literary devices figure of speech

Figure of Speech

Figure of Speech Definition

What is a figure of speech? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

A figure of speech is a literary device in which language is used in an unusual—or "figured"—way in order to produce a stylistic effect. Figures of speech can be broken into two main groups: figures of speech that play with the ordinary meaning of words (such as metaphor , simile , and hyperbole ), and figures of speech that play with the ordinary arrangement or pattern in which words are written (such as alliteration , ellipsis , and antithesis ).

Some additional key details about figures of speech:

• The ancient Greeks and Romans exhaustively listed, defined, and categorized figures of speech in order to better understand how to effectively use language. The names of most figures of speech derive from the original Greek or Latin.
• Figures of speech that play with the literal meaning of words are called tropes , while figures of speech that play with the order or pattern of words are called schemes .
• Figures of speech can take many forms. A figure of speech can involve a single word, a phrase, an omission of a word or phrase, a repetition of words or sounds, or specific sentence structures.

Figure of Speech Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce figure of speech: fig -yer of speech

Figures of Speech vs. Figurative Language

There's a lot of confusion about the difference between the terms "figures of speech" and " figurative language ." Most of the confusion stems from the fact that different people often use "figurative language" to mean slightly different things. The two most common (and most acceptable) definitions of figurative language are:

• Figurative language refers to any language that contains figures of speech. According to this definition, figurative language and figures of speech are not quite the same thing, but it's pretty darn close. The only difference is that figures of speech refer to each specific type of a figure of speech, while figurative language refers more generally to any language that contains any kind of figures of speech.
• Figurative language refers to words or expressions that have non-literal meanings : This definition associates figurative language only with the category of figures of speech called tropes (which are figures of speech that play with the literal meaning of words). So according to this definition, figurative language would be any language that contains tropes, but not language that contains the figures of speech called schemes.

You might encounter people using figurative speech to mean either of the above, and it's not really possible to say which is correct. But if you know about these two different ways of relating figurative language and figures of speech, you'll be in pretty good shape.

Figures of Speech, Tropes, and Schemes

The oldest and still most common way to organize figures of speech is to split them into two main groups: tropes and schemes.

• Tropes are figures of speech that involve a deviation from the expected and literal meaning of words.
• Schemes are figures of speech that involve a deviation from the typical mechanics of a sentence, such as the order, pattern, or arrangement of words.

The scheme/trope classification system is by no means the only way to organize figures of speech (if you're interested, you can find all sorts of different categorization methods for figures of speech here ). But it is the most common method, and is both simple and structured enough to help you understand figures of speech.

Generally, a trope uses comparison, association, or wordplay to play with the literal meaning of words or to layer another meaning on top of a word's literal meaning. Some of the most commonly used tropes are explained briefly below, though you can get even more detail on each from its specific LitCharts entry.

• Metaphor : A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one thing is another thing, even though this isn't literally true. For example, if someone says "it's raining cats and dogs," this obviously doesn't literally mean what it says—it's a metaphor that makes a comparison between the weight of "cats and dogs" and heavy rain. Metaphors are tropes because their effect relies not on the mechanics of the sentence, but rather on the association created by the use of the phrase "cats and dogs" in a non-literal manner.
• Simile : A simile, like a metaphor, makes a comparison between two unrelated things. However, instead of stating that one thing is another thing (as in metaphor), a simile states that one thing is like another thing. To stick with cats and dogs, an example of a simile would be to say "they fought like cats and dogs."
• Oxymoron : An oxymoron pairs contradictory words in order to express new or complex meanings. In the phrase "parting is such sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet , "sweet sorrow" is an oxymoron that captures the complex and simultaneous feelings of pain and pleasure associated with passionate love. Oxymorons are tropes because their effect comes from a combination of the two words that goes beyond the literal meanings of those words.
• Hyperbole : A hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration of the truth, used to emphasize the importance of something or to create a comic effect. An example of a hyperbole is to say that a backpack "weighs a ton." No backpack literally weighs a ton, but to say "my backpack weighs ten pounds" doesn't effectively communicate how burdensome a heavy backpack feels. Once again, this is a trope because its effect comes from understanding that the words mean something different from what they literally say.

Other Common Tropes

• Antanaclasis
• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Periphrasis
• Rhetorical Question

Schemes are mechanical—they're figures of speech that tinker with words, sounds, and structures (as opposed to meanings) in order to achieve an effect. Schemes can themselves be broken down in helpful ways that define the sort of tinkering they employ.

• Repetition: Repeating words, phrases, or even sounds in a particular way.
• Omission: Leaving out certain words or punctuation that would normally be expected.
• Changes of word order: Shifting around words or phrases in atypical ways.
• Balance: Creating sentences or phrases with equal parts, often through the use of identical grammatical structures.

Some of the most commonly used schemes are explained briefly below, though you can get even more detail on each from its specific LitCharts entry.

• Alliteration : In alliteration, the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “ B ob b rought the b ox of b ricks to the b asement.” Alliteration uses repetition to create a musical effect that helps phrases to stand out from the language around them.
• Assonance : A scheme in which vowel sounds repeat in nearby words, such as the "ee" sound in the proverb: "the squ ea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se." Like alliteration, assonance uses repeated sounds to create a musical effect in which words echo one another—it's a scheme because this effect is achieved through repetition of words with certain sounds, not by playing with the meaning of words.
• Ellipsis : The deliberate omission of one or more words from a sentence because their meaning is already implied. In the example, "Should I call you, or you me?" the second clause uses ellipsis. While its implication is "or should you call me," the context of the sentence allows for the omission of "should" and "call." Ellipsis is a scheme because it involves an uncommon usage of language.
• Parallelism : The repetition of sentence structure for emphasis and balance. This can occur in a single sentence, such as "a penny saved is a penny earned," and it can also occur over the course of a speech, poem, or other text. Parallelism is a scheme because it creates emphasis through the mechanics of sentence structure, rather than by playing with the actual meanings of words.

Other Common Schemes

• Anadiplosis
• Antimetabole
• Brachylogia
• Epanalepsis
• Parenthesis
• Polysyndeton

Figure of Speech Examples

Figures of speech can make language more inventive, more beautiful, more rhythmic, more memorable, and more meaningful. It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that figures of speech are plentiful in all sorts of written language. The examples below show a variety of different types of figures of speech. You can see many more examples of each type at their own specific LitChart entries.

Figures of Speech Examples in Literature

Literature is riddled with figures of speech because figures of speech make language colorful and complex.

Metaphor in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca

On and on, now east now west, wound the poor thread that once had been our drive. Sometimes I thought it lost, but it appeared again, beneath a fallen tree perhaps, or struggling on the other side of a muddied ditch created by the winter rains.

In this quote from Rebecca , Daphne du Maurier refers to a washed-out road as "the poor thread." This is a metaphor —and a trope—because the writer indirectly compares the thread to the road and expects that readers will understand that "thread" is not used literally.

Parallelism in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

In the famous opening line of A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens uses parallelism —a scheme in which parts of a sentence repeat—in order to emphasize the contradictions of the time in which the book is set. Dickens has manipulated his sentence structure so that the parallel clauses emphasize the oppositional nature of his words ("it was the best of times, it was the worst of times"). The figure of speech doesn't play with the meaning of words, it emphasizes them through structure and repetition, which is why it is a scheme.

Alliteration in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark"

In this manner, s electing it as the s ymbol of his wife's liability to s in, s orrow, d ecay, and d eath, Aylmer's s ombre imagination was not long in rendering the birthmark a frightful object, causing him more trouble and horror than ever Georgiana's beauty, whether of s oul or s ense, had given him delight.

This passage from " The Birthmark " uses alliteration to tie together all of the things that Georgiana's birthmark is supposed to symbolize. By using words that alliterate—"sin and sorrow" and "decay and death," for example—Hawthorne is making the reader feel that these ideas are connected, rather than simply stating that they are connected. Alliteration is a figure of speech—a scheme—because it uses the mechanics of language to emphasize meaning.

Verbal Irony in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, all honorable men,

This quote from Julius Caesar comes from Marc Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral. Antony needs to hold Brutus and his conspirators accountable for Caesar's death without contradicting the crowd's positive impression of Brutus, so Antony uses verbal irony to simultaneously please and trouble the crowd. On the surface, Antony says what the audience wants to hear (that Brutus is honorable), but it becomes clear over the course of his speech that he means the opposite of what he says (and over time he convinces the audience to believe this opposite meaning as well). This is a figure of speech (a trope) because it's based on a play on the meaning of Antony's words.

Figures of Speech Examples in Music

Figures of speech are also common in music. Schemes fit naturally with songs because both schemes and songs manipulate sound and rhythm to enhance the meanings of words. Music also uses many tropes, because using words that have meanings beyond their literal ones makes language more interesting, and it allows songwriters to create music that uses just a few words to imply a complex meaning.

Assonance and Metaphor in Rihanna's "Diamonds"

So sh ine br igh t ton igh t, you and I We're beautiful l i ke d i amonds in the sk y Eye to eye , so al i ve We're beautiful l i ke d i amonds in the sk y

Rihanna uses assonance when she repeats the " eye " sound throughout the chorus of "Diamonds." This make the words echo one another, which emphasizes the similarity between the singer, the person she's talking about, and the "diamonds in the sky" to which she's comparing them both. Assonance is a scheme because it's using the sound of words—not their meaning—to draw a parallel between different things.

Rihanna also uses the phrase "Diamonds in the sky" as a metaphor for stars. This is a trope—a phrase that means something other than what it literally says—as Rihanna obviously doesn't think that there are actually diamonds in the sky. This verse is a good example of how figures of speech can often work together and overlap. In this case, the metaphor that allows her to use "diamonds" instead of "stars" also fits into her use of assonance (because "stars" lacks the "eye" sound).

Personification in Green Day's "Good Riddance"

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

While the first line of this song uses "a fork stuck in the road" as a metaphor for a choice, the more arresting figure of speech at work here is the personification of time in the second line. By giving "time" human characteristics—the ability to grab a person and tell them where to go—Green Day is helping listeners to make sense of the power that time has over people. This is a trope because the line doesn't mean what it literally says; instead, it's asking listeners to make a comparison between the characteristics of time and the characteristics of a person.

Anastrophe in Public Enemy's "Fight the Power"

Straight up racist that sucker was Simple and plain

In the line "Straight up racist that sucker was," Public Enemy uses anastrophe (which is the inversion of typical word order) to preserve the rhythm of the verse. Instead of saying "That sucker was straight up racist," Public Enemy chooses an odd phrasing that has one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables— " ra cist that su cker was/ Sim ple and plain ." This way, the beat falls more regularly across those two lines, which allows the rapper to make his point (that Elvis was racist) without the flow sounding awkward. Since anastrophe manipulates the order of words in order to achieve a rhythmic effect, it's a scheme.

Why Do Writers Use Figures of Speech?

Figures of speech is a category that encompasses a broad variety of literary terms, so it's difficult to give one answer to this question. Writers use different figures of speech to achieve different effects.

Schemes (figures of speech that manipulate sound, syntax, and word order) can make language more beautiful, persuasive, or memorable. Writers can use schemes to draw attention to an important passage, to create a sound that mirrors (or contrasts with) the meaning of words, or to give language a rhythm that draws the reader in. As schemes tend to work through sound and rhythm, they generally produce a visceral effect, or an effect felt in the body—broadly speaking, schemes are more sensory than intellectual.

In contrast, writers use tropes to grab the reader intellectually by adding complexity or ambiguity to an otherwise simple word or phrase. Tropes can ask the reader to make a comparison between two unlike things, they can impose human qualities on nonhumans, and they can mean the opposite of what they say. Tropes engage the intellect because the reader has to be alert to the fact that tropes do not use language at face value—a trope never means what it literally says.

