The Top 127 Literary Devices You Need to Know to Save Your Exams

allegory

a literary work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas relating to morals, politics or religion

alliteration

words that begin with the same sound (often the repetition of letters) placed closely together

allusion

an unexplained or implicit reference to someone or something outside of the text

analogy

where two unrelated objects are compared for their shared qualities

anaphora

the repetition of the same phrase at the beginning of a sentence or clause

anecdote

a short and interesting story, or an amusing event, often proposed to support or demonstrate a point

antagonist

a character who opposes the main character

anthropomorphism

where an animal or non-human object is given human form, behaviour or personality 

antithesis

a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

aphorism

a short statement that is intended to express a general truth

apostrophe

addressing a person who is not present, or a thing that is personified

archetype

a typical example of something, or the original model of something from which others are copied

assonance

the repetition of similar sounds that are close together, created by the same vowels, or the same consonants and different vowels

asyndeton

where conjunctions are left out between words or parts of a sentence, often creating a list-like style 

ballad

a type of poem that tells a narrative which was traditionally set to music and usually written in quatrains 

bildungsroman

a narrative or novel about events and experiences in the life of the main character as they mature and become an adult

blank verse

a type of poetry that does not rhyme, usually with ten syllables in each line

caesura

a pause within a line of poetry

caricature

a highly exaggerated representation of a character in a text, often for comic effect  

catharsis

the release of strong or repressed emotions, usually by an audience

characterisation

the act of creating and describing characters in literature, including their traits and psychological make-up

chiasmus

when words, grammatical constructions or concepts are repeated in reverse order

cliché

something or someone that is not at all original, surprising or interesting because it has very often been seen before

climax

the highest point of tension or drama in a piece of writing

colloquialism

the use of informal words or phrases in writing or speech

connotation

a feeling or idea that is implied by a word that is separate from its dictionary meaning 

consonance

the same consonant sound repeated within a group of words

couplet

a pair of consecutive lines of poetry that create a complete thought or idea

denotation

the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word

denouement

the resolution of conflict in a narrative plot structure

deus ex machina

an unnatural or very unlikely end to a story or event, that solves or removes any problems easily

dialogue

the exchange of spoken words between characters in a piece of writing

direct characterisation

when an author explicitly tells a reader directly what a character is like

dramatic irony

when the audience or reader knows something the characters in the story do not

dramatic monologue

a poem written as if someone is speaking to an unseen listener about important thoughts

dystopian

an cruel or unfair society, especially an imaginary society in the future, in which there is a lot of hardship or suffering

elegy

a serious, melancholic poem, often written to mourn the loss of someone who has died

end rhyme

when the last syllables or words in two or more lines rhyme with each other

end-stopped line

a line of poetry ending in a grammatical break, for example with a full stop

enjambment

the continuing of a sentence from one line of a poem into the next line

epigraph

a poem, quotation, or sentence, usually placed at the beginning of a piece of writing

ethos

an argument that appeals to an audience’s morality by highlighting the speaker’s credibility or trustworthiness

euphemism

a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word

exposition

the description or explanation of background information within a work of literature

extended metaphor

a metaphor that is further developed throughout all or part of a piece of writing

falling action

the part of the plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the major conflict has happened

fiction

literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people

figurative language

the use of non-literal phrases or words to elicit an emotional response from a reader or audience

first person

when a story is narrated by one character from their own perspective, usually using the pronouns “I”, “me” and “my”

flashback

a device that moves the reader from the present moment in a chronological piece of writing to a scene in the past

foreshadowing

a device used by a writer to provide hints or clues to the reader or audience about what will happen later on in the text

form

the type or genre of a text that a writer has chosen to use

formal verse

a poem which uses a strict metre, rhyme and form, especially in fixed forms such as sonnets, villanelles, etc.

