is an overused statement or expression that has been used and reused
so many times that it has lost its expressive power. Clichés have both figurative and
literal meaning.
Examples: It’s raining cats and dogs
 He is the apple of my eye

16. Proverb: a phrase or sentence, similar to a cliché which briefly states some general truth
about life.
Example: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Birds of a feather flock together

17. Euphemism: this is an understatement. It is used to substitute unpleasant words with more
courteous ones in order to cover the harshness.
Example: Jim has gone to heaven or Jim has kicked the bucket. This is a polite
way to say that Jim is dead.
Fat: big boned may be said instead.
Ugly: unattractive or plain may be said instead.

18. Hyperbole: this is a conscious exaggeration of fact to achieve emphasis.

Example: I’m so hungry that I could eat an elephant.
Dying of laughter.

19. Flashback: where events that happened in the past interrupt present-day scenes in a story,
usually to build suspense toward a big reveal.

20. Foreshadowing: when the writer hints at events yet to come in a story.
Example: In Charlotte's Web, when Charlotte cautions the barn rat against
breaking the goose egg and he insists the egg is safe, this is an example of
foreshadowing. Later in the story, the egg does in fact break.

21. Imagery: when the writer uses words that appeal to the five senses to create a picture in
the mind of the reader.
Example: The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, dotted
with tiny flowers in a riot of colours and trees coming alive with gaily chirping
birds.
 Visual – sight
 Auditory – sound
 Olfactory – smell
 Gustatory – taste
 Tactile – touch

22. Irony: when what happens is contradictory to what was expected.

23. Dramatic irony: when the audience knows something the character doesn’t know.
Example: Girl in a horror film hides in a closet where the killer just went (the
audience knows the killer is there, but she does not).

24. Situational irony: when the actual result of an event or situation is different from what
was expected.
Example: A pilot having a fear of heights.
A fire station gets burned down

25. Verbal irony/Sarcasm: when what is said is the opposite of what is meant.
Example: A taped sign to a glass that says, “Do not tape anything to the glass.”
The leader of an AA meeting says, “I could use a drink right now.
A woman spills her morning coffee on her white silk blouse and says,
“This day couldn't be off to a better start."

26. Metaphor: compares two things without using like or as.

Example: Henry was a lion on the battlefield.
The car seat is a fluffy cloud

27. Simile: compares two things by using like or as.

Example: He felt proud as a peacock.
I ran like the wind.

28. Onomatopoeia: words that sounds like the sound it describes.

Example: The bomb went off with a bang.
The ball quickly flew by her face in a whoosh.
29. Personification: assigning human characteristics/qualities to animals, things or ideas.
Example: In the morning, the sea smiles at me.
The car danced across the icy road.

30. Pun: is a “play on words” which involves the use of homonyms (words that sound the
same, are spelled the same, but have different meanings) and homophones (words that
sound the same, but have different spelling and meaning).
Example: The road to success is always under construction.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

31. Rhetorical Question: a question that is asked, but does not require an answer from the
audience or reader. It’s emphasized to make a point.
Example: How could you be so stupid?
Do dogs bark?