All figures of speech help a writer to communicate ideas that are difficult to say in words or that are more effectively communicated non-verbally. This could be by repeating harsh consonants to create a scary atmosphere, or by using a metaphor to impose the qualities of something concrete (say, a rose) onto something more difficult to define (say, love). In general, figures of speech attempt to bring out a reader's emotion and to capture their attention by making language more colorful, surprising, and complex.

Other Helpful Figure of Speech Resources

• Silva Rhetoricae on Figures of Speech : An excellent reference from BYU that explains the various ways that figures of speech have been categorized over history, including into schemes and tropes.
• Silva Rhetoricae on schemes and tropes :
• The Oxford Reference Page for Figure of Speech : A helpful definition of figures of speech in the context of the ancient study of rhetoric (did you know that the Roman rhetorician Quintillian defined "figure of speech" in 95 AD?)
• What Are Tropes in Language? Skip to the "Distinction Between Figures and Tropes" section and read to the end—full of informative and thought-provoking discussion about tropes.
• A YouTube video about tropes and schemes with pop culture examples.

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• Alliteration
• Climax (Figure of Speech)
• Figurative Language
• Parallelism
• Verbal Irony
• Dynamic Character
• External Conflict
• Understatement
• Point of View
• Slant Rhyme
• Anthropomorphism
• Rising Action
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• Literary Terms
• Figures of Speech
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Figures of Speech

I. What are Figures of Speech?

A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative language—language that has other meaning than its normal definition. In other words, figures of speeches rely on implied or suggested meaning, rather than a dictionary definition.  We express and develop them through hundreds of different rhetorical techniques, from specific types like metaphors and similes , to more general forms like sarcasm and slang.

Figures of speech make up a huge portion of the English language, making it more creative, more expressive, and just more interesting! Many have been around for hundreds of years—some even thousands—and more are added to our language essentially every day. This article will focus on a few key forms of figures of speech, but remember, the types are nearly endless!

III. Types of Figure of Speech

There are countless figures of speech in every language, and they fall into hundreds of categories. Here, though, is a short list of some of the most common types of figure of speech:

A. Metaphor

Many common figures of speech are metaphors. That is, they use words in a manner other than their literal meaning. However, metaphors use figurative language to make comparisons between unrelated things or ideas. The “peak of her career,” for example, is a metaphor, since a career is not a literal mountain with a peak , but the metaphor represents the idea of arriving at the highest point of one’s career.

An idiom is a common phrase with a figurative meaning. Idioms are different from other figures of speech in that their figurative meanings are mostly known within a particular language, culture, or group of people. In fact, the English language alone has about 25,000 idioms. Some examples include “it’s raining cats and dogs” when it is raining hard, or “break a leg” when wishing someone good luck.

This sentence uses an idiom to make it more interesting:

There’s a supermarket and a pharmacy in the mall, so if we go there, we can kill two birds with one stone.

The idiom is a common way of saying that two tasks can be completed in the same amount of time or same place.

A proverb is a short, commonplace saying that is universally understood in today’s language and used to express general truths. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a popular example. Most proverbs employ metaphors (e.g. the proverb about milk isn’t  literally  about milk).

This example uses a proverb to emphasize the situation:

I know you think you’re going to sell all of those cookies, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch!

Here, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” means that you shouldn’t act like something has happened before it actually does.

A simile is a very common figure of speech that uses the words “like” and “as” to compare two things that are not related by definition. For example, “he is as tall as a mountain,” doesn’t mean he was actually 1,000 feet tall, it just means he was really tall.

This example uses a simile for comparison:

The internet is like a window to the world —you can learn about everything online!

The common phrase “window to the world” refers to a hypothetical window that lets you see the whole world from it. So, saying the internet is like a window to the world implies that it lets you see anything and everything.

E. Oxymoron

An oxymoron is when you use two words together that have contradictory meanings. Some common examples include s mall crowd, definitely possible, old news, little giant , and so on.

A metonym is a word or phrase that is used to represent something related to bigger meaning. For example, fleets are sometimes described as being “thirty sails strong,” meaning thirty (curiously, this metonym survives in some places, even when the ships in question are not sail-powered!) Similarly, the crew on board those ships may be described as “hands” rather than people.

Irony is when a word or phrase’s literal meaning is the opposite of its figurative meaning. Many times (but not always), irony is expressed with sarcasm (see Related Terms). For example, maybe you eat a really bad cookie, and then say “Wow, that was the best cookie I ever had”—of course, what you really mean is that it’s the worst cookie you ever had, but being ironic actually emphasizes just how bad it was!

IV. The Importance of Figures of Speech

In general, the purpose of a figure of speech is to lend texture and color to your writing. (This is itself a figure of speech, since figures of speech don’t actually change the colors or textures on the page!) For instance, metaphors allow you to add key details that make the writing more lively and relatable. Slang and verbal irony, on the other hand, make the writing seem much more informal and youthful (although they can have the opposite effect when misused!) Finally, other figures of speech, like idioms and proverbs, allows a writer to draw on a rich cultural tradition and express complex ideas in a short space.

V. Examples of Figures of Speech in Literature

“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)

This is one of the most famous metaphors ever crafted in the English language. Shakespeare uses his extended metaphor to persuade the audience of the similarities between the stage and real life. But rather than making his play seem more like life, he suggests that life is more like a play. His metaphor calls attention to the performative, creative, and fictional aspects of human life.

“Our words are b ut crumbs that fall down from the feast o f the mind.” (Khalil Gibran, Sand & Foam )

Gibran’s timeless metaphor succeeds for a number of reasons. For one thing, it is not a cliché – had Gibran said “words are just the tip of the iceberg ,” he would have been making roughly the same point, but in a much more clichéd way. But the feast of the mind is a highly original metaphor. In addition, it’s a successful double metaphor. The crumbs and the feast are two parts of the same image, but they work together rather than being “mixed” (see How to Use Figures of Speech ).

“If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.” (Russian Proverb)

Like many proverbs, this one draws on a simple metaphor of chasing rabbits. The rabbits can stand in for all sorts of objectives, from jobs to relationships, but the coded message is quite clear – focus your energy on a single objective, or you will likely fail. This literal statement, though, is quite dry and not terribly memorable, which shows the power of figures of speech.

VI. Examples of Figures of Speech in Pop Culture

The chorus to Sean Kingston’s Fire Burning contains a couple of figures of speech. First of all, there’s the word “shorty” used as a slang term (see Related Terms ) for a young woman. She may or may not be literally short, but the figure of speech applies either way (though it could easily be taken as belittling and derogatory). Second, Kingston sings the metaphor: “she’s fire, burning on the dance floor.” Hopefully this is a figure of speech and not a literal statement; otherwise, Kingston and everyone else in the club are in mortal danger!

“Oh, thanks! This is much better!” (Townspeople, South Park )

This is an example of irony. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, South Park satirized the government’s response to the disaster by writing about a similar disaster in South Park. In a bumbling effort to rescue people from the floods, the authorities accidentally spill oil on the flood waters and set it on fire, making the situation far more dangerous. In response, they ironically “thank” the people responsible—their meaning is obviously the opposite of their words!

Years of talks between Washington and Havana resulted in Obama’s historic visit to Cuba on March 21st. (Patreon 2016)

This is a common form of metonym in foreign policy and news media. The capital city of a country is used as a metonym for the national government. The talks, of course, are not literally between these two cities, but between the leaders and government officials of the two countries (US and Cuba).

VII. Related Terms

Literal and figurative language.

Language is generally divided into two categories: literal, and figurative. Literal language relies on the real definition of words and phrases, or their literal meanings. Figurative language, on the other hand, relies on implied meanings, which can be understood differently depending on the location or who is using it. For example, “the sky is blue” relies on the literal definition of the word “blue,” while “I am feeling blue” relies on the figurative definition. All figures of speech rely on the use of figurative language for their meaning.

Sarcasm is mocking or bitter language that we use to express different meaning than what we say; often the exact opposite. When your intended meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning, that’s irony (another type of figure of speech), which includes common phrases like “Oh, great…” when you really mean something is bad.

Slang is language that uses atypical words and phrases to express specific meanings. It varies greatly by region, demographic, and language—for example, you would find different slang in the U.S. and in the U.K. even though they are both English speaking countries. Likewise, teenagers and the elderly will use different slang terms, as would Spanish and English. Many slang terms are figures of speech. For example, “bro” could be used to describe a friend rather than an actual brother; this would be using the word as a figure of speech.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

figure of speech

What is a figure of speech definition, usage, and literary examples, figure of speech definition.

Figures of speech  (FIG-yurs of SPEEchuh) are words or phrases used in a non-literal sense for  rhetorical  effect. They are often constructed using literary devices such as  metaphor ,  simile ,  alliteration , metonymy, synecdoche, and personification. Figures of speech allow writers to apply familiar ideas and  imagery  to less familiar concepts, and they are widespread in written and spoken language.

Figure of Speech Categories

Figures of speech fall into two broad categories: tropes and scheme. These are  dozens of figures of speech  that fall into each category, so the following are a select few examples.

These are figures of speech that play with syntax, sound, and words. They often achieve their effects by utilizing repetition of words, phrases, or sounds; omission of words or punctuation; unexpected changes in word order; or paired identical grammatical structures.

• Alliteration : Repeating consonant sounds in a series of words
• Diacope: Repeating words or phrases, interrupted by one or two other words
• Homonyms: Identical words that have different meanings
• Sibilance: Repeating hissing sounds
• Asyndeton: Omitting conjunctions between related series of clauses
• Brachylogia: Omitting conjunctions between individual words
• Ellipsis: Omitting words without losing  context  or understanding
• Syncope: Omitting word or phrase parts

Changes in Word Order

• Anastrophe: Rearranging the subject, object and verb order in a phrase
• Apposition: Two phrases, often separated by commas, where the second defines the first
• Parenthesis: A rhetorical, qualifying phrase inserted into a sentence or passage
• Spoonerism: Switching syllables between two words

Paired Grammatical Structures

• Antithesis : Juxtaposing ideas
• Isocolon: Consecutive phrases of identical length in words or syllables
• Parallelism: Similar grammatical structure between two or more clauses
• Tricolon: Three consecutive phrases of identical length in words or syllables

These are figures of speech that deviate in some way from the literal meanings of words. They tend to include association or comparison to shift readers’ perceptions from words’ true definitions to a layered figurative meaning. They can be broken into five categories: reference, word play/puns, substitutions, overstatement/understatement, and inversion.

• Allegory : A narrative that is an indirect metaphor for a broader, real-world concept
• Allusion : An intertextual reference to another creative work
• Metaphor : A direct comparison between two unrelated things
• Personification: Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities

Word Play/Puns

• Innuendo: A phrase or  sentence  with a hidden (often salacious) meaning
• Malapropism: Confusing a word with a similar sounding one
• Paraprosdokian : An unexpected ending to a phrase
• Pun : Word play that makes use of a word’s multiple meanings

Substitutions

• Dysphemism: Using a harsh word or phrase to replace a gentler one
• Euphemism : Using a more agreeable word or phrase to replace an offensive one
• Metonymy: Replacing a word or term with something associated with it
• Synecdoche: Referring to a whole by its part(s) or vice versa

Overstatement/Understatement

• Grandiloquence: Speech that is pompous or grandiose
• Hyperbole : An emphatic exaggeration
• Litotes : Emphasizing a statement by negating its opposite
• Satire: Criticism of society through humorous means
• Irony : Conveying the opposite of a word’s literal meaning
• Oxymoron : Using contradictory words together
• Paradox: Using contradictory ideas to make a point
• Synesthesia: Using sensory-specific words to describe a different sense

Most Common Figures of Speech

The following are some of the most common figures of speech that appear in literature and other written forms.

