About this Flash Card Set
20 Cards
by grace_sullivan
The literary devices and figurative language you need for English class and the SAT/ACT — metaphor, simile, irony, foreshadowing, and more, each with an example.
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Metaphor
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A direct comparison saying one thing IS another. ('Time is a thief.')
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Simile
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A comparison using 'like' or 'as.' ('Brave as a lion.')
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Personification
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Giving human traits to non-human things. ('The wind whispered.')
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Hyperbole
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Deliberate exaggeration for effect. ('I've told you a million times.')
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Imagery
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Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
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Alliteration
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Repetition of initial consonant sounds. ('Peter Piper picked...')
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Onomatopoeia
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A word that imitates a sound. ('Buzz,' 'clang,' 'sizzle.')
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Symbolism
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Using an object or image to represent a larger idea. (A dove = peace.)
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Irony
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A contrast between expectation and reality. (A fire station burns down.)
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Dramatic irony
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When the audience knows something a character does not.
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Foreshadowing
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Hints early in a story about what will happen later.
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Theme
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The central message or underlying meaning of a work.
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Tone
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The author's attitude toward the subject (e.g., serious, sarcastic, hopeful).
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Mood
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The feeling or atmosphere a text creates in the reader.
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Allusion
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A reference to another work, person, or event. ('He was a real Romeo.')
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Oxymoron
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Two contradictory words together. ('Deafening silence,' 'bittersweet.')
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Protagonist vs. antagonist
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The protagonist is the main character; the antagonist opposes them.
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Metonymy
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Replacing a thing with something closely associated. ('The White House said...')
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Juxtaposition
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Placing two contrasting ideas close together for effect.
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Motif
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A recurring element or idea that develops a theme throughout a work.
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