ENG1DB Examining
Literary Devices:
Definitions and Examples
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learning!
Literary Device Definition
Simile:
• A figure of speech that
directly compares two
unlike things, by employing
the words "like" or "as“
within the comparison.
Literary Device Examples
Simile:
• Life is like a box of chocolates, you
never know what you're going to
get.
• Tucked safely in her bed, the little
girl was as snug as a bug in a rug.
• All weekend long, Miranda was as
busy as a bee.
Literary Device Definition
Metaphor:
• A direct comparison between
two unlike things in order to
suggest a resemblance and
enhance or exemplify the
characteristics of one or both
objects/people being
compared.
Literary Device Examples
Metaphor:
• All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely
players.
• High school is a prison of which
there is no escape.
• Life is a rollercoaster filled with ups
and downs.
Literary Device Definition
Onomatopoeia:
• A word that imitates a
sound
• The naming of a thing or
action by a vocal imitation
of the sound associated
with it
Literary Device Examples
Onomatopoeia:
• The hinges on the rusty door
creaked loudly.
• The venomous snake hissed a
warning to nearby hikers.
• The annoying fly buzzed passed
William’s sweaty ear amid the
dense summer heat.
Literary Device Definition
Hyperbole:
• An obvious and purposeful
statement of exaggeration
used for emphasis,
dramatic effect, and to
make a clear point.
Literary Device Examples
Hyperbole:
• I told you a million times that
this was a bad idea!
• When I tripped on stage in
front of the entire school, I
almost died of embarrassment!
• I am so tired that I think I
might sleep for a year!
Literary Device Definition
Personification:
• A literary device in which
an inanimate object or
abstract concept is given
human qualities or
abilities.
Literary Device Examples
Personification:
• The immense oak tree stretched its
ancient arms high in the air, so that its
twisted fingers could feel the radiant
warmth of his close friend, the sun.
• The serene snow flakes quietly
whispered to the people below that
winter was on its way.
• Opportunity knocked boldly on the
door, but fear could not bring itself to
answer.
Literary Device Definition
Irony:
• The use of words to convey a meaning
that is the direct opposite of its literal
meaning or to defy readers’
expectations, and/or an incongruity
between a situation developed in a text
and the accompanying words or actions
that are understood by the audience are
not understood in the same way by the
characters (verbal irony, situational
irony, dramatic irony)
Literary Device Examples
Irony:
• “What a beautiful view,” he said, his voice
dripping with irony, as he looked out the window
at the dark, garbage-filled alley. (verbal irony)
• A bylaw officer gets his/her license suspended for
unpaid parking tickets. (situational irony)
• In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare,
when Romeo finds Juliet in a drugged sleep, he
incorrectly assumes her to be dead and kills
himself because he feels that he cannot live
without her, but the audience knows that she is
alive. Upon awakening to find her lover dead
beside her, Juliet then kills herself, adding to the
tragedy of the play. (dramatic irony)
Literary Device Definition
Alliteration:
• The repetition of the same
consonant sounds at the
beginning of words or in
stressed syllables within a
series of words.
Literary Device Examples
Alliteration:
• The sly snake slithered slyly
through the sand.
• Becky’s beagle barked and
bayed, becoming bothersome for
Billy.
• Around the rugged rock the
ragged rascal ran.
Literary Device Definition
Allusion:
• A figure of speech that makes
reference to recognizable
people, places, events, literary
works, myths, or works of
art, either directly or by
implication.
Literary Device Examples
Allusion:
• After my surgery, my intersecting stiches and
my collection of jagged scars made me feel
like Frankenstein’s monster.
• We could never find the right time to be
together even though we both secretly knew
we could make each other very happy. Every
time I was single, he was dating someone. I
was beginning to think that we were like
Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers; perhaps
our love was not meant to be.
Literary Device Definition
Symbolism:
• The practice of representing a
deeper meaning through
symbols or attributing
symbolic significance to
objects, events, or
relationships beyond their
literal appearance.
Literary Device Examples
Symbolism:
• A wedding ring symbolizes
never-ending, unbroken love
and devotion.
• A bird flying high into the
clouds symbolizes freedom.
• A snake in the grass symbolizes
deceit and temptation.
Literary Device Definition
Imagery:
• Vivid, descriptive language
that appeals to the reader’s
five senses (sight, smell, taste,
hearing, touch) and makes
them feel as though they are
experiencing a moment in the
story with the character(s).
Literary Device Example #1
Imagery:
• I lay still and took another minute to smell: I smelled the
warm, sweet, all-pervasive smell of sweat, as well as the
sour dirty laundry spilling over the basket in the hallway.
I could pick out the overwhelming smell of Claire’s putrid
feet, and her hair that smelled like the ocean. The heat
compounded the smells, doubled the fragrance. Howard
always smelled and through the house his scent seemed
always to be warm. His was a musky smell, as if the
source of a muddy river, the Nile or the Mississippi,
began right in his armpits. I had grown used to thinking
of his smell as the fresh smell of hard work. That
morning there was alfalfa on his pillow and cow manure
embedded in his tennis shoes and the cuffs of his
coveralls that lay by the bed.
Literary Device Example #2
Imagery: YOUR EXAMPLE!
• “The bright yellow school bus came to a stop with a screech on the
street corner. The smell of gasoline filled my nostrils as I stepped
anxiously onto the bus that I would ride every day for the next
four years. The bus driver greeted me with a kind voice and
smiling eyes. I eased myself into one of the stiff leather seats at
the front. My tired eyes and yawning mouth became more
prominent as the bus grew more stuffy and crowded with each
stop. Everyone had an air of nervousness about them, exemplified
by the make-up faced girls and cologne-scented guys. The ominous
clouds followed our journey, filled with heavy, humid air outside,
and inside, the bus was abuzz with the ever-present roar of
chatter. Finally, we reached the front of White Oaks Secondary
School, and my panic escalated. Bodies began to slowly file out of
the vehicle, and I awkwardly squeezed my way through the throng
of students until I was standing directly in front of the huge
building. All of a sudden, for some reason the butterflies in my
stomach disappeared, replaced with excitement. I couldn’t wait for
grade nine to begin.”
Literary Device Definition
Oxymoron:
• A literary device in which
contradictory terms appear
side by side in order to
create new meaning.
Literary Device Examples
Oxymoron:
• Jumbo shrimp
• Act natural
• You have to be cruel to be
kind
• The walking dead
• Can you find some examples
of these literary devices in
the short story, “The
Bicycle” by Jillian Horton?
Let’s see!