• Alliteration :  This is a scheme that uses repetition of the same first consonant sound to create a musical effect. “Francine found France quite lovely” is an example of alliteration because of the repeating  f  sound in the words  Francine ,  found , and  France .
• Apostrophe:  With apostrophe, a speaker directly addresses an inanimate object, an abstract concept, or a person who is either imaginary or not present. John Donne use apostrophe in his poem “ Holy Sonnet: Death, be not proud ,” wherein he speaks directly to a personified idea of death.
• Chiasmus:  This is a scheme where the second half of an expression is balanced against the first half in a reversed order. “You should eat to live, not live to eat” is one example; it repeats the words  eat  and  live  but reverses the order the second time they occur.
• Euphemism:  This literary device takes a mild or indirect word or expression and replaces something harsh, unpleasant, or offensive with it. Saying someone  passed on  is a euphemism for  died ;  powder my nose  is a euphemism for  go to the bathroom .
• Hyperbole:  This is the use of exaggeration for emphasis or heightened effect. “If I don’t nap right now, I will die” is a hyperbolic statement; it conveys the experience of feeling tired, but readers understand the speaker won’t literally die.
• Irony:  This literary device occurs when words are used to convey the opposite of their meaning or when a situation seems directly contrary to what is expected. Famously, Alanis Morissette’s song “Ironic” lists many situations she deems ironic when they aren’t ironic at all; thus, irony.
• Litotes:  This figure of speech refers to a type of understatement. It is used to negate a statement in a way that actually affirms it. For example, saying “That’s no small chunk of change” indicates that the sum in question is, in fact, large.
• Metaphor :  A form of trope, metaphors make an implicit comparison between two unrelated things. “Love is a battlefield” is metaphoric, as it implies the experience of being in love is the same as being on a battlefield.
• Onomatopoeia :  Words that are onomatopoeic evoke the sounds of the thing they are referring to.  Hiss ,  crash , and  tick tock  are all examples because they sound like what they are describing—the sound of a snake, thunder, and a clock, respectively.
• Oxymoron:  This literary device consists of contradictory words paired together. Although the words initially appear to negate each other, they make sense when joined.  Deafening silence  is an oxymoronic pair; the adjective  deafening  means “a volume so high that nothing can be heard over it,” and the noun  silence  means “without sound.” These words are incongruous, but together they mean an overbearing, noticeable absence of sound.
• Personification:  When greater qualities of animation are given to a non-human or inanimate object, that is personification. In T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” fog is described as “The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes/The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes.” Here, Eliot is personifying the fog by giving it the attributes of a cat.
• Pun :  This is a humorous play on words, often using homonyms, homographs, or homophones. For example, “I’ve been to the dentist many times, so I know the drill” is a pun; it plays with the double meaning of the word  drill  as a tool of the dentistry trade and as a concept of something being routine.
• Simile :  Related to metaphors, similes are explicit comparisons made using the words  like  or  as . “Lucille’s dress was as red as a fire truck” makes an explicit comparison between the color of the dress and the color of a fire truck. This allows the reader to properly visualize what Lucille is wearing.
• Synecdoche:  This is a figure of speech wherein a part of something stands in for the whole thing. “All hands on deck” is a synecdoche because  hands  stands in for the whole crew of a ship.”

Figure of Speech and Figurative Language

People often use the terms  figurative language  and  figure of speech  interchangeably; however, they are not the same. Instead, figurative language is a broad category that contains figures of speech, as well as  imagery  and  sound devices .

Imagery adds additional aesthetic resonance to texts through the evocation of sensory details. Sound devices enhance the text through sonic means. These elements, in conjunction with figures of speech, give a deeper meaning to the language a writer uses in their work.

Why Figures of Speech Are Used

These literary devices emphasize, embellish, or clarify written or spoken language. They allow an audience to understand ideas through implied or suggested meaning, thus giving the language a more surprising, creative, and playful effect. Some figures of speech enhance imagery, while others allow writers to employ rich cultural traditions to express their ideas. Even further, other figures of speech allow writers to experiment with structure and sound to create specific effects. No matter which type is used, the expressive quality of figures of speech helps keep audiences engaged.

Examples of Figures of Speech in Literature

1. Hafizah Geter, “ Testimony ”

Geter begins her  poem :

Mr. President,

After they shot me they tackled my sister.

the sound of her knees hitting the sidewalk

made my stomach ache. It was a bad pain.

The poem is a  dramatic monologue  spoken by Tamir Rice, a 12-year old black child who was killed by police officers who mistook his toy gun for a real one. This poem uses apostrophe as the speaker, Tamir, talks directly to “Mr. President” (then president Barack Obama).

2. William Shakespeare,   Macbeth

In Act III, Scene iii., of this play, before King Duncan’s murder is discovered, Lennox and Macbeth converse:

LENNOX: The night has been unruly: where we lay,

Our chimneys were blown down: and, as they say,

Lamentings heard i’the air; strange screams of death,

And prophesying with accents terrible

Of fire combustion and confused events

New hatch’d to the woeful time: the obscure bird

Clamour’d the livelong night: some say, the earth

Was feverous and did shake.

MACBETH: ‘Twas a rough night.

LENNOX: My young remembrance cannot parallel

A fellow to it.

Pathetic fallacy is a type of trope. It occurs when human feelings and attributes are ascribed to nature. This figure of speech is used throughout this  Shakespearean  tragedy. In this particular scene, Lennox describes how terrible and strange the weather was on the evening of the murder. The way the wind and earth seem to embody the horror of King Duncan’s death is pathetic fallacy.

3. Karl Marx,   Das Kapital

In Part I (“Commodities and Money”) of Marx’s treatise on economics, philosophy, history, and political science, he claims:

In the pre-capitalist stages of society, commerce rules industry. In capitalist society, industry rules commerce.

These two sentences are an example of chiasmus. Here, “commerce” first rules “industry,” and then “industry” rules “commerce.” By reversing the order of these words/concepts, Marx employs chiasmus.

4. Toni Morrison,  Sula

The last line of Morrison’s novel is considered by some to be one of the best lines in fiction and nonfiction. The sentence describes protagonist Nel’s grief at the death of her childhood friend Sula:

It was a fine cry—loud and long—but it had no bottom and it had no top, just circles and circles of sorrow.

This sentence is rich in alliteration: “loud and long” contain  L  sounds at the beginning, as well as the repetition of  c  and  s  sounds with  cry ,  circles ,  circles , and  sorrow . The latter is also an example of sibilance.

5. Oscar Wilde,   The Importance of Being Earnest

In Wilde’s play, the main characters John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff pose as men named Ernest, only for Jack to learn that his given name really is Ernest. He delivers the final line of the play:

On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital importance of being Earnest.

Jack/Ernest’s declaration is a homographic pun. It means both that he understands the importance of being Ernest (his real name), as well as the importance of being  earnest  (sincere).

6. Aimee Nezhukumatathil, “ On Listening to Your Teacher Take Attendance ”

In this poem, Nezhukumatathil describes the experience of one’s name being mispronounced by a teacher taking attendance:

everyone turns around to check out

your face, no need to flush red and warm.

Just picture all the eyes as if your classroom

is one big scallop with its dozens of icy blues

and you will remember that winter your family

took you to the China see and you sank

your face in it to gaze at baby clams and sea stars

She uses a simile, “Just picture all the eyes as if your classroom/is one big scallop with its dozens of icy blues,” to explicitly compare the staring kids to the dozens of eyes that a sea scallop has.

Further Resources on Figure of Speech

Thought Catalog has a wonderful list of  figures of speech used by Homer Simpson  in  The Simpsons.

Jamcampus published a  great list  of twenty examples of metaphors in popular songs.

This is an entertaining round up of  oxymorons .

SuperSummary's library of resources and content , such as " A Beginner's Guide to Literary Analysis " and " How to Write a Summary ."

Related Terms

• Figurative language

Figure of Speech

Definition of Figure of Speech A figure of speech is a phrase or phrase having extraordinary meanings than its literal meanings. It conveys meaning by figuring out or comparing one element to another, which has connotation or meaning acquainted to the audience. That is why it's far useful in growing bright rhetorical effect. Types of figures of Speech There are many forms of figures of speech. Here are a few of them with exact descriptions: Personification It takes place while a creator offers human tendencies to non-human or inanimate items. It is similar to metaphors and similes that also use comparison between two gadgets. For instance, “Hadn’t she felt it in each contact of the sunshine, as its golden finger-pointers pressed her lids open and wound their way via her hair?” (“The Mother’s Recompense” by using Edith Wharton) In the above lines, the speaker is personifying sunshine as it has finger suggestions that wound their way into her hair. This is trait of the use of finger-suggestions in hair is a human one. Understatement and Hyperbole These figures of speech are opposite to every other. Hyperbole makes use of intense exaggeration. It exaggerates to lay emphasis on a certain first-class or feature. It stirs up emotions the various readers, those emotions will be about happiness, romance, inspiration, laughter or sadness. I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you Till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing inside the street.” (“As I Walked Out One Evening” via W.H. Auden) In this poem, Auden has used hyperbole to stress on how lengthy his love his loved would last. Just consider while China and Africa could meet and might river jump up over the mountains? How salmon may be intelligent enough so that it may sing and evolve sufficient and stroll the streets? Whereas understatement makes use of much less than whatever is intended, along with, “You killed my own family. And I don’t like that kind of aspect.” (“The Chosen One” by means of Boon Collins and Rob Schneider) In this line, the speaker is the use of an understatement because someone has killed his family and he is just taking it very regular like nothing serious has happened. Simile It is a form of evaluation between things or objects by means of using “as” or “like.” See the following example: My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water’d shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree My heart is sort of a rainbow shell… (“A Birthday” via Christina Rossetti) Rossetti has used simile thrice in this part of the poem, evaluating her heart to a “singing chook”, “an apple-tree”, and a rainbow shell.” The poet makes comparison of coronary heart to a happy fowl in a nest, an apple tree complete with culmination and a lovely shell within the sea, full of peace and joy. Metaphor Metaphor is evaluating two unlike items or things, which may have some common qualities. Presentiment – is that lengthy shadow – on the lawn – Indicative that Suns pass down – The observe to the startled Grass That Darkness – is about to pass – (“Presentiment is that lengthy shadow on the lawn” with the aid of Emily Dickinson) In this example, Dickinson presents presentiment as a shadow. Presentiment in reality means anxiety or foreboding, which she calls a shadow. In fact, she makes compares it with shadow to offer a better description of tension that might creep up in a person’s existence and motive fear. Pun Pun is the manipulation of words that have more than one meanings. It brings humor in an expression. Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will, And Will to boot, and Will in overplus; (“Sonnet 135” through William Shakespeare) See the usage of bizarre grammar rule, which is the capitalization of phrase “Will.” Usually in the center of a line or sentence, writers capitalize a name. Here it is the first name of Shakespeare. It manner he has created pun of his very own call. Function of Figure of Speech Figure of speech is not simplest used to embellish the language, but additionally purpose a second of exhilaration while reading. It is used similarly in writing in addition to in speech. It, in fact, affords emphasis, clarity or freshness to expression. Clarity, however, may additionally occasionally suffer due to the fact a determine of speech introduces double meanings consisting of connotative and denotative meanings. It also strengthens the creative expression and outline along side making the language greater graphic, pointed and brilliant.