free verse

a poem that does not use a strict metre or rhyme scheme

genre

a specific literary style that involves a particular set of characteristics

haiku

a specific type of Japanese poem which has 17 syllables divided into three lines of five, seven, and five syllables

hamartia

the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy

heroic couplet

a verse form found in epic poetry, where the lines are in rhyming pairs

hubris

excessive pride or self-confidence

hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration used for effect

iambic pentameter

a verse line consisting of ten syllables, organised into five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables

idiom

a short expression or phrase that means something more than just its literal meaning

imagery

the use of words to describe ideas or situations

indirect characterisation

revealing details about a character without explicitly or directly stating what they are like

in medias res

a story which begins in the middle of events, without any introduction

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs between words within a verse line

intertextuality

the relationship a text may have with other texts

irony

when there is a noticeable, often humorous, difference between what is written and its intended or expected meaning

juxtaposition

the placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to bring out their differences

language

the words, phrases and literary devices a writer uses for effect

litotes

understatement used for rhetorical effect

logos

an argument that appeals to someone's sense of reason

malapropism

the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one of similar sound, often with humorous results

metaphor

a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison by relating one thing to another unrelated thing

metonymy

a figure of speech that refers to something by using a word that describes its qualities or is closely associated with it 

metre

the regular and rhythmic arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables according to a particular pattern

monologue

an extended speech uttered by one character, either to others or as if alone

motif

a recurring image or idea in a piece of writing

narrative

the description of a series of events, usually in a novel

ode

a poem, especially one that is written in praise of a particular person, thing, or event

omniscient narrator

a narrator who is all-knowing about plot, characters as well as characters’ motivations and emotions

onomatopoeia

words whose pronunciations imitate the sounds they describe

oxymoron

a figure of speech that puts together opposite elements

paradox

a statement that contradicts itself, or that must be both true and untrue at the same time

parallelism

where similar ideas are arranged in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that balance one element with another of equal importance and similar wording

parody

a humorous piece of writing, drama, or music which imitates the style of a well-known person or represents a familiar situation in an exaggerated way

pathetic fallacy

the use of inanimate objects, most commonly the weather, to reflect human feelings and tone

pathos

an appeal to an audience’s emotion, often evoking pity, sadness, or tenderness

persona

the narrative voice that a writer adopts for a specific piece of writing

personification

giving human characteristics to an inanimate object, abstract thing or an  animal 

perspective

the narrator’s point of view in a story

plot

the sequence of events that make up a narrative

polysyndeton

the overuse of the same connective (for example, using “and” in between every item in a long list)

prolepsis

where the order of events in a narrative is disrupted so that a future plot point is told earlier in the narrative than it actually occurs

prose

written language in its ordinary form (structured in sentences and paragraphs) rather than set out as poetry

protagonist

the chief character in a literary work

pun

the humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word

quatrain

a stanza of four lines

refrain

a word, line, or phrase repeated in a poem

repetition

the intentional repeating of certain words, phrases or other literary devices in a text

rhetoric

speech or writing intended to influence or persuade people

rhetorical question

a question that is used for dramatic effect that does not expect an answer

rhyme

a word that has the same last sound as another word

rhyme scheme

a poet's chosen pattern of lines whose last syllables rhyme with other lines in a poem (for example ABAB, or CDCD)

rhyming couplet

a pair of rhyming lines of poetry, typically of the same length, next to each other

rhythm

a strong pattern of sounds or words in verse or prose, determined by the relation of long and short or stressed and unstressed syllables

rising action

the section of the narrative that leads towards its climax

satire

the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices

second person

using the pronouns “you”, “your” and “yours” to refer to someone

sibilance

words which make a “s”, “z” or “sh” sound

simile

a description that uses “like” or “as” to compare two things that are not obviously similar, but share a common quality

soliloquy

a dramatic speech uttered by one character speaking aloud while alone on the stage (or while under the impression of being alone)

sonnet

a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter with a strict rhyme scheme

stanza

one of the parts into which a poem is divided

stream of consciousness

a type of narration where a character’s every thought and feeling is expressed directly to the reader

structure

the deliberate organisation of a text by an author

symbol

any image or thing that stands for something else

symbolism

a literary device in which a writer uses one thing to represent something more abstract

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

tautology

the use of different words to say the same thing twice in the same statement

tercet

a set or group of three lines of verse rhyming together or connected by rhyme with an adjacent triplet

theme

a central idea or topic in a literary or non-fiction text

third person

when the narrator of a story stands outside of the world of the story and relates the events using the pronouns “he”, “she”, “it” and “they”

tone

the attitude that a character, narrator or writer takes towards a given subject

trope

an idea, phrase or image that is recurrent in a writer's work

villanelle

a 19-line poetic form consisting of five tercets (made up of three lines) followed by a quatrain (consisting four lines)

volta

a change in mood or focus in a poem