Literary Terms and Examples

1. Literary Terms and Examples Pre-AP English I

2. Metaphor • A vivid comparison which doesn’t use like or as, but often uses the verb “be”. • “His stomach was a burning cauldron after eating the Torpedo Loco Taco.” • “Hollywood is a vampire.”

3. Simile • A less-direct comparison of two things/ideas, which uses ‘like’ or ‘as’: • “It’s as hot as a sauna in here!” • “That boy’s about as lazy as a bump on a log.”

4. Personification • “Person” – ification – literally making a non-human object a human. • Personification uses action verbs directly: • “The car dragged it’s feet and grunted against the weight of the huge Christmas tree.” • “Shadows danced in the candlelight.”

5. Oxymoron • Two terms that are contradictory, paradoxical, or seem to not be able to go together – yet form a single meaning:

6. Onomatopoeia • Words that are simply the written form of a sound: • Buzz • splat! • Pop • Boom! • Think ‘Batman fighting’ from the old cartoon.

7. Alliteration • Repetition of a sound or letter in order to create a melodic or rhythmic effect • “The soothing sounds of silence bring with them serenity.”

8. Tone • The overall feeling of a story, the background emotion behind the whole work • Satirical, Dark, Optimistic, Cynical, Narrative, Journalistic, Patriotic

9. Hyperbole/Understatement • Hyperbole is a common literary device of ancient and classical writing • Hyperbole is an intentional dramatic overstatement • Understatement is the exact opposite – this is when a profound experience transpired and is paid relatively little attention • *Both hyperbole and understatement are used to draw attention to important thematic messages (aka pay attention to these!)

10. Irony • Irony is another way to say “unexpected” – • In other words, when something ironic happens, we are set up to believe that something will happen: (An old librarian shushes kids in the library) • Then, something we didn’t see coming (the unexpected) happens: (She leaves the school and gets in a Land Cruiser playing loud rap music.) • To sum up: Irony is when the expected outcome and the actual outcome don’t match.

11. Satire • Usually a form of social criticism – tend to focus on a current trend • Tends to blow things out of proportion in order to make a point - absurdity • Often takes serious situations and makes them so absurd that they seem funny • “Dark Comedy”