• Alliteration
• Anachronism
• Antimetabole
• Aposiopesis
• Characterization
• Colloquialism
• Connotation
• Deus Ex Machina
• Didacticism
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Flash Forward
• Foreshadowing
• Internal Rhyme
• Juxtaposition
• Non Sequitur
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Poetic Justice
• Point of View
• Portmanteau
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Superlative
• Synesthesia
• Tragicomedy
• Tragic Flaw
• Verisimilitude

Figure of Speech

Definition of figure of speech.

A figure of speech is a phrase or word having different meanings than its literal meanings. It conveys meaning by identifying or comparing one thing to another, which has connotation or meaning familiar to the audience . That is why it is helpful in creating vivid rhetorical effect.

Types of figures of Speech

There are many types of figures of speech. Here are a few of them with detailed descriptions:

Personification

It occurs when a writer gives human traits to non-human or inanimate objects. It is similar to metaphors and similes that also use comparison between two objects. For instance,

“Hadn’t she felt it in every touch of the sunshine, as its golden finger-tips pressed her lids open and wound their way through her hair?”

(“ The Mother’s Recompense ” by Edith Wharton)

In the above lines, the speaker is personifying sunshine as it has finger tips that wound their way into her hair. This is trait of using finger-tips in hair is a human one.

Understatement and Hyperbole

These two figures of speech are opposite to each other. Hyperbole uses extreme exaggeration . It exaggerates to lay emphasis on a certain quality or feature. It stirs up emotions among the readers, these emotions could be about happiness, romance , inspiration, laughter or sadness.

I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you Till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street.” ( “As I Walked Out One Evening” by W.H. Auden)

In this poem , Auden has used hyperbole to stress on how long his love his beloved would last. Just imagine when China and Africa would meet and can river jump up over the mountains? How salmon can be intelligent enough so that it could sing and evolve enough and walk the streets?

Whereas understatement uses less than whatever is intended, such as,

“You killed my family. And I don’t like that kind of thing.”

( “The Chosen One” by Boon Collins and Rob Schneider)

In this line, the speaker is using an understatement because someone has killed his family and he is just taking it very normal like nothing serious has happened.

It is a type of comparison between things or objects by using “as” or “like.” See the following example:

My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water’d shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree My heart is like a rainbow shell…

( “A Birthday” by Christina Rossetti)

Rossetti has used simile thrice in this part of the poem , comparing her heart to a “singing bird”, “an apple-tree”, and a rainbow shell.” The poet makes comparison of heart to a happy bird in a nest, an apple tree full with fruits and a beautiful shell in the sea, full of peace and joy.

Metaphor is comparing two unlike objects or things, which may have some common qualities.

Presentiment – is that long shadow – on the lawn – Indicative that Suns go down – The notice to the startled Grass That Darkness – is about to pass –

( “Presentiment is that long shadow on the lawn” by Emily Dickinson)

In this example, Dickinson presents presentiment as a shadow. Presentiment actually means anxiety or foreboding, which she calls a shadow. In fact, she makes compares it with shadow to provide a better description of anxiety that could creep up in a person’s life and cause fear.

Pun is the manipulation of words that have more than one meanings. It brings humor in an expression.

Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will, And Will to boot, and Will in overplus;

( “ Sonnet 135” by William Shakespeare)

See the use of odd grammar rule, which is the capitalization of word “Will.” Usually in the middle of a line or sentence, writers capitalize a name. Here it is the first name of Shakespeare. It means he has created pun of his own name.

Function of Figure of Speech

Figure of speech is not only used to embellish the language, but also cause a moment of excitement when reading. It is used equally in writing as well as in speech. It, in fact, provides emphasis, clarity or freshness to expression. Clarity, however, may sometimes suffer because a figure of speech introduces double meanings such as connotative and denotative meanings. It also strengthens the creative expression and description along with making the language more graphic, pointed and vivid.

Literary Devices & Figures of Speech 101 (+ PDF)

FIGURES OF SPEECH AND OTHER LITERARY TERMS

This post contains hundreds of literary devices, figures of speech and other literary terms.

Are literary devices the same as figures of speech? The simple answer is yes and no. These two terms are similar and different at the same time. Here is a post that explains in detail the differences and similarities between a figure of speech and a literary device.

Figures of Speech or Literary devices refer to the use of language in ways that are unusual or unique.

These expressions are different from the way we ordinarily use language.

A: Ordinary Usage:

I fell asleep at 10:00 pm.

B: Special/Unusual:

Sleep visited me at 10:00 pm.

‘B’ therefore contains a figure of speech. Can you name it? It is called Personification.

Speakers and writers use figures of speech or literary devices to make the ideas they want to put across more striking and effective.

Definitions and Examples of Literary Devices

Now you can go through a collection of some of the most popular literary devices and figures of speech that you will encounter in most Literature tests for high school students.

For each literary device or figure of speech, you will find a brief definition followed by a few examples.

The list also contains examples and illustrations of less-known literary devices and figures of speech in English Literature. By the time you finish reading this post, you will be able to download your free PDF copy for offline use at any time.

Finally, remember that this collection is a mixture of both literary devices and figures of speech. There is more to learn about these two terms in this tutorial.

1. Metaphor

DEFINITION:  A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a direct comparison is made between two unlike things without the use of ‘like’ or ‘as’

EXAMPLES 1: Stony eyes. 2. The memory of my blood

3. The necklaces of laughter 4. Beyond the snow of yesterday

5. Days sparkling with ever-new joys

  S etting is the place, time or atmosphere within which a story or play occurs.

Example: One major setting of Second Class Citizen, a novel by Buchi Emecheta is Lagos in Nigeria.

P lot refers to the sequence of causes and effects of events in a novel or play.

Top 5 Parts of Narrative Structure

IRONY (VERBAL IRONY) : An irony occurs when there is a difference between what is said and what is meant. Example: 1. My enemies shall continue to prosper.

Definition: A ballad is a poem that tells a story of adventure, of romance, or a hero. It is suitable for singing and usually has stanzas of four lines with a rhyme on the second and fourth lines.

The owl and the cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat

They took some honey and plenty of money

Wrapped in a five-pound note

The owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar

“O lovely cat! O cat my love

What a beautiful Cat you are

You are You are

What a beautiful Cat you are!”

A satire is a literary work which reveals, ridicules and criticizes bad things in society to reform it for the better.

i. A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe

ii. The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah

iii. Animal Farm by George Orwell

iv. Money Galore by Amu Djoleto

v. Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe

RHYTHM:  Rhythm is the musical movement of the lines of poetry found in its metre, stress pattern, punctuation and rhyme.

SONNET: Sonnet poem of fourteen lines usually with a predetermined rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef, and gg. The first eight lines of a Sonnet are called Octave  and the last six lines, Sestet . Where the last two lines rhyme, they are called a Couplet.

9. Didactic Literature

DIDACTIC LITERATURE:  Didactic Literature refers to any work of art that teaches a moral lesson.

10. Alliteration

ALLITERATION:  Alliteration is the repetition of similar initial consonants in a work of art.

i. The cane cracked on the caked khaki.

ii. Stand silent

iii. Bitter bile

iv. Drawn drips

11. Epilogue

EPILOGUE:  Epilogue is the final statement (coming at the end) in a work of art.

12. Prologue

PROLOGUE:  A prologue is an introductory statement (coming at the beginning) in a work of art. In drama, the prologue is usually played by a CHORUS.

13. Romance

ROMANCE: A romance is a work of art filled with intense feelings of excitement, intrigue and suspense.

Example: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

14. Comic Relief

COMIC RELIEF:  Comic relief refers to a point of humour in a tragedy.

15. Conflict

CONFLICT:  Conflict in Literature refers to the struggle between opposing forces in a work of art. Conflict is an important ingredient in any piece of good literature.

16. Poetic Justice

POETIC JUSTICE:  In Literature, poetic justice occurs when bad or evil is punished and good triumphs (is rewarded).

17. Oxymoron

OXYMORON:  Oxymoron refers to the use of two usually opposite terms, close to each other in a brief expression.

i. Most foul, most fair

ii. Pure impiety

iii. Impious purity

iv. Friendly enemy

v. Bittersweet

vi. Harmless lion

vii. Pregnant virgin

33 Examples of Oxymoron in Literature

18. Kinesthetic Imagery

KINESTHETIC IMAGERY:  Imagery depicting movement or action.

Example: i. The water crawled feebly into the next hole

ii. She grabbed it with the speed of lightning.

19. Auditory Imagery

AUDITORY IMAGERY:  Imagery associated with hearing.

Example: i. They booed us every time we performed

ii. There was a loud silence in the room.

20. Visual Imagery

VISUAL IMAGERY:  Imagery appealing to the reader’s or listener’s sense of sight.

21. Tactile Imagery

TACTILE IMAGERY:  Tactile imagery is the type of imagery that appeals to our sense of touch .

i. This kind of news can only pierce a man’s heart like a spear.

ii. A loaf of bread can turn into hardwood if not preserved properly.

22. Olfactory Imagery

OLFACTORY IMAGERY:  Imagery evoking the reader’s sense of smell.

i. Her beauty filled the room like the fragrance of French lavender.

ii. An offensive stench punched him in the face when he opened the second door.

Top 6 Types of Imagery in Literature

EPIC:  An epic is a long narrative poem recounting the great deeds of heroic or supernatural figures from history.

24. Tragic Flaw

TRAGIC FLAW (HARMATIA):  The weakness or failing in an otherwise great character which causes their downfall.

25. Reversal

REVERSAL:  A reversal in Literature refers to a change in the fortunes of a tragic hero from happiness to sadness.

26. Hyperbole

HYPERBOLE:  A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or an overstatement.

1. At his birth, the earth stood still.

2. Everyone in the country watched the national team play Brazil in the finals.

27. Litotes

LITOTES:  Litotes is a literary device in which a point is made in the affirmative by using two negative terms. Another term for Litotes is an understatement

i. It is not uncommon  for people to consider facts strange.

ii. I am a member of no unimportant  family

28. Euphemism

EUPHEMISM:  Euphemism refers to the use of a polite, milder or less direct word or expression to refer to something unpleasant, painful or taboo.

i. Senior citizen FOR Very Old Person

ii. Pass away FOR: Die

29. Synecdoche

SYNECDOCHE:  Speaking of a whole by using just a part of it to represent it. (Part to represent a whole). Synecdoche is mostly used with parts of the human body.

Example: i. All hands  on deck (Everybody must work).

ii. She has many mouths  to feed (many people)

30. Metonymy

METONYMY:  Speaking of something by using the name of something closely associated  with it. (Usually objects)

i. The crown  = The king/queen or monarch

ii. The bottle  = Alcoholic beverages

ii. The rod  = Punishment or discipline

iv. The law = Police or Justice system

FARCE:  A farce in Literature is an extremely funny, hilarious play with elements of absurdity or abnormality

32. Burlesque

BURLESQUE  is another term used to describe such farcical plays especially when they are intended to satirize or ridicule other more serious literary works.

33. Revellers

REVELLERS:  Revellers in Literature refers to a group of unruly, usually drunk characters engaged in acts of immorality and extreme joy.

34. Alternate Rhyme

ALTERNATE RHYME is a rhyming pattern (scheme) with the first line rhyming with the third, the second with the fourth etc. i.e. abab, cdcd and so on.

Those who live through pain

      And have their blood shed

     Shall have so much gain

     When their victories are read.

35. Secondary Text

SECONDARY TEXT:  The part of a play usually written in italics or parentheses and directing the actions of characters or describing the setting.

