Literary Devices - Language Notes
LITERARY DEVICES
Alliteration - When the same consonant is repeated, at least three times, at the beginning of the words in a sentence. eg. Anna's mother had a bouncing baby boy in December.
Allusion - Making reference to a known person, place, or time in history, in order to highlight an issue or point in your writing. eg. Abigail has a Mona Lisa smile.
Allusion (biblical) - Making reference to a person, place, chapter or verse from the Bible, in order to highlight an issue or point in your writing. eg. 'My saviour, it is beautiful!'
Euphemism - When a soft, or subtle, word is used to replace a harsh one. eg. Alex's dog, Scruffy, passed away this morning.
Irony (situational) - A state of affairs, or an event, that seems deliberately contradictory to what one expects and is often - not always - wryly (mocking) amusing as a result. eg. Joshua and Brandon got a free ride, but they had paid for the tickets beforehand.
Irony (dramatic) - The situation in a literary piece where the reader/ audience is aware of present or future events that the character is unaware of. In addition, the character/ persona acts in a way that is grossly inappropriate. The outcome would have been different if the character had the same knowledge as the reader/ audience.
Irony (verbal) - When a person says the very opposite of what they mean, but not necessarily to hurt. eg. 'I want to do do something pleasant today, let's go to cemetery' said Sheila.
Metaphor - A comparison of two things without using as or like. This device can be identified by noting the two things that are being compared, then inserting 'as' or 'like', if this is possible, then you have a metaphor eg. Leah has night dark hair
Oxymoron - When two contradictory terms are placed together in order to highlight a point in ones writing eg. sweet-sorrow.
Personification - Giving non-human, or inanimate objects, human qualities. eg. The chair groaned in protest as the overweight man sat in it.
Pun - A play on words, using homonyms, homographs and homophones, for effect. eg. Amanda's chubby genes do not allow her to wear skinny jeans.
Repetition - This is where a particular word or phrase occurs consistently in a piece of writing. This is usually to emphasize a point.
Sarcasm - The use of praise to indicate dispraise. eg. 'You are such a great athlete, NOT!
Simile - A comparison of two or more objects, persons, etc., using the words 'as' or 'like'. eg. Arianna's hair is as black as night.
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.
McWatt, M, Simmonds-McDonald H. A World of Poetry for CXC. Pearson Education Limited, 2005.
Narinesingh, U, Narinesingh H. A Comprehensive English Course: CXC English A. Royards Publishing Company, 2005.
BACK PERSUASIVE WRITING STORY WRITING
- Describe a way to write that 'decorates' your words. It brings the words to life so that the reader can visualize what is being said.
- Therefore, it is imperative to use literary devices in the construction of any argumentative or persuasive piece, short story writing, as well as poetry.
- All of the examples for the list of literary devices (below) will come from the list of poems under the Short Stories and Anthologies section of Literature Notes.
- There are different types of literary devices that one can use in order to enhance their writing, and they are as follows:
Alliteration - When the same consonant is repeated, at least three times, at the beginning of the words in a sentence. eg. Anna's mother had a bouncing baby boy in December.
Allusion - Making reference to a known person, place, or time in history, in order to highlight an issue or point in your writing. eg. Abigail has a Mona Lisa smile.
Allusion (biblical) - Making reference to a person, place, chapter or verse from the Bible, in order to highlight an issue or point in your writing. eg. 'My saviour, it is beautiful!'
Euphemism - When a soft, or subtle, word is used to replace a harsh one. eg. Alex's dog, Scruffy, passed away this morning.
Irony (situational) - A state of affairs, or an event, that seems deliberately contradictory to what one expects and is often - not always - wryly (mocking) amusing as a result. eg. Joshua and Brandon got a free ride, but they had paid for the tickets beforehand.
Irony (dramatic) - The situation in a literary piece where the reader/ audience is aware of present or future events that the character is unaware of. In addition, the character/ persona acts in a way that is grossly inappropriate. The outcome would have been different if the character had the same knowledge as the reader/ audience.
Irony (verbal) - When a person says the very opposite of what they mean, but not necessarily to hurt. eg. 'I want to do do something pleasant today, let's go to cemetery' said Sheila.
Metaphor - A comparison of two things without using as or like. This device can be identified by noting the two things that are being compared, then inserting 'as' or 'like', if this is possible, then you have a metaphor eg. Leah has night dark hair
Oxymoron - When two contradictory terms are placed together in order to highlight a point in ones writing eg. sweet-sorrow.
Personification - Giving non-human, or inanimate objects, human qualities. eg. The chair groaned in protest as the overweight man sat in it.
Pun - A play on words, using homonyms, homographs and homophones, for effect. eg. Amanda's chubby genes do not allow her to wear skinny jeans.
Repetition - This is where a particular word or phrase occurs consistently in a piece of writing. This is usually to emphasize a point.
Sarcasm - The use of praise to indicate dispraise. eg. 'You are such a great athlete, NOT!
Simile - A comparison of two or more objects, persons, etc., using the words 'as' or 'like'. eg. Arianna's hair is as black as night.
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.
McWatt, M, Simmonds-McDonald H. A World of Poetry for CXC. Pearson Education Limited, 2005.
Narinesingh, U, Narinesingh H. A Comprehensive English Course: CXC English A. Royards Publishing Company, 2005.
BACK PERSUASIVE WRITING STORY WRITING
