Literary Devices

LITERARY
DEVICES
IMAGERY
Imagery refers to writing that invokes the reader’s senses with
descriptive word choice to create a more vivid and realistic
recreation of the scene in their mind.
VISUAL IMAGERY (Sight)

AUDITORY IMAGERY (Hearing/Audio)
OLFACTORY IMAGERY (Smell)
GUSTATORY IMAGERY (Taste)
TACTILE IMAGERY (Touch)
 As she stepped out of the office building, she thought the
bright, beaming sunlight would blind her.
 The toad was slimy in her hands.
 As she entered the warm house, she was welcomed by the

scents of hot apple cider and cinnamon.
 Saltiness, such as pretzels, French fries, and pepperonis.
 Noises, such as: the bang of a gun, the sound of a broom

moving across the floor, and the sound of broken glass
shattering on the hard floor.
After Apple picking- Robert Frost
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming in.
Romeo and Juliet –W. Shakespeare
O, she doth teach the torches to burn

bright! Her beauty hangs upon the cheek
of night, Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear
THINK,
PAIR,
AND SHARE
THINK, PAIR,
AND SHARE
Pair with your seatmate and think of

anything positive about him/her using five
types of imagery. In one paper, compose 5
sentences for each. After 5 minutes, I will
choose a few pairs to share their
collaborative work.
WHAT ARE LITERARY DEVICES?
“Literary device” is a broad term for all the

techniques, styles, and strategies an author uses to
enhance their writing.
Literary devices are specific techniques that allow a

writer to convey a deeper meaning that goes beyond
what's on the page.
PERSONIFICATION
Personification is when an author attributes human
characteristics metaphorically to nonhuman things like the
weather or inanimate objects. Personification is strictly
figurative, whereas anthropomorphism posits that those things
really do act like humans.
Example:
The sunlight danced.

Water on the lake shivers.
Anthropomorphism is literal. Speaking animals or
objects who talk, think, or behave like humans are all
anthropomorphic. Think of Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie
the Pooh, or Peter Rabbit. They literally act as if human.
Personification is figurative. Do you sometimes feel like

your computer hates you, especially when it’s not working
right? Well, it can’t literally hate you because it’s not human.
The leaves are dancing in a gentle Winnie the Pooh is dancing in front of
blow of wind. the mirror.
HYPERBOLE
Hyperbole is using exaggeration to add more power to
what you’re saying, often to an unrealistic or unlikely
degree.
Examples:
The car went faster than the speed of light.
That joke is so old; the last time I heard it,

I was riding a dinosaur.
ONOMATOPOEIA
Onomatopoeia refers to words that represent sounds, with
pronunciations similar to those sounds.
EUPHEMISM
A euphemism is a soft and inoffensive word or phrase that
replaces a harsh, unpleasant, or hurtful one for the sake of
sympathy or civility.
Example:
We have to let you go, Tyler.

To “let someone go” is to fire someone.
She’s a curvy woman.

“Curvy” is often used as a euphemism for “overweight.”
ALLEGORY
Allegories are narratives that represent something else entirely, like a
historical event or significant ideology, to illustrate a deeper meaning.
Sometimes the stories are entirely fabricated and only loosely tied to their
source, but sometimes the individual characters act as fictional stand-ins
for real-life historical figures.
ALLITERATION
Alliteration is the literary technique of using a sequence of words
that begin with the same letter or sound for a poetic or
whimsical effect.
Examples:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck
wood?
ALLUSION
An allusion is an indirect reference to another figure, event, place, or
work of art that exists outside the story. Allusions are made to famous
subjects so that they don’t need explanation—the reader should
already understand the reference.
"Nothing Gold Can Stay" (1923) by Robert Frost
Then leaf subsides to leaf. Biblical allusion based on the Garden