36. Fiction

FICTION is an imaginary long narrative story. It is also called PROSE or NOVEL.

i. Faceless

ii. The Lord of the Rings

iii. The Great Gatsby

iv. Second Class Citizen

v. Invisible Man

vi. Native Son

37. Autobiography

AUTOBIOGRAPHY:  A life story written by the person himself and usually in the first-person narrative voice.

38. Biography

BIOGRAPHY:  The life story of a person written by another person.

39. Tragic Hero

TRAGIC HERO:  The main character in a tragedy. He is usually a person of a high social status who uses lofty, poetic language but has a human failing (tragic flaw).

40. Syllable

SYLLABLE: A syllable is a linguistic unit on which stress is placed (or not placed) in poetry and other forms of expression.

Example: today (2 syllables) “to” is unstressed and “day” is stressed.

• FOOT:  A metrical unit in poetry. It may consist of one stressed and one unstressed syllable, two stressed and one unstressed syllable etc

Example: I vow\ to thee\ my country = 3 feet

• PARODY: An exaggerated imitation, which ridicules another work in a harsh manner.
• PERSONA:  The speaking voice in a poem. Usually, the persona is considered as distinct from the poet\writer.
• ROUND CHARACTER:  A character who changes and develops as the story progresses. He or she is also called a multi-dimensional  character.
• FLAT CHARACTER:  A character who does not change or develop much in a story. – a mono-dimensional  character. Such a character may also be referred to a stereotype.  
• SIMILE:  It is comparison between two things or persons that are similar in one point and otherwise dissimilar. It is usually introduced by such words as ‘like’, ‘as’, ‘so’, e.g.
• “A room without books is like a body without a soul”
• “Great men stand like a solitary tower
• “Baaba ran as fast as a horse in the race.
• MIXED METAPHOR/CONFUSED METAPHOR: Two or more different metaphors used in the same sentence with reference to the same subject. e.g. He was fishing for his heart and a long search reached his goal.
• ANTITHESIS:  This results when opposites or contrasts are employed in the same sentence usually to emphasize a point.
• Man proposes, God disposes
• Speech is silver but silence is Gold
• They speak like saints and act like devils.
• PARADOX:  It is a statement, which seems absurd at first sight and yet proves to be true on second thought. Example
• The child is the father of the man
• Cowards die many times before their death
• The greeter the fool, the better the dancer.
• ANTI-CLIMAX OR BATHOS:  It is the opposite of climax consisting in a descent from a higher level to lesser heights, the intensity or importance weakening instead of increasing toward the end e.g. He lost his wife, his child, his household, goods and his dog at one swoop of fate”
• TRANSFERRED EPITHET:  An epithet sometimes transferred from its proper words, to another that is closely associated with it. In the sentence the qualifying adjective is transferred from a person to things e.g.
• The ploughman homeward ploughs his weary way
• He lay all night on a sleepless pillow
• PUN OR PARONOMASIA: The use of words of the same sound with different meaning for the sake of humour.

Sample WASSCE English Summary Answers

Nov/Dec WASSCE Registration Fees and Facts

Dreamers often lie

Yes, they lie in bed as they dream

ECHOISM/ONOMATOPOEIA:  It is the use of words whose sounds naturally suggest their meaning. e.g.

I bring fresh showers  for the thirsty flowers

The arrow whizzed  through the air

ALLITERATION/CONSONANCE:  It is the repetition of the same initial consonant in several words near one another e.g.

Full fathom five their father lies

After life, fitful fever he sleeps well

Peter piper picked a peck of pickle pepper

INVERSION:  It is a change in the natural or usual order of words for the sake of effect or emphasis. Compare the two statements below:

“I will go to Akatsi tomorrow”

To Akatsi tomorrow will I go (inversion)

• SETTING: It refers to the place (location) where an actions and events in the story come. It is the sequence of events in a play or Novel.
• IAMBUS (LIMBIC METRE):  One unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one in poetry.

Example: – / – / – / –

• I vow to thee my country
• To you we owe the sea
• THEME:  The underlying message in a work of art.  Love, hate, materialism, corruption, politics, etc

Example: Chume: Forgive us all

Congregation: Amen

Chume: Forgive us all

(And the, punctuated regularly with Amens)

Yes Father, make you forgive us all. Make you save us from palaver.

Save us from trouble at home. Tell our wives not to give us trouble …..

(The penitent has become placid. She is stretched out flat on the ground)

… Give us money to satisfy our daily necessities. Make you no forget those of

us who dey struggle daily.  Those who be clerk today, make them chief clerk  tomorrow. Those who are messengers today, make them senior service tomorrow …….

(The Amens grew more and more ecstatic)

Those who are petty trader today, make them big contractor tomorrow. Those who dey sweep street today, give them their own big office tomorrow. It we de walka today, give us our own bicycle tomorrow. I say those who dey walka today, give them their own bicycle tomorrow. Those who have bicycle today, they will ride their own car tomorrow.

(The enthusiasm of the response becomes, at this point quite overpowering) I say those who day push bicycle; give them big car big car tomorrow. Give them big car tomorrow. Give them big car tomorrow, give them big car tomorrow.

One theme of this extract is materialism .

“My people, I have been somewhere

If I turn here, the rain beats me

If I turn there the sun burns me

The firewood of this world

Is for only those who can take heart

That is why not all can gather it ……”

The theme of this extract is suffering

• SOLILOQUY:  A character’s speech to himself, which reveals his motives, and state of mind.
• PERSONIFICATION (PROSOPOPEIA):  giving human attributes or characteristics to inanimate, lifeless objects or animals or abstract ideas.
• Cruel wishes entered him, departed and entered again
• The sun rose from his bed
• The engine coughed twice
• PASTORAL POETRY:  It is about simple, rural life (life in the countryside) especially of shepherds.

Example: “Michael” by William Wordsworth

• SUSPENSE:  When a reader is kept in a state of high expectancy, eager to know what will happen next.

Example: In English, my name means hope. In Spanish, it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when his shaving, songs like sobbing.

By delaying the disclosure of the narrator’s name, the writer has used the literary technique known as suspense   

• ALLUSION:  The reference to issues that re outside the literary work being studied.

Example: A Daniel has come into judgment i.e. Biblical Allusion by Shylock in The MERCHANT OF VENICE  by William Shakespeare.

• CLIMAX:  The crisis stage in a series of events in a story or play.
• APOSTROPHE:  An address to an imaginary person or object as if they were present, usually in poetry.

Example: You my ancestors, come to my aid

• ELEGY:  Poetry meant to praise somebody or something.
• DIRGE:  A song meant for mourning the dead.
• TRAGEDY:  A play in which there occurs a sudden change (reversal) in the hero’s fortunes from  happiness to disaster. It ends sadly

Example: Shakespeare’s Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, The Gods Are Not To Blame By Ola Rotimi.

• COMEDY:  A play whose characters are usually low or middle class citizens, bringing out their follies and weaknesses in an amusing but educative manner.

Example: Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again by Ola Rotimi And The Trials Of Brother Jero.

• MIME:  acting without speech but demonstrating with gesture, bodily movement and facial expression.
• MIMICRY:  imitating gestures, speech of others especially in drama.
• ASSONANCE:  A type of rhyme pattern in which there is repetition of similar middle vowels.

Example: i. Your name remains in frames of gold

ii. Tall walls fall mightily

• RHYME:  sameness of sounds especially in the last syllable of words in line endings of poetry Example:  time/clime keep/reap
• STANZA:  A division of a poem of song.
• CHAPTER:  major division of prose.
• PARAGRAPH:  A sub-division of chapter.
• FREE VERSE: A poem of irregular and unpredictable line – lengths.

Example: A plea for Mercy by Kwesi Brew.

• BLANK VERSE:  Unrhymed five-foot iambic poetry
• HEROIC COUPLETS:  Successive five –foot iambic lines rhyming in pairs
• ASIDE: A statement made by an actor on stage but not meant to be heard by the other actors but which may be heard by the audience.
• EPITAPH:  An inscription on a tombstone

Example: Your Life Was A blessing To Us

• POLY-SYLLABIC WORD:  A word containing only one syllable.

Example: argument, examination.

• MONO-SYLLABIC WORD:  A word containing only one syllable.

go, bed, sun

• POINT OF VIEW:  The angle from which the narrator sees and narrates events.
• FIRST PERSON NARRATOR:  A person who narrates a story in which he takes an active part. He uses the pronoun, “I” a lot. He may be biased and subjective.
• THIRD PERSON (OMNISCIENT) NARRATOR:  A narrator who is not part of the story but narrates as an outsider. He uses the third person pronouns – He, She, It, They.
• SECOND PERSON NARRATOR:  The narrator who uses the second person pronouns and appears to be addressing the reader directly i.e. “You”.
• EPISODE:  An important event or incident in a literary work.

Example: The Outbreak of an epidemic in the Gods Are Not To Blame.

• ORAL LITERATURE:  unwritten literature (i) involving the active participation of the performance and the audient (ii) which is communally owned (iii) which tells much about the history and culture of the people (iv) influenced by the environment of the people.

Example: Myth, proverbs, praise songs, dirge, riddles, war songs, folktales, fables.

• PRIMAL MYTH:  A piece of oral literature which tells a story about how the world was created.
• DRAMA:  A piece of literature meant to be performed. Its key elements include (i) imitation or impersonation (ii) disguise (iii) dance (iv) mime (v) dialogue

Example: The Gods Are Not To Blame, As You Like It, THE TRIALS OF BROTHER JERO, ROMEO AND JULIET, THE MARRIAGE OF ANANSEWA.

• ATTITUDE:  The feeling of a writer or one character towards a character. Words used to describe attitude include;
• Positive Attitude: Admiration, like, approval, sympathy
• Negative Attitude: disgust, contempt, disapproval, unsympathetic, dislike

Msimangu opened the book, and read to them first from the book. And Kumalo had not known that his friend had such a voice. For the voice was of gold, and the voice had such love for the words it was reading. The voice shook and beat and trembled, not as the voice of an old man shakes and beats and trembles, or as a leaf shakes and eats and trembles but as a deep bell when it is struck. For it was not only a voice of gold but it was the voice of a man whose heart was golden, reading from a book of golden words.

( Alan Patton – Cry The Beloved Country   P 78 )

Kumalo’s attitude towards Msimagu is one of admiration.

• CONTRAST:  Presenting two opposing sides of an issues in order to emphasize a point about one side.
• FABLE:  A story involving animal characters.  Example: The Tortoise and the Birds.
• LANGUAGE OR DICTION:  The kind of words and sentence construction (syntax) used in a work of art. It could be: formal or pedantic, archaic or old fashioned, humorous or funny, simple, complex, informal.
• ONOMATOPOEIA:  Use of words whose sounds echo their meaning.

Example: i. The bomb boomed

ii.  Tooting  of horns.

iii. The bells are tolling

iv. Bells are chiming

• ELEMENTS IN THE PLOT OF TRAGEDY:  Conflict, reversal, denouement.
• ELEMENTS OF COMEDY:  Caricature, humour, wit, parody, absurdity
• NEGRITUDE:  Literature, especially poetry meant to celebrate Africa and its black people. Its main proponent is Leopold Sedar Senghor. Example: i) Long long have you held (ii) Black woman (iii) I will pronounce your name, Naett.
• EPITHET:  The use of descriptive words especially when added to names, titles etc.

Example: i. Sango, the thunder lion

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4 thoughts on “literary devices & figures of speech 101 (+ pdf)”.

You are doing a great job. Keep the flag flying sir. I’m a literature teacher and I want to know whether my students are to read all the prescribed literature texts or not. Actually, what I’ve been doing is ensure they read texts based on each of the genres both African and Non-African. So I want to know if that works for the poetry or they have to read all of the prescribed poetry. Thanks.

