1. Literary Terms and Examples Mr. Lein Pre-AP English I & II

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

3. Figurative Language  “Figurative Language” is a large category, comprising almost any type of language that is not being used literally.  Figurative language is often seen in fiction and poetry; it is one of the ways that writers tweak their words, images, and meanings.  Often figurative language presents situations that are impossible or unlikely in real life.

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

5. 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.”

6. Oxymoron  Two terms that are contradictory, paradoxical, or seem to not be able to go together – yet form a single meaning: open secretlarger halfclearly confused act naturallyalone togetherHell's Angels found missingliquid gascivil engineer deafening silenceseriously funnyliving dead Microsoft Worksmilitary intelligencejumbo shrimp

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

8. Alliteration  Repetition of a sound or letter in order to create a melodic or rhythmic effect  Alliteration is used to enhance or emphasize the words that are being used.  “The soothing sounds of silence bring with them serenity.”

9. Tone  The “sound” of the work or voice.  Often, the tone of a work can be heard by listening to your inner monologue (the voice-reader inside your head).  Satirical, Dark, Optimistic, Cynical, Narrative, Journalistic, Patriotic

10. 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!)

11. Irony  Irony is another way to say “the 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.

12. Satire  Usually a form of social criticism – tends 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”

13. Allusion  A literary reference, usually to a novel, play, character, or historic figure. Not a direct quote.  “He flung away his rubber-ball nose, revealed a man that would have awed Thor, the god of thunder” – from Harrison Bergeron.

14. Juxtaposition  This word sound a lot more strange than it actually is.  Juxtaposition is what happens when two things are placed side by side for comparison.  For example, in many police dramas, an ethical police officer is partnered with a corrupt one so that the characteristics of virtue and dishonor can be more clearly identified and experimented with.