So Eden sank to grief, of Eden which strengthens the idea
So dawn goes down to day. that nothing – even the Paradise –
Nothing gold can stay. can last forever.
ANAGRAM
An anagram is a word
puzzle where the author
rearranges the letters in a
word or phrase to make a
new word or phrase.
FORESHADOWING
Foreshadowing is the technique of hinting at future events in a story
using subtle parallels, usually to generate more suspense or engage
the reader’s curiosity.
Example: In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker’s vision of himself

wearing Darth Vader’s mask foreshadows the later revelation that
Vader is in fact Luke’s father.
METAPHOR
Similar to an analogy, a metaphor is a figure of speech that compares
two different things to show their similarities by insisting that they’re
the same.
Example:
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts. . .”
—William Shakespeare, As You Like It
MOOD
A story’s mood is the emotional response the author is targeting. A
writer sets the mood not just with the plot and characters, but also
with tone and the aspects they choose to describe.
Example: In the horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, the literary mood
of vampires is scary and ominous, but in the comedic film What We Do
In Shadows, the literary mood of vampires is friendly and light-
hearted.
OXYMORON
An oxymoron combines two contradictory words to give them a
deeper and more poetic meaning.
Example: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” —William

Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
PARADOX
Similar to an oxymoron, a paradox combines two contradictory ideas
in a way that, although illogical, still seems to make sense.
Example: “I know only one thing, and that is I know nothing.” —

Socrates in Plato’s Apology
PERSONIFICATION
Personification is when an author attributes human characteristics
metaphorically to nonhuman things like the weather or inanimate
objects. Personification is strictly figurative, whereas
anthropomorphism posits that those things really do act like humans.
Example: “The heart wants what it wants—or else it does not care . . .”
—Emily Dickinson
SIMILE
Like metaphors, similes also compare two different things to point out
their similarities. However, the difference between similes and
metaphors is that similes use the words “like” or “as” to soften the
connection and explicitly show it’s just a comparison.
Example: “Time has not stood still. It has washed over me, washed me
away, as if I’m nothing more than a woman of sand, left by a careless
child too near the water.” —Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
TONE
Tone refers to the language and word choice an author uses with their
subject matter, like a playful tone when describing children playing, or
a hostile tone when describing the emergence of a villain. If you’re
confused about tone vs. mood, tone refers mostly to individual aspects
and details, while mood refers to the emotional attitude of the entire
piece of work.
Example: Told in the first person, J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the

Rye uses the angsty and sardonic tone of its teenage protagonist to
depict the character’s mindset, including slang and curse words.
QUIZ
Test 1. Read and analyze the definition. Give the correct name of each item.
1. ________ are specific techniques that allow a writer to convey a deeper meaning that
goes beyond what's on the page.
2. Use the words “like” or “as” to soften the connection and explicitly show it’s just a
comparison.
3. A literary device that uses soft and inoffensive word or phrase that replaces a harsh,
unpleasant, or hurtful one for the sake of sympathy or civility.
4. A literary technique of using a sequence of words that begin with the same letter or
sound for a poetic or whimsical effect.
5. Using exaggeration to add more power to what you’re saying, often to an unrealistic or
unlikely degree.
QUIZ
Test II. Identify what literary device is used in the examples.
1. Pretty Ugly
2. I was going to look for my missing watch, but I didn’t have the time.
3. Bang! Bang! Bang!
4. My house is a million miles away.
5. The streets are calling me.
6. Her heart is a stone.
7. The metal twisted like a ribbon.
8. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could
chuck wood?
9. If I know one thing, it's that I know nothing.
10. Fried = Fired
QUIZ
Test III. Provide an example out from the following literary devices.
1. Anagram
2. Imagery
3. Personification
4. Hyperbole
5. Metaphor

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LITERARY

VISUAL IMAGERY (Sight)

 The toad was slimy in her hands.

 As she entered the warm house, she was welcomed by the

 Saltiness, such as pretzels, French fries, and pepperonis.

 Noises, such as: the bang of a gun, the sound of a broom

I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

Romeo and Juliet –W. Shakespeare

O, she doth teach the torches to burn

Pair with your seatmate and think of

“Literary device” is a broad term for all the

Literary devices are specific techniques that allow a

The sunlight danced.

Personification is figurative. Do you sometimes feel like

The car went faster than the speed of light.

That joke is so old; the last time I heard it,

We have to let you go, Tyler.

She’s a curvy woman.

"Nothing Gold Can Stay" (1923) by Robert Frost

Then leaf subsides to leaf. Biblical allusion based on the Garden

Example: In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker’s vision of himself

Example: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” —William

Example: “I know only one thing, and that is I know nothing.” —

Example: Told in the first person, J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the

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