Hi Fatima. Thanks for reaching out. Yes, for the poetry section, students/candidates must study all the 12 prescribed poems. Six for African poetry and another six for non-African poetry. When it comes to prose and drama, only one text should be selected out of the two options in each case. Here is the breakdown. African Drama – one text Non-African Drama – one text African Prose – one text Non-African Prose – one text. So in all, they will be reading four books apart from the twelve poems. Please remember that there is an additional Shakespeare drama text. It is compulsory for the objective test paper. Please let me know if you need any additional information.

You are doing a great job, sir. I’m a new literature teacher in highschool and I have beneficted a great deal from your tentalizing works. We are solidly behind you, and may the almighty Allah continue to bless you with more wisdom.

I’m glad you liked this site, Robert. Thank you.

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• English Grammar
• Figures Of Speech

Figures of Speech - Definition, Types and Usage with Examples

Are you as busy as a bee? Why not take some time off your busy schedule to learn how you can make your speech and writing sound and look extraordinary and engaging? There are many ways to make your language creative and interesting. One of the most effective ways to do it is to use figurative language. In this article, you will be introduced to what figures of speech are, their meaning and definition, the different types of figures of speech and how to use them effectively in sentences with examples.

Table of Contents

Definition of a Figure of Speech

Classification of figures of speech.

• How to Use a Figure of Speech in a Sentence? – Points to Remember

Examples of Figures of Speech

Frequently asked questions on figures of speech in english, what irs a figure of speech.

A figure of speech is an expression used to make a greater effect on your reader or listener. It includes making comparisons, contrasts, associations, exaggerations and constructions. It also gives a much clearer picture of what you are trying to convey.

Let us take a look at how different dictionaries define a figure of speech to have a much better idea of what it is.

A figure of speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meaning in order to create a particular mental picture or effect.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “an expression that uses words to mean something different from their ordinary meaning.” According to the Collins Dictionary, a figure of speech is “an expression or word that is used with a metaphorical rather than a literal meaning.”

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “ a form of expression (such as a simile or metaphor) used to convey meaning or heighten effect often by comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning or connotation familiar to the reader or listener.” According to the Macmillan Dictionary, a figure of speech is defined as “an expression in which the words are used figuratively, not in their normal literal meaning.”

Figures of Speech in English Grammar

In English grammar , there are around fifteen to twenty figures of speech. However, there are a few of them which are used more often than the others. Let us look at the most commonly used figures of speech.

• Personification
• Alliteration
• Transferred Epithet

How to Use a Figure of Speech in English? – Points to Remember

You now know that a figure of speech can make your language look and sound a lot more poetical, interesting and flamboyant. However, the challenge is not about learning the different figures of speech but knowing when, where and how to use them. You cannot use it anywhere you like. Only if it is used right and where they are appropriate and necessary, will it make your language better.

Figures of speech are not meant to provide information literally, so it is not suggested that you use figurative language in professional presentations and writings like essays. Since they do not convey literal meanings, it is very important that you learn how each figure of speech can be used. What is more important is knowing what it would mean when used in a particular part of a sentence. So, the most significant point that you have to keep in mind when using figures of speech is to employ them only if they give you the desired effect and meaning.

The figures of speech can be categorized into types based on their functions when used in sentences. Accordingly, the main categories are composed of ones that:

• Show a Relationship or Resemblance
• Show Phonetic Resemblances and Representing Sounds
• Show Emphasis or Unimportance

Showing a Relationship or Resemblance

This category includes figures of speech which are designed to make comparisons to show a relationship or some resemblances. Similes, metaphors, personification, euphemism, metonymy and synecdoche are the figures of speech used for this purpose.

Showing Phonetic Resemblances and Representing Sounds

This category of figures of speech include alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia. The first two figures of speech are used to create an effect by using similar sounding words or words starting with the same consonant and vowel sounds, whereas onomatopoeia includes words that are used to represent sounds.

Showing Emphasis or Unimportance

The figures of speech belonging to this category are used to provide emphasis or show how important or unimportant something is. Hyperbole, antithesis, oxymoron, irony and litotes are figures of speech that can be used for this purpose.

Here are a few examples of the different figures of speech in English grammar.

• Simile – Rachel is as bright as the sun.
• Metaphor – The whole world is a stage.
• Personification – The wind whispered in my ears.
• Apostrophe – O William, you should be living now to see all this.
• Alliteration – Sally sold some seashells.
• Assonance – I seem to like your little green trees.
• Hyperbole – I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
• Oxymoron – Euthanizing their sick pet dog was considered as an act of kind cruelty.
• Epigram – The child is the father of man.
• Irony – A fire station burned down yesterday.
• Pun – Life depends upon the liver.
• Metonymy – The Bench decided that the man is guilty.
• Synecdoche – We need more hands to help us move this cupboard.
• Transferred Epithet – She had a sleepless night.

What is a figure of speech?

What is the definition of a figure of speech.

A figure of speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meaning in order to create a particular mental picture or effect.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “an expression that uses words to mean something different from their ordinary meaning.” According to the Collins Dictionary, a figure of speech is “an expression or word that is used with a metaphorical rather than a literal meaning.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a figure of speech as “ a form of expression (such as a simile or metaphor) used to convey meaning or heighten effect often by comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning or connotation familiar to the reader or listener.” According to the Macmillan Dictionary, a figure of speech is defined as “an expression in which the words are used figuratively, not in their normal literal meaning.”

What are the different figures of speech in English?

Here is a list of the different figures of speech in English.

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Figures of Speech: The Apostrophe as a Literary Device

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In addition to being a punctuation mark, an apostrophe is a  figure of speech in which some absent or nonexistent person or thing is addressed as if present and capable of understanding. Also known as a turne tale , aversio , and aversion , apostrophes are more often found in poetry than in  prose .

An apostrophe is a form of personification  that essayist Brendan McGuigan describes in "Rhetorical Devices" as "a forceful, emotional device" most ideally used in "creative writing and  persuasive  essays that lean heavily on emotional strength." However, McGuigan goes on to say that "in  formal  persuasive and informative essays, using apostrophe might seem a bit melodramatic and distracting."

To provide a bit of context, look no further than the famous poem by Jane Taylor turned modern-day nursery rhyme "The Star," written in 1806, which calls out to the celestial body of a star saying, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star,/How I wonder what you are." In this case, the apostrophe speaks directly to an inanimate star "up above the world so high," personifying it and pondering how it's doing.

The device is also used in the carol "Oh Christmas Tree" as people sing not only ​ about the cherished holiday topiary but to it.

Importance of Apostrophe in Poetry, Prose, and Song

As a form of  direct address  to an inanimate object, apostrophe serves to further poetic imagery and often emphasizes the emotional weight of objects in our everyday world. The figure of speech serves a vital function in everyone from Mary Shelley's works ( "Scoffing devil! Again do I vow vengeance" from "Frankenstein" to Simon & Garfunkel's hit smash "The Sound of Silence" ("Hello darkness, my old friend,/I’ve come to talk with you again").

Apostrophe happens in Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" as the narrator starts out speaking to an absent "thee": "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" It also appears in the play "Hamlet" when the title character is in a rage about his mother marrying Claudius. Hamlet calls out to the abstraction "frailty" in Act 1: "Frailty, thy name is woman!"

In Edgar Allen Poe's works, he distinctly speaks to a raven sitting "upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door as if it could understand him in the poem of the same name, and in the poem "To One in Paradise," he starts out addressing his love (absent from the scene) thus: "Thou wast all that to me, love."

Just as in poetry, the literary device comes up in song often, such as any time that the words are directed to someone not able to hear. Or in addressing the inanimate. In the smash #1 hit by the doo-wop group the Marcels from 1961, the "Blue Moon" is addressed: "Blue moon, you saw me standing alone/without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own." 

Categorically, apostrophe fits into the English vernacular as part of the  irony  family alongside aporia—a figure of speech in which the speaker expresses real or simulated doubt on a topic—wherein the speaker of an apostrophe obviously understands that the subject cannot truly understand the words but instead uses the speech to emphasize his or her description of that object.

More Examples From Pop Culture

Next time you're watching your favorite television show, take a moment to see if you can spot any clever usage of apostrophes from the characters—you might be shocked at how often this figure of speech is utilized to help actors convey their messages to audiences.

Even as early as Grecian times when Homer wrote "The Odyssey," apostrophes were used as literary devices to break from addressing the primary audience to instead speak to a third party, with the relatively impersonal narrator occasionally butting in to break the third wall and inform the audience members of some plot device they may have missed. 

In modern times, television shows—especially comedies—often use this feature to call out to their audiences. Such is the case when characters on "Battlestar Galactica" call out "Frakking toasters" every time something goes wrong on the spaceship, with the toasters in questions being the humanoid Cylons whose goal is to destroy the remaining human population on board. 

When "Star Trek"'s Captain James Kirk waves his fist in the air and yells "Khaaan!" at his absent nemesis, that's also a use of apostrophe .

In the movie "Cast Away," to keep from losing his mind, the character Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks, talks to a volleyball, Wilson. Fortunately, it doesn't talk back.

Although most commonly used in spoken rhetoric, apostrophes can also come into play in written forms; such is the case in a famous example of a cigarette advertisement firm addressing young audiences in its ad—who couldn't buy the product—to appeal to older audiences who long to re-experience the proverbial "youth" the cigarette marketer was trying to sell.

• Brief Introductions to Common Figures of Speech
• 20th Century American Speeches as Literary Texts
• Figure of Sound in Prose and Poetry
• AP English Exam: 101 Key Terms
• Prosopopoeia: Definition and Examples
• Figure of Thought in Rhetoric
• What Is a Rhetorical Question? Definition and Examples
• 5 Tips on How to Write a Speech Essay
• Anadiplosis: Definition and Examples
• Engage Kids With Songs That Can Teach Them About Metaphors
• What Is Personification?
• What Is an Aside in Speech and Writing?
• Rhetorical Analysis Definition and Examples
• The Rarely Used Apostrophe in Spanish
• The 8 Greatest Hyperboles of All Time
• Personification

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100 Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

Writers of poetry and prose use all sorts of devices to add both meaning and texture to their works. This paper collects, defines, and gives examples of a hundred of such devices. It is, for the most part, not original work. Rather it is a quick reference drawn from other sources. Freely available websites such as those noted in the References contain much more detailed definitions and examples. This paper draws heavily on these resources. The purpose of this paper is to make available to writers – and readers – a summary of just a hundred terms in one place. The items in boldface are listed in alphabetical order with definitions in Roman font and examples and further descriptions in Italics.

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This paper investigates the emotional import of literary devices deployed in fiction. Reflecting on the often-favored approach in the analytic tradition that locates fictional characters, events, and narratives as sources of readers' emotions, I attempt to broaden the scope of analysis by accounting for how literary devices trigger non-cognitive emotions. I argue that giving more expansive consideration to literary devices by which authors present content facilitates a better understanding of how fiction engages emotion. In doing so, I also explore the somatic dimension of reading fiction.

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: The article elaborates joint stylistic devices existing within an example. Figures of speech may be analyzed and found along the sentence from different aspects. It depends on what prism we approach the matter. Several figures of speech might coexist in an example even when we are unaware of their presence in most cases. As we know, a language is composed of different linguistic units which are included in lexicology, grammar, phonetics, onomastics, phraseology, etc. Some language units may jointly emerge in one example. The article reveals that metaphor, dysphemism, antonomasia, as well as antanaclasis, homographs, homophones, pun may coexist in one sentence. Besides, stylistic opportunities of homonyms have been analyzed in the article. Difference between antanaclasis and tongue-twisters has been scrutinized and some obscure details have been determined in the article. Another focus is on the stylistic opportunities of onomastics. The terms of‖pars pro toto‖ and ―totum pro parte‖ are the figures of speech which can be the constituents of onomastics, particularly place names. The article concludes that several figures of speech may easily be found in one example. So it occurs when different views, characteristic features and prisms overlap in one so-called example.

