Writing is a staple of your education and fundamental to nearly every profession, no matter what industry. How do you make your writing effective? One important component of great writing is the use of literary devices.
Why Should I Understand Literary Devices?
Literary devices improve your writing. You can use them in your courses and college essays and on the SAT writing section, not to mention in your college coursework and future profession.
Understanding literary devices also helps you comprehend the work of others. For example, on the SAT reading test, you’ll need to understand and analyze the work of others. Being able to spot the literary devices the author is using will help you get a sense of the overall meanings behind the passages you encounter.
This is also useful knowledge to have for any social science or humanities class, where you’ll be expected to analyze and understand long works.
30 Literary Devices You Should Know
1. Allegory
What is It: A work that symbolizes or represents an idea or event.
Example: The novel Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory for the Russian Revolution, with characters representing key figures in the movement.
2. Alliteration
What is It: The repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in succession.
Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.
3. Allusion
What is it: An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea .
Example: The song “American Pie” by Don McLean is full of allusions to events that occurred in the 1950s and 60s. For instance, “February made me shiver” is an allusion to the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly on February 3, 1959.
4. Analogy
What is it: A parallel between disparate ideas, people, things, or events that is more elaborate than a metaphor or simile.
Example: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” —William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2
In this instance, Romeo is drawing an analogy between Juliet and a rose.
5. Anthropomorphism
What is it: The interpretation of a nonhuman animal, event, or object as embodying human qualities or characteristics.
Example: Inanimate objects such as Mrs. Potts and Lumiere are anthropomorphized in Beauty and the Beast.
6. Anachronism
What is it: An intentional or unintentional error in chronology or a timeline.
Example:
Brutus: “Peace! Count the clock.”
Cassius: “The clock has stricken three.”
—William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 1
Mechanical clocks did not exist in 44 A.D., when the play takes place, so this the inclusion of the clock here is an anachronism.
7. Colloquialism
What is it: An informal piece of dialogue or turn of phrase used in everyday conversation.
Example: Contractions such as “ain’t” are colloquialisms that are used in everyday conversation or dialogue to make the speaker and speech sound more authentic.
8. Diction
What is it: The word choice and speaking style of a writer or character.
Example: Diction is involved in almost every piece of writing because it is a vehicle for conveying the tone of the work. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck speaks in a distinctive way characterized by his lack of education and outsider status. This is his diction.
9. Elegy
What is it: A poem expressing grief over a death.
Example: O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman is an elegy for Abraham Lincoln.
10. Epiphany
What is it: A moment of sudden realization by a character.
Example: In the movie Clueless, Cher has an epiphany that she is in love with her stepbrother, Josh.
11. Euphemism
What is it: A less provocative or milder term used in place of a more explicit or unpleasant one.
Example: “I have to let you go” is a euphemistic expression for firing someone.
12. Foreshadowing
What is it: Hinting at future or subsequent events to come to build tension in a narrative.
Example: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the witches portend evil, chanting, “Something wicked this way comes.”
13. Hyperbole
What is it: A statement that is obviously and intentionally exaggerated.
Example: “I have a million things to do” is a hyperbolic statement, since no individual actually has one million items on her to-do list.
14. Idiom
What is it: A figure of speech that is indecipherable based on the words alone.
Example: “Don’t cut any corners” is an idiom; on its surface, it doesn’t make sense but is a known phrase that means don’t take shortcuts.
15. Imagery
What is it: A compilation of sensory details that enable the reader to visualize the event.
Example: “Now small fowls flew screaming over the yet yawning gulf; a sullen white surf beat against its steep sides; then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago.” —Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
In this passage, Melville uses vivid imagery such as the “yawning gulf” and “sullen white surf” to capture the scene.
16. Irony
What is it: An instance of language conveying the opposite of its literal meaning:
- Verbal irony: speech that conveys the opposite of its literal meaning
- Situational irony: An event that occurs that is the opposite of what is expected
- Dramatic irony: Usually applied to theater or literature, an instance in which the audience knows something the characters involved do not
Examples:
Verbal Irony: “That’s nice” as a response to an insulting statement is an instance of verbal irony.
