| Allusion: a reference to
something that should be known but not explicitly mentioned and often relates to
history, religion, or myth |
| example: Will you be my
Romeo? (One must understand that Romeo comes from a popular story by
Shakespeare) |
| |
| Apostrophe: a text
directly addressed to a person or thing (often absent) |
| example: Where are you my
darling daughter? |
| |
| Hyperbole:
exaggeration for dramatic effect or humor |
| example: I’m so hungry I
could eat a horse |
| |
| Alliteration: the
effect created when words with the same initial letter and sound |
| example: Humongous Hungry
Hippos; Many Mangy Monkeys |
| |
| Onomatopoeia: the use
of words that imitate the sound the poet is trying to describe |
| example: the wind hushed the
deepening silence. WOOSH! |
| |
| Simile: the comparison of one
object to another using the words “like” or “as” |
| example: Her eyes glittered
like the stars at midnight. |
| |
| Metaphor: An imaginative
comparison between two objects/actions which are not literally applicable |
| example: The moon is a giant
cookie hanging in the night sky |
| |
| Personification: where
inanimate objects or abstractions are given human characteristics |
| example: The beach called to
the local surfers |
| |
| Assonance: the effect created
when words with the same vowel are used in close proximity but where the
consonances are different |
| example: Her mind thrives
with creativity and knowledge. |
| |
| Consonance: effect created
when words share the same stressed consonant sounds but where the vowels differ |
| example: tick tock, tick tock |
| |
| Paradox: an absurd statement
that reveals an important truth |
| example: Using too much
medicine will make you sick (medicine is supposed to cure you, not make you
sick) |
| |
| Oxymoron: figure of speech
containing two seemingly contradictory phrases/expressions |
| example: pretty ugly, living
dead |
| |
| Repetition: repeating a word
or phrase to add stress |
| example: Edgar Allan Poe’s
“Raven” |
| |
| Symbolism: the use of words
or images that signify more than they literally represent; object has to be
tangible |
| example: The man came upon
two roads. (Roads represent pathways in life that one can take depending on
their decisions) |
| |