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The following supplementary is designed to be a small and quick guide to reading and writing poetry from a purely technical point of view. The artistry we will leave to the poet, but the poetic terms, tools and devices, are all things we should be more aware of when considering poetry critically. Without at least some working knowledge of these things, we will read poetry as though blind, hear poetry as though deaf and create poetry as though dumb. Like any language, if we disregard the grammar, we soon lose structure which will in turn inhibit or destroy meaning.

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Literary Terms, Literary Devices, Figures of Speech, Poetic Devices: Difference & 60+ EXAMPLES!

Nishita singh, contributing author.

• June 23, 2022

Literary Terms, Literary Devices, Figures of Speech, Poetic Devices – So many concepts, such little time! Well, I won’t blame students for getting confused. I remember, that whenever I would teach figures of speech, my students would slump down and look puzzled at the sight of such fancy words. With so much information to process, I knew they wouldn’t remember a thing by the next class! So what are these four names anyway? Why does everyone use them interchangeably? 

Here! I’ve tried making it easier for you!

Still confused? Being a literature student myself, I understand your position. They do sound all too similar. So, in this article, I have broken it down for you. In fact, I have also given a lot of examples to make it easy to understand and remember. Brace yourself, by the way, it’s going to be a long article!

What are Literary Terms?

Ever wondered why your friends (and perhaps you too) find reading literary theories so frustrating? But, reading a novel is always exciting. Yet again, criticism becomes a yawn. ‘Literary terms’ is the reason why! 

Literary terms are kind of like the technical dictionary of the literary world. The terms that you don’t understand while studying literature – chances are those are Literary Terms.

So, what are Literary Terms? 

Literary Terms is the name given to the Technical Terms from Literature Field. A term is any concept that falls under the specialization of a particular field, is called a technical term. People often refer to it as ‘jargon’ (technical words unique to a specific subject). Similarly, literary terms are the concepts that we come across when we study literature. It is an umbrella term for all the movements, theories, eras, devices, techniques, works, etc. across any literature.

Examples of Literary Terms :

Example #1: – Absurd literature

I find absurdist literature quite relevant to our modern times! Have you too wondered sometimes about the purposelessness of your life? Well, absurd literature is a  term applied to all works of literature which essentially expresses the meaningless condition of human life and all its endeavors. 

Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is one of the widely-read texts in this category. 

Example #2: – Enjambment

It is a  technique used in poetry wherein you break the sentence just to carry it forward to the next line. It is usually an abrupt breaking of a line for dramatic effect.

“I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.” 

– Robert Frost, ‘Fire and Ice’

Here, an entire sentence is broken down into parts and carried forward to the next line without any punctuation or conjunction. This creates the effect of an interrupted thought, a thought which does not flow smoothly.

Example #3: – Interior Monologue

A narrative technique to show the thoughts passing through the protagonist’s mind. It is usually more organized than the stream-of-consciousness technique.

Umm… in simple words, it is more like revealing your inner thoughts in the form of a speech without realizing its intensity and aftermath. 

Remember Kartik Aryan’s “rant” from Pyar ka Punchnama 1 ? Something like that, just less angry perhaps!

Robert Browning’s The Last Duchess is a famous literary example.

(For more details, check this out.)-

If you want to study such literary terms in detail, go for –

• A Glossary of Literary Terms by MH Abrams (the acknowledged Bible of literary terms)
• The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by Chris Baldick

What are Literary Devices?

We all want to know what the writer was thinking when they wrote this novel. How can someone who is not even alive today (in most cases) know the secrets of my heart so well? Did he/she mean it?

Trying to interpret what the writer meant is not always an easy task. I once saw a meme that said – a literature professor derives more meaning out of a line than the writer ever intended to create.  But how does the writer hide so many layers of meaning in his work? The answer is – literary devices.

Literary Devices are the techniques and tools used by a writer to create a dramatic effect on the reader/audience. These devices could be used to either provoke emotion or intensify a mood. At the same time, they also help in mystifying the text or constructing a deeper layer of meaning . 

“Rhetoric is the greatest barrier between us and our ancestors.” C.S. Lewis, Literature in the Sixteenth Century

The intention behind using literary devices is to make the reader “think” and not just “read” through the text. The real task is to identify when and where such devices are employed. Such identification will not only help us to interpret the author’s intention but will also enrich our reading experience. 

Examples of Literary Devices :

Example #1: – Irony

The irony is a technique to hide the actual outcome from the reader by leading him/her to expect something else. It is not to deceive the audience but to create a rhetorical or artistic effect. In simpler terms, the reader finds the outcome to be the complete opposite of what was expected; a twist in the plot if I must say.

A common example I come across is when students prioritize Maths and Science to increase their scores and end up losing marks in language!

For a literary reference, Anton Chekov exhibits a comical effect by employing irony in his play – ‘A Marriage Proposal’. You can read the play here .

Example #2: – Epiphany

Literally means a “manifestation” or “showing forth”. Epiphany has now become the standard term for the description of a sudden revelation of an ordinary object, scene, or thought.

In ordinary terms, it is a sudden realization, a sudden awareness of something which was right in front of you the whole time – the “Aha!” moment.

Like in most rom-coms, the hero finally realizes that he has been in love with his frenemy all along! His entire perspective toward love and the person changes in an instant. In literature, check James Joyce’s A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man.

Example #3: – Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a technique wherein the writer indirectly hints at a future occurrence through dialogues, gestures, or descriptions of the characters.

A very famous example is the much-spoken phrase – “Winter is coming” in the series Game of Thrones , which foreshadowed the coming of the Night King to the North of the Wall. Shakespeare’s Hamlet includes a lot of foreshadowing throughout the play.

What are Figures of Speech?

Teachers have amazing abilities to twist their words to terrorize the child.

My teacher would always accuse the laziest student in our class – “ if you never forgot to eat your food, how could you forget to do your homework?” In what plane does food become equivalent to homework, god knows!

But being a teacher myself now, I play with language in my way. Hyperbole runs through my veins like blood . 

(Did you notice what I did there? Winks!) 

“I have told you a thousand times not to use an article before a proper noun!”

“You students never listen to me!”

(How about some metaphors?)

“This class is a circus and feels like I am the clown!”

“If it isn’t a fish market already!”

(I better stop because the list is endless.)

What I am trying to tell here is, that figures of speech are common and have sneaked into our daily conversations without our notice.

So, what are figures of speech?

Figures of speech are literary devices that convey a different meaning than what the literal words suggest. They generally fall under the branch of rhetoric, which is the art of using language for persuasion. For their ornamental exhibition of language, figures of speech are widely used not just in poetry but also in prose as well as in our day-to-day conversations.

You will be surprised to realize how often we end up adopting various figures of speech to convey a simple message.

Without figures of speech, our language would be quite dull and mundane. They provide layers of meanings within a word, a source of ancestry and mystery to the text.

And yet the debate against figurative language is still upheld among literary circles. 

But the perfect defense states –

“… a figure of speech can often get into a crack too small for a definition.” Gilbert K. Chesterton

(Source – Gilbert K. Chesterton (2013). “ The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton ”, p.20, Simon and Schuster, taken from https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/figures-of-speech.html )

Examples of Figures of Speech in Poetry :

Example #1: – Simile

A simile is a direct comparison between two or more things with the help of words “like” and “as”. The quality that is similar in both entities is visible in the text.

The famous line from Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodils’ – “I wandered lonely as a cloud” employs a simile.

Example #2: – Asyndeton, Symbolism, Alliteration

In this extract from ‘The Ball Poem’ by John Berryman, 

“A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now

He senses first responsibility

In a world of possessions. People will take balls,

Balls will be lost always, little boy,

And no one buys a ball back.”

The first line employs asyndeton , which is the deliberate omission of conjunction.

At the same time, the ball here acts as a symbol for worldly things, indicating symbolism .

The last line uses alliteration , repeating the sound ‘b’ for a rhythmic effect.

Example #3: – Personification

The act of giving an inanimate object a human quality.

Emily Dickinson’s resonating lines –

 “Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –” personify death giving it a human quality of stopping. For some great and fun examples of figures of speech in literature, check out https://www.thoughtco.com/figure-of-speech-term-1690793#:~:text=Some%20common%20figures%20of%20speech,simile%2C%20synecdoche%2C%20and%20understatement .)

What are Poetic Devices?

There was once a time, all poetry swooshed right past me. Today, I see my students feel ‘bored’ reading poetry because they find no exciting climax in it. I spend the first half of my lecture convincing them of poetry’s true essence and beauty.

A poem has to be opened, not read. Unfolded like a bud, pondered over its fragrance and vivid colors. It is like a little kid hiding behind masks of innocence to cover its mischief. How to hide its true essence? Use poetic devices.

But what are poetic devices?

Poetic devices are specialized tools used by poets to make their poems more lyrical and rhythmic, as well as to integrate layers of meaning in a crisply worded text. They can also be used to enrich one’s reading experience by evoking various sensations or creating an ambiance for the reader. They also aid the poet to express his/her feelings in a dramatized manner. 

Poetic devices have long been in existence. If you go back to the legendary epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana or Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey , it was no easy feat for wanderers to learn such hefty poems and recite them. A metrical rhythm, repetitive use of alliteration, poetic diction, and all such devices helped them memorize those grand epics.

Without the engagement of poetic devices, even a poem will start to resemble prose. Poems aim to prolong the reader’s attention span spent on the poem – make him/her think and wonder, pause and reflect.

I found the perfect picture that depicts what poetic devices do to poetry!

Good morning, Poets. pic.twitter.com/kzV5sWil25 — Prof. Tía Sad Eyez (@dandelionglitch) June 18, 2022

Examples of Poetic Devices :

Example #1: – Imagery

When the poet creates images for the reader solely through his/her words, it is known as imagery. While visual imagery is most commonly employed as a poetic device, other kinds of imagery enhance the reader’s experience by provoking their imagination to simulate a real-life scenario. From auditory (sound) to tactile (feel), and gustatory (taste) to olfactory (smell), imagery appeals to the reader’s senses.

“The winter evening settles down

With smells of steaks in passageways

Six o’clock.

The burnt-out ends of smoky days…

The morning comes to consciousness

Of faint stale smells of beer”

T. S. Eliot, ‘Prelude’

Olfactory imagery is activated in the above lines.

Example #2: – Rhyme

The first identification of a poem in the eyes of a child begins when it sees rhyming words in the poem. Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds in poems to create a symmetrical rhythm. They usually lie at the end of each line, known as an end rhyme. Maintaining a fixed pattern gives us a rhyme scheme.

“Hickory Dickory Dock; the mouse ran up the clock”

Dock and clock are rhyming words giving a musicality to the line.

Example #3: – Sonnet

It is a form of poetry consisting of fourteen lines written in a strict rhyme scheme, usually following iambic pentameter.

Sonnets were originally invented in Italy and later brought to England, where Shakespeare gave them his twist making what we call today a Shakespearean Sonnet. 

One of his most famous sonnets, ‘Sonnet 18’, goes something like this –

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee.”

For some good examples of poetic devices, check out – https://www.bkacontent.com/gs-poetic-devices-defined/

I realize that understanding the terms may not be enough to clear away the confusion among these concepts, so let us view them from an eagle’s point of view to learn about their interrelationship.

