Getting By With a Little Help From
Your Friendly Literary Devices!
Alliteration is the repetition of the first letter or sound in two or more words in a line or phrase.
Examples: The sun slowly reaches the highest point in its bright, blue home.
My sister Susie sells seashells by the seashore.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, thing, or event that the writer assumes the
reader will be familiar with.
Example: John rushed in like Superman and rescued the cat from the burning building.
Euphemism is to make the word less offensive or less startling:
Examples: Instead of “He died” we say, “He passed away”.
“ground beef” or “hamburger” instead of “dead flesh of cow”
“wind” for belch or fart
Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration or overstatement to make a point (to emphasize), and this is
not to be taken literally.
Examples: We did a million things today at the market.
My brother exploded when he saw me on his computer.
Imagery refers to words that clearly paint a picture, and give you feelings and ideas.
Examples: My grandmothers are full of memories
Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay
With veins rolling roughly over quick hands
They have many clean words to say.
My grandmothers were strong.
Why am I not as they?
Irony is a technique that uses a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its normal meaning;
the contrast between expectation and reality.
Example: Mary smiles and laughs all of the time, so we call her Grumpy.
A dentist with bad teeth.
Metaphor is an implied comparison between two unrelated or unlike things. A metaphor does not
use word like or as to show the comparison.
Examples: She is a rock.
Love is a rose.
Words are bullets
Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds make you think of the meaning.
Examples: buzz, gunk, gushy, swish, zigzag, or zip
Personification is a figure of speech in which a non-human thing (an idea, object, or animal) is
given human characteristics.
Examples: The low clouds bumped into the mountains.
The wind whispered in my ears.
Oreo: milk’s favorite cookie
Pun is the humorous use of a word or words that sound alike or nearly alike but have two different
meanings.
Examples: That story about rabbits is a real hare-raiser. (Hare, another word for rabbit, is used instead of
hair: A hair-raiser is a scary story.)
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says, 'Dam!'
Refrain is a line, word, or group of words repeated at regular intervals in a poem or song.
Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Repetition is the technique of repeating a word or phrase for rhythm or emphasis.
Example: We feared nothing because we have nothing to fear.
Rhyme is a word that ends with the same sound as another word like: bold – cold, sea – tea, dear –
tier
Rhyme schemes: The pattern of the last word sounds.
A-B-B-A
A-A-B-B-A
A-B-A-B
Internal Rhyme is the use of rhyming words within a line of poetry.
Example: Hang tight, then make a right.
Simile is a stated or direct comparison between two often-unrelated things. It shows a likeness
between some characteristic found in both things. A simile uses like or as to show the comparison
which is being made.
Examples: The snow is soft like a feather.
The apple is as red as blood.
He swims like a fish.
Symbolism a word or object that stands for another word or object; using an object to represent an
idea. A symbol means what it is and also something more.
Example: lions often symbolize royalty; doves often symbolize peace