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Symbolism

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An object, action or even that is representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant.

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Metaphor

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A figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are apparently unrelated but share some common characteristics.

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Alliteration

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A stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series. It focuses the reader's attention and creates mood and rhythm.

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Personification

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A thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. Used to create vivid imagery in the mind of the reader.

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Anaphora

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The deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence or clause. Creates a sense of rhythm, heightens emotions, make the sentence more memorable.

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Plosive

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A consonantal sound in the formation of which the passage of air is completely blocked, such as 'p', 'b', 't' or 'k'. Often creates a sharp, abrupt, even shocking effect, perhaps following a softer mood.

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Sibilance

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A type of alliteration that draws attention to words, can sound either calming or sinister depending on word choice.

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Epistrophe

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Adds emphasis to the ends of sentences or clauses, often have a dramatic impact/effect on a reader.

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Fricative

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A voiceless, or soft consonant sound ('f', 'h' or 'th') that creates a soft and airy effect.

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Allusion

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A reference to another person, event or work of literature.

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Simile

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A comparison of thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid using "like" or "as" (e.g. as brave as a lion ).

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Tone

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The attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. It is generally conveyed through word choice and use of other literary devices.

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Mood

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Literary elements that evokes certain feelings in the reader through words and descriptions, other literary devices. Otherwise known as "atmosphere".

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Imagery

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The use of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia etc) to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

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Motif

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An object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work.

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Foreshadowing

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A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.

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Assonance

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The repetition of a vowel sound in non-rhyming words

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Caesura

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A complete stop in a line of poetry. A caesura can be anywhere in a metrical line.

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Couplet

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A successive pair of lines in a poem. The pair of lines that comprise a couplet generally rhyme with each other and contain the same meter.

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Enjambment

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A term used in poetry to refer to lines that end without punctuation and without completing a sentence or clause. When a poet uses enjambment, he or she continues a sentence beyond the end of the line into a subsequent line or lines.

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Feminine Rhyme

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A type of rhyme is a rhyme that matches two or more syllables, usually at the end of respective lines, in which the final syllable or syllables are unstressed. It is also commonly known as double rhyme.

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Masculine Rhyme

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A type of rhyme, in verse, a monosyllabic rhyme or a rhyme that occurs only in stressed final syllables (such as claims, flames or rare, despair).

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Metre

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In poetry, it is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse.

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Rhyme Scheme

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The pattern of rhyme that comes at the end of each verse or line in poetry.

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Stress

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The emphasis that falls on certain syllables and not others; the arrangement of stresses within a poem is the foundation of poetic rhythm.

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Iamb

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A metrical foot in poetry, consisting of two syllables: an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable.

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Antithesis

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A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.

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Consonance

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The repetition of consonants in succeeding words, especially at the ends of words, as in blank and think.

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Hyperbole

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An outrageous an exaggeration of ideas. Used for the sake of emphasis; often used for humorous purposes.

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Dramatic Irony

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An important stylistic device whereby the audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts and their resolutions before leading characters or actors. Used to excite and sustain interest.

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Verbal Irony

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The speaker/character says something whereby the literal meaning contrast with the underlying meaning.

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Situational Irony

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A difference occurs between the audience expects to happen and what actually happens.

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Pun

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A play on words. The humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasise or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning.

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Oxymoron

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A figure of speech in which two seemingly contradictory terms/words are placed next to one another.

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Paradox

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A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include/reveal a latent truth.

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Poetic Contraction

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An old-fashioned shortened form of a word or group of words (i.e., 'twas, 'twill, o'er).

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Iambic Pentameter

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A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable.

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Blank Verse

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Un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter.

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Prose

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A form of language that has no formal metrical structure (e.g., everyday speech).

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Sonnet

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A traditional poem that has 14 fourteen lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme (ABABCDCDEFEFGG) and a "volta" or a specific turn before the final rhyming couplet.

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Fatal Flaw

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The secret weakness of the protagonist (main character) that brings about their tragic downfall.

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Rhythm

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A literary device which demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables, particularly in verse form.

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Soliloquy

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A dramatic monologue, revealing the innermost thoughts of a character, delivered directly to the audience without acknowledging the presence of other characters.

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Ambiguity

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A word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.

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Connotation

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A meaning/association that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly (e.g. cultural/emotional/political associations).

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Diction

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The style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. Could be formal or informal, depending on context.

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End-Stopped Line

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A poetic device in which a pause comes at the end of a line; it is expressed using a punctuation mark such as a colon, semi-colon, period or full stop.

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Figurative Language

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Using figures of speech in writing or speech to be more effective, persuasive and impactful (e.g., metaphor, imagery, similes etc).

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Euphony

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The use of melodious and lovely-sounding words and phrases. It gives pleasing and soothing effects to the ears due to repeated vowels and smooth consonants.

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Cacophony

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The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds primarily those of consonants to achieve desired results.

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Peripeteia

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The turning point. A sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, from good to bad.

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Hamartia

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The fatal flaw (personality defect) leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.

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Anagnorisis

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The moment of discovery whereby the protagonist learns crucial information - leading to the resolution of the story.

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Catharsis

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The ultimate end of a tragedy, whereby the audience is cleansed of the emotions of fear and pity.

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Tragic Structure

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Five acts, consisting of: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement

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Denouement

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The resolution of the play.

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Tragedy

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A dramatic work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a fatal flaw.

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Great Chain of Being

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The Elizabeth hierarchical ordering of spiritual (God, angels), human (King, aristocrats, peasants), animal, and minerals.

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Zoomorphism

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A literary technique in which the animal attributes are imposed upon non-animal objects, humans, and events and animal features are ascribed to humans, gods and other objects.

Literary Devices and Terms – Romeo and Juliet – 9X English – Flashcards

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