How are Literary Terms, Literary Devices, Figures of Speech, and Poetic Devices Connected?

• LITERARY TERMS: 

Literary Terms are the words and phrases which people often come across while studying literature. They can range from literary movements to stylistic devices, or from historical eras in literature to narrative techniques. The concept of ‘Literary Terms’ covers all that comes under the field of literature, including the other three terms we did in this article.

• LITERARY DEVICES:

On the other hand, Literary Devices are specialized tools used by the author to create a dramatized effect on the audience. Such tools are integrated into novels, plays, poetry, theories and essays, and so on. Because they belong to the field of literature, they are categorized under literary terms.

• POETIC DEVICES:

The difference between literary devices and poetic devices is that Poetic Devices are specific to poetry . They belong to literary devices but are seldom used in anything other than poetry. Tools such as rhyme, meter,  poetic diction, poetic license, etc. fall under the category of Poetic Devices.

• FIGURES OF SPEECH:

Students get acquainted with Figures of Speech during their elementary schooling through the poems of Frost or Wordsworth. However, figures of speech are widely used in prose and criticism. Thus, a figure of speech is both – a poetic as well as a literary device. 

This overlapping of terms creates the irksome confusion readers often come across. Not that it makes much of a difference when your aim doesn’t involve mastering linguistics. Nonetheless, accurate information of such kind comes in handy when one deals with thorough inspections of literary texts.

Why are they used interchangeably?

The primary concern is – people don’t realize that they are different. Do you remember your teacher ever teaching their differences? 

So let’s ask ourselves, why are they used interchangeably if they have different definitions? 

Because literary devices, poetic devices, and figures of speech have the same function of making literary texts rhetoric . They all fall under the blanket of literary terms, so it is easier to confuse one for another. They are more or less used together in a work of literature for the same purpose, thus blurring the boundaries of their meanings.

Examples – Solidify Your Understanding!

Note : 

• The following table lists 60 types of literary terms falling under either or all of the sub-categories. Note that poetic devices are by default literary devices because poetry falls under literature. But to avoid confusion, I have not listed some poetic devices as literary devices for their exclusive use in poetry. Also, forms of poetry are considered poetic devices. 
• Some literary devices are used in poetry as well, but their use in prose is so extensive that they are seldom seen in poems. There will always be some overlap here and there. Nonetheless, I have tried to keep the table as accurate as possible, though I may have been flawed in some places.
• All common figures of speech have been categorized as “all” because they are used across all works of literature.

Final Overview

In all, literary terms are concepts or terminologies found in any literature. Literary as well as poetic devices are tools used to make the text more approachable or enriching for the reader. And figures of speech are one of these devices which hold multiple or diverted meanings from what has been written. Altogether, they bring us closer to understanding literature.

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Definition of Imagery

Imagery is a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words for a reader. By utilizing effective descriptive language and figures of speech , writers appeal to a reader’s senses of sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound, as well as internal emotion and feelings. Therefore, imagery is not limited to visual representations or mental images, but also includes physical sensations and internal emotions.

For example, in his novel   The Scarlet Letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes imagery as a literary device to create a sensation for the reader as a means of understanding the love felt by the protagonist , Hester Prynne.

Love, whether newly born or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world.

By using descriptive language in an effective and unique way, Hawthorne evokes feelings and allows the reader an internal emotional response in reaction to his description of love. This image is especially poignant and effective for readers of this novel since Hester’s love, in the story , results in darkness , shame, and isolation–the opposite of sunshine and radiance. However, Hawthorne’s imagery appeals to the reader’s understanding of love and subsequent empathy for Hester’s emotions and actions, despite her transgression of societal norms, morals , and laws.

Common Examples of Imagery in Everyday Speech

People frequently use imagery as a means of communicating feelings, thoughts, and ideas through descriptive language. Here are some common examples of imagery in everyday speech:

• The autumn leaves are a blanket on the ground.
• Her lips tasted as sweet as sugar.
• His words felt like a dagger in my heart.
• My head is pounding like a drum.
• The kitten’s fur is milky.
• The siren turned into a whisper as it ended.
• His coat felt like a velvet curtain.
• The houses look like frosted cakes in winter .
• The light under the door looked buttery.
• I came inside because the house smells like a chocolate brownie.

Types of Poetic Imagery

For poetic imagery, there are seven primary types. These types of imagery often feature figures of speech such as similes and metaphors to make comparisons . Overall, poetic imagery provides sensory details to create clear and vibrant descriptions. This appeals to a reader’s imagination and emotions as well as their senses.

Here are the main types of poetic imagery:

• Visual : appeals to the sense of sight through the description of color, light, size, pattern, etc.
• Auditory : appeals to the sense of hearing or sound by including melodic sounds, silence , harsh noises, and even onomatopoeia .
• Gustatory : appeals to the sense of taste by describing whether something is sweet, salty, savory, spicy, or sour.
• Tactile : appeals to the sense of touch by describing how something physically feels, such as its temperature, texture, or other sensation.
• Olfactory : appeals to the sense of smell by describing something’s fragrance or odor.
• Kinesthetic : appeals to a reader’s sense of motion or movement through describing the sensations of moving or the movements of an object .
• Organic : appeals to and communicates internal sensations, feelings, and emotions, such as fatigue, thirst, fear, love, loneliness, despair, etc.

Famous Examples of Imagery in Shakespearean Works

Writers use imagery to create pictures in the minds of readers, often with words and phrases that are uniquely descriptive and emotionally charged to emphasize an idea. William Shakespeare ’s works feature imagery as a literary device for readers and audiences as a means to enhance their experience of his plays. Shakespeare’s artistic use of language and imagery is considered to be some of the greatest in literature.

Here are some famous examples of imagery in Shakespearean works:

• “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep.”  Romeo and Juliet
• “There’s daggers in men’s smiles.”  Macbeth
• “Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, Men were deceivers ever,- One foot in sea and one on shore, To one thing constant never.”  Much Ado About Nothing
• “If I be waspish, best beware my sting.”  The Taming of the Shrew
• “Good- night , sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”  Hamlet
• “Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies , that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends.”  A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”  The Tempest
• “And thus I clothe my naked villainy With odd old ends stol’n out of holy writ; And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.”  Richard III
• “By heaven, me thinks it were an easy leap, To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon”  Henry IV
• “If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die.”  Twelfth Night

Writing Imagery

Writers use imagery to evoke emotion in readers. In this way, the reader’s understanding of the poetic subject , setting , plot , characters , etc., is deepened and they have a sense of how to feel about it. Ideally, as a literary device, imagery should enhance a literary work. Unfortunately, some writers try to use this literary device too often, which can lessen the impact of the description and figurative language.

For imagery to be effective and significant, whether, in poetry or a story, it should add depth and meaning to the literary work. Overuse of imagery can feel tedious for readers and limit their access to and understanding of the writer’s purpose. Therefore, it’s essential for writers to balance presenting information in a straightforward manner and using imagery as a literary device.

Difference between Literal Imagery and Figurative Imagery

There is a slight difference in literal and figurative imagery. Literal imagery, as the name applies, is near in meanings and almost the same thing or exactly what the description says. For example, color like the red rose implies the same thing. However, in figurative imagery, a thing is often not what it implies. There is often the use of hyperbole , simile , or metaphors that construct an image that could be different from the actual thing or person. For example, his cries moved the sky is not an example of literal imagery but of figurative imagery as the skies do not move with cries.

Tips to Analyze Imagery

Analysis of imagery is often done in poetry and short stories. However, imagery is present in every literary work where description becomes of some significance. Whenever there is a description in a literary work, a reader first analyses different figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, personifications , images, and hyperbole, etc. There are four major steps in analyzing imagery in a specific description.

• Identify the type of figures of speech, types of images, and their roles in the description.
• Compare and contrast the types of images and their accuracy in the description.
• Compare and contrast the role of the specific figures of speech, their meanings, their roles, and their end product.
• Critique the description and see how it demonstrates its actual meanings in the context and setting.

Use of Imagery in Sentences

• Iwan’s sweaty gym clothes left a stale odor in the locker room; so they had to keep the windows open.
• The tasty, salty broth soothed her sore throat as Simran ate the warm soup.
• Glittering white, the blanket of snow -covered everything in sight and also blocked the street.
• The tree bark was rough against the deer’s skin but it did satisfy its itch.
• Kids could hear the popping and crackling as their mom dropped the bacon into the frying pan, and soon the salty, greasy smell wafted toward me.

Examples of Imagery in Literature

Though imagery is often associated with poetry, it is an effective literary device in all forms of writing. Writers utilize imagery as a means of communicating their thoughts and perceptions on a deeper and more memorable level with readers. Imagery helps a reader formulate a visual picture and sensory impression of what the writer is describing as well as the emotions attached to the description. In addition, imagery is a means of showcasing a writer’s mastery of artistic and figurative language, which also enhances the meaning and enjoyment of a literary work for a reader.

Here are some examples of imagery in literature:

Example 1:  Goblin Market (Christina Rossetti)

Early in the morning When the first cock crow’d his warning, Neat like bees, as sweet and busy, Laura rose with Lizzie: Fetch’d in honey, milk’d the cows, Air’d and set to rights the house, Kneaded cakes of whitest wheat, Cakes for dainty mouths to eat, Next churn’d butter, whipp’d up cream, Fed their poultry, sat and sew’d; Talk’d as modest maidens should: Lizzie with an open heart, Laura in an absent dream, One content, one sick in part; One warbling for the mere bright day’s delight, One longing for the night.

In this passage of her poem , Rossetti uses all forms of poetic imagery to appeal to the reader’s physical senses as well as their experience of motion and internal emotions. The reader can visualize the actions taking place in the poem along with a sense of orderly movement paired with disordered emotion. As the sisters Lizzie and Laura go about their maidenly and pastoral tasks, the poet’s description of their divergent mindsets and feelings creates an imagery of the tension between darkness and light, innocence and temptation. These contrasting images evoke unsettled and contradictory feelings for the reader, undermining the appearance of the sisters’ idyllic lives with a sense of foreboding.

Example 2:  The Yellow Wallpaper  (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)

The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight. It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others. No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long.

In this passage of Gilman’s short story , the narrator uses poetic imagery to describe the yellow wallpaper which eventually ensnares her mind and body. The narrator’s imagery effectively appeals to the reader’s sense of sight, smell, and touch so that the reader is as repulsed by the wallpaper as the story’s protagonist. By utilizing imagery as a literary device, Gilman is able to evoke the same feelings of sickness, despair, fear, claustrophobia, etc., for the reader as she does for the narrator. In addition to this emotional effect, the artistic language used to describe the yellow wallpaper also enhances its symbolic presence in the story.

Example 3:  The Red Wheelbarrow  (William Carlos Williams)

so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens

This poem by William Carlos Williams features imagery and, in fact, is an example of Imagist poetry. Imagism was a poetic movement of the early twentieth century that veered away from the heavy description that was characteristic of Romantic and Victorian poems. Instead, the purpose of Imagism was to create an accurate image or presentation of a subject that would be visually concrete for the reader. Imagist poets achieved this through succinct, direct, and specific language, favoring precise phrasing over set poetic meter .

In Williams’s poem, the poet uses simple language and clear expression to create imagery for the reader of a red wheelbarrow, lending beauty , and symbolism to an ordinary object. By describing the wheelbarrow with sparse but precise language, the reader can picture an exact visual image of what the poet is trying to convey which, in turn, evokes an emotional response to the image. This imagery enhances the meaning of the poem’s phrasing such that each word becomes essential, and the poem and its imagery are nearly indistinguishable.

Synonyms of Imagery

Imagery has several synonyms with