Situational irony: In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’s parents abandon him to prevent the prophecy of him killing his father and marrying his mother from coming true. The abandonment itself leads him to fulfill the prophecy.
Dramatic irony: In Psycho, the audience knows a killer approaching, but Marion does not.
17. Juxtaposition
What is it: Ideas, people, images, ideas, or object placed next to one another 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, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”
—Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Here, Dickens juxtaposes multiple circumstances, uses opposites for emphasis.
18. Malapropism
What is it: An incorrect word intentionally or unintentionally used in place of a similar-sounding one, sometimes used for humorous effect.
Example:
“Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons.”
—William Shakespeare, Much Ado Without Nothing, Act 3, scene 5
The malapropisms, in this case, are the misuse of “comprehended” in place of “apprehended” and “auspicious” instead of “suspicious.”
19. Metaphor
What is it: A comparison of two ideas, events, objects, or people that does not use “like” or “as.”
An extended metaphor is a lengthy metaphor that continues the comparison for several sentences, paragraphs, or even pages.
Example:
“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief.”
—William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2
Here, the sun is a metaphor for Juliet.
20. Mood
What is it: The general feeling the speaker evokes in the reader through the atmosphere, descriptions, and other features.
Example:
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before”
—Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven
Poe evokes an air of mystery in the opening lines of his poem, setting a dark mood.
21. Onomatopoeia
What is it: A word the is closely associated or identical to the sound it describes.
Example: Buzz
22. Oxymoron
What is it: A pairing of seemingly contradictory terms used to convey emphasis or tension.
Example:
“A fine mess”: this is an oxymoronic characterization because “fine” is typically associated with beauty and order, while “mess” is the opposite.
23. Paradox
What is it: An apparent contradiction that, upon further unraveling, may contain truth, used for effect on the reader.
Example:
Hamlet: “I must be cruel to be kind.”
—William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4
In this instance, Hamlet must, in fact, act in a seemingly cruel way in order to ultimately be kind.
24. Personification
What is it: Lending descriptions generally applied to human beings to nonhumans. This term differs from anthropomorphism in that the nonhuman entities are not thought to behave in human-like ways but are merely described in these terms.
Example: The shadows danced on the wall.
Shadows do not actually dance, but the lending of the human action personifies them.
25. Repetition
What is it: Multiple instances of a word or phrase, often in succession, used for emphasis.
Example:
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
—Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
The repetition emphasizes the length of the speaker’s journey.
26. Satire
What is it: A phrase or entire work that uses irony to critique behaviors, events, people, or vices.
Example: Animal Farm is a work of satire, critiquing Stalinism and the politics Soviet Union.
27. Simile
What is it: A comparison between objects, events, or people that uses “like” or “as.”
Example:
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
that floats on high o’er vales and hills.”
—William Wordsworth, Daffodils
“Lonely as a cloud” is a simile, comparing the states of isolation.
28. Symbolism
What is it: Something used to represent a larger concept or idea.
Example:
In Macbeth, the “spot” Lady Macbeth cannot get off her dress is a symbol of her guilt-stained conscience.
29. Synecdoche
What is it: An instance of a part representing a whole or vice versa.
Example: When someone refers to looking out at a “sea of faces,” the faces represent whole people.
30. Tone
What is it: The speaker or narrator’s attitude toward the subject of the piece, distinct from mood in that it is not used to evoke a particular feeling in the reader.
Example:
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
—Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
The speaker is evoking a tone of unhappiness and possible regret with the words “with a sigh.”
To learn more about using rhetorical devices, read How to Use Rhetorical Devices in Your College Essay.
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FAQs
What are literary devices explain with examples? ›
A literary device is a writing technique that writers use to express ideas, convey meaning, and highlight important themes in a piece of text. A metaphor, for instance, is a famous example of a literary device. These devices serve a wide range of purposes in literature.
What is the 10 literary device? ›#10 – Personification
Personification is a literary device where you give human-like qualities to non-human elements. This is one of the most well-known literary devices and it's useful for a number of reasons: Creates a stronger visual.
The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know.
What are the 13 elements of literature? ›Recognized by evaluating different elements of the book, including style and language, character, plot, illustrations, pacing, setting, tension, design and layout, mood, accuracy, tone, point of view, and theme.
What are 5 examples of hyperbole? ›- I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse.
- My feet are killing me.
- That plane ride took forever.
- This is the best book ever written.
- I love you to the moon and back.
- The pen is mightier than the sword.
- I've told you this 20,000 times.
- Cry me a river.
| Alliteration | Metaphor |
|---|---|
| Antithesis | personification |
| Assonance | Refrain |
| Asyndeton | Rhyme |
| Consonance | Repetition |
Whether you're improving your writing skills or studying for a big English exam, literary devices are important to know. But there are dozens of them, in addition to literary elements and techniques, and things can get more confusing than a simile embedded within a metaphor!
What are the 11 rhetorical devices? ›Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.
What are the 9 literary elements? ›A literary element refers to components of a literary work (character, setting, plot, theme, frame, exposition, ending/denouement, motif, titling, narrative point-‐of-‐view). These are technical terms for the “what” of a work.
What are the 6 poetic devices? ›- 6 poetic devices.
- Simile.
- personification.
- alliteration.
- Onomatopoeia.
- consonance,
- Metaphor.
- is a figure of speech which is basically comparing to things with each other but they can actually be compared.
What are the 5 literary pieces? ›
- #1 Fiction. One of the most popular genres of literature, fiction, features imaginary characters and events. ...
- #2 Nonfiction. ...
- #3 Drama. ...
- #4 Poetry. ...
- #5 Folktale.
Experimentation: Modernist literature employed a number of different experimental writing techniques that broke the conventional rules of storytelling. Some of those techniques include blended imagery and themes, absurdism, nonlinear narratives, and stream of consciousness—which is a free flowing inner monologue.
What are the 4 main literary elements? ›Literary elements include plot, theme, character and tone. In contrast, literary techniques are non-universal features of literature and include figurative language, irony, and foreshadowing.
What are the 8 elements of writing? ›There are eight elements of a story: theme, plot, characters, setting, conflict, point-of-view, tone and style.
What are the 10 elements of drama? ›Role and character, relationships, situation, voice, movement, focus, tension, space, time, language, symbol, audience, mood and atmosphere.
What are the 8 elements in writing fiction? ›- Setting.
- Character.
- Plot.
- Conflict.
- Theme.
- Point-of-view.
- Tone.
- Style.
- Crown. (For the power of a king.)
- The White House. (Referring to the American administration.)
- Dish. (To refer an entire plate of food.)
- The Pentagon. (For the Department of Defense and the offices of the U.S. Armed Forces.)
- Pen. ...
- Sword - (For military force.)
- Hollywood. ...
- Hand.
Hyperbole is a marker of irony that not only directs the hearer's attention to the ironic contrast, but also increases the magnitude of that ironic contrast. Imagine it is raining. The ironic contrast is greater if you say “Oh my gosh, it's the sunniest day of my entire life!” rather than simply “Nice weather …”.
What are 10 examples of personification? ›- Justice is blind and, at times, deaf.
- Money is the only friend that I can count on.
- The cactus saluted any visitor brave enough to travel the scorched land.
- Jan ate the hotdog despite the arguments it posed to her digestive system.
- The world does not care to hear your sad stories.
- As tall as a giraffe.
- As sweet as sugar.
- As strong as an ox.
- As old as the hills.
- As cool as a cucumber.
What are 5 examples of simile? ›
- As cold as ice.
- As light as a feather.
- Cool as a cucumber.
- American as apple pie.
- They're like two peas in a pod.
- Sleeping like a log.
- Life is like a box of chocolates.
What are the 12 elements of poetry? The 12 elements of poetry include structure, form, speaker, sound devices, figurative language, rhyme, meter, theme, tone, mood, syntax, and diction. What is the significance of diction as an element of poetry? Diction is the poet's use of language, word choice, and syntax.
