Literary Devices Poetry Unit - English 3u

Today you Will Learn Oxymoron Pun Alliteration Assonance Consonance Metonymy Paradox Simile Metaphor Personification Apostrophe Hyperbole Symbol Onomatopoeia

Simile A comparison if two unlike things using like or as. Ex. “My cat is as gentle as a lamb.”

Metaphor A comparison between two like or unlike things without using like or as. Ex. All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. (As you like it )

Personification An inanimate object or idea is given human qualities or actions. Ex. Waves bow before the shore, courtiers to their king, and then withdraw.

Apostrophe A poet addresses a dead or absent person, an abstract idea or an inanimate object Ex. Break, break, break, on thy cold grey stones, O Sea!

Hyperbole A deliberate overstatement or extreme exaggeration. Ex. I’ve told you a thousand times.

Symbol A symbol is something such as a particular mark that represents some piece of information

Onomatopoeia When the sound of a word reflects its meaning. Ex. Tick, boom, clang, buzz.

Oxymoron Two contradictory words/ ideas are used together in a short phrase to create a new effect/ idea. Ex. Bright smoke, Cold Fire.

Pun A play on words where a particular word is used that reminds us of another word that has a similar or identical sound, but a different denotation. Ex. A lion and a giraffe walk into a bar. The giraffe automatically falls asleep on the floor. The bar tender says: “Hey, whats that lyin’ over there?” The lion says: “Its not a lion. Its a giraffe.”

Alliteration Repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of each word over several words together. Ex. The fair breeze, the white foam flew, And furrow followed free.

Assonance Repetition of similar vowel within stresses syllables in a series of words. Ex. “.... took a last look”

Consonance Repetition of the same consonant sounds in a series of words in which the vowel sounds are different. Ex. He took a last look, and rang the bell for luck.

Metonymy A figure of speech that replaces the name of one thing with name of something else with which it is closely associated. Ex. The pen is mightier than the sword.

Paradox A statement or phrase that is self-contradictory. Ex. The child is the father of the man.