Turtles Unite

Master List of Literary Devices

Abstract: An abstract word, like love or honesty, names something that cannot be directly seen, touched, tasted, heard, or smelled. Abstract is the opposite of concrete.

Acronym: An acronym is a word made from the first letters of a group of words. The word radar is an acronym. Many organizations and programs have names that are acronyms spelling out words in English.

Radio-

Detecting

And

Ranging

Acrostic: An acrostic is a poem in which the first or last letters of each line spell out something. This poem is an acrostic:

Black and sharp-winged, it

Arcs through caves and down chimneys

Take care of your hair; It’s a bat.

Alliteration: Repeating consonant sounds at the beginning of syllables, as in hang onto your hat. The repetition of the st sounds in lines 3 and 4 of the following poem.

They were women then

My mama’s generation

Husky of voice – Stout of Step

e.g. “There were princes and princesses, fairies and frogs.

Allusion: A reference in a literary work to something famous. The thing referred to may be a person, and object, an event, a work of art, a literary work, or anything else that is well known. eg. He had the patience of Job or He met his Waterloo.

Antithesis: A balanced placement of sharply opposing thoughts to heighten the contrast

Eg. Switch on the Light Ray Bradbury – “He liked only the sun. The yellow sun. He didn’t like the night.

Light vs. Dark

Good vs. Evil`-

Cliche’: is an overused expression such as quiet as a mouse or dog tired. Most cliche’s begin as vivid, colorful expressions but become uninteresting because of overuse.

Dialogue: is a conversation involving two or more people or characters.

External Conflict:

Flashback: is a part of a story, poem, or play that presents events that happened at an earlier time.

Flat character: Characters who reveal only one personality trait.

Foil:

Foreshadowing: The author provides clues ahead of time to build suspense.

Hyperbole: Deliberate exaggeration to make a point.

Inference: Without direct comment, the author’s clues help the reader form a conclusion about characters or events.

Internal Rhyme: Two or more words rhyme within the text

Metaphor: is a figure of speech in which on thing is spoken or written about as if it were another.

Mood, or atmosphere: is the emotion created in the reader by a piece of writing. A writer creates a mood by using concrete details.

Onomatopoeia: is the use of words or phrases like meow or beep that sound like what they name.

Parallelism: – A principle where statements or similar ideas are outwardly similar two ideas agree. The second line reinforces what the first line says. The pattern reinforces and emphasis.

Eg. My friend is faithful and helps me.

My friend is faithful and helpful.

Arrangement of equally important ideas in similar grammatical construction for emphasis

Eg. Psalm 19:7-8

Psalm 1 who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

Or stand in the way of sinners

Personification: is a figure of speech in which something not human is described as if it were human. eg. The sun smiled down on us.

Pun: Word play – when there are two meanings in one word. Homonyms

are often used.

Repetition: is the use, again, or a sound, word, or group of words.

Reversal: (Comeback)

Setting: is the time and place in which a literary work happens.

Simile: is a comparison using like or as.

Suspense: is a feeling of anxiousness or curiosity.

Theme: is a central idea in a literary work.

Tone: The elements of style that express to readers an author’s feelings

and attitudes toward his or her subject ideas, theme, or characters.

e.g. A factual article would most likely have an objective tone, while an editorial

on the same topic could be argumentative or satiric.