What are 4 literary devices used in good poetry? ›- Alliteration.
- Caesura and enjambment.
- Imagery.
- Juxtaposition and oxymoron.
- Personification and Pathetic fallacy.
Aposiopesis is used in literature for dramatic effects. It can show that a character is overwhelmed with emotion. Or, it can allow the reader to fill in horrors or threats with their own imaginations.
Is power of 3 a literary device? ›The rule of three is a writing principle based on the idea that humans process information through pattern recognition. As the smallest number that allows us to recognize a pattern in a set, three can help us craft memorable phrases.
What rhetorical device is 100 years later? ›King uses the phrase “one hundred years later” to repeat and stress the idea that many years have passed and progress has not occurred. Racial inequality still exists. Parallelism occurs here because the grammatical construction and wording are similar in the beginning of each sentence. King also uses restatement.
What are 3 figurative devices? ›- 1 Simile. A simile compares two different things, using the words “like” or “as” to draw attention to the comparison. ...
- 2 Metaphor. A metaphor compares two different things, similar to a simile. ...
- 3 Personification. ...
- 4 Hyperbole. ...
- 5 Allusion.
Rhetorical appeals are the qualities of an argument that make it truly persuasive. To make a convincing argument, a writer appeals to a reader in several ways. The four different types of persuasive appeals are logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos.
What are the 7 elements of a story example? ›- 1 — A Theme. Plot (#5) is what happens in a story, a theme is why it happens—which you need to know while you're writing the plot. ...
- 2 — Characters. I'm talking believable characters who feel knowable. ...
- 3 — Setting. ...
- 4 — Point of View. ...
- 5 — Plot. ...
- 6 — Conflict. ...
- 7 — Resolution.
Literary Elements are the foundational building blocks of all stories. Students will learn to identify six basic elements (setting, point of view, plot, character, conflict, theme), and to evaluate and analyze whether an author has used them...
What are the 7 elements of a story and their meaning? ›
You can turn the slightest concept into a gripping tale by mastering the seven essential elements of a story — theme, characters, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, and style.
What are the 7 types of imagery in poetry? ›- Visual.
- Auditory.
- Olfactory.
- Gustatory.
- Tactile.
- Kinesthetic.
- Organic.
- Blank verse. Blank verse is poetry written with a precise meter—almost always iambic pentameter—that does not rhyme. ...
- Rhymed poetry. ...
- Free verse. ...
- Epics. ...
- Narrative poetry. ...
- Haiku. ...
- Pastoral poetry. ...
- Sonnet.
- Anna Karenina. Greta Garbo in Anna Karenina Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. ...
- To Kill a Mockingbird. ...
- The Great Gatsby. ...
- One Hundred Years of Solitude. ...
- A Passage to India. ...
- Invisible Man. ...
- Don Quixote. ...
- Beloved.
- Good vs. evil.
- Love.
- Redemption.
- Courage and perseverance.
- Coming of age.
- Revenge.
- fiction.
- nonfiction.
- manuscripts.
- poetry.
- contributions to collective works.
- compilations of data or other literary subject matter.
- dissertations.
- theses.
Literal imagery uses descriptive words that mean exactly what they say. For example: “The grass was green, and the flowers were red.” Figurative imagery uses descriptive language that means something different than or goes beyond the literal definition of the words, often through exaggeration, comparison, or symbolism.
What literary device is imagery? ›Imagery is a literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to a readers' senses to create an image or idea in their head. Through language, imagery does not only paint a picture, but aims to portray the sensational and emotional experience within text.
What are allusions in literature? ›Allusions are generally regarded as brief but purposeful references, within a literary text, to a person, place, event, or to another work of literature.
What are the 7 literary elements and their meaning? ›You can turn the slightest concept into a gripping tale by mastering the seven essential elements of a story — theme, characters, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, and style.
What is the 10 element of the story? ›
Beginnings and Endings. Beginnings and endings are critical to a memorable picture book. There are many ways to connect a story's ending to its beginning.
What are the 5 basic literary elements in literature? ›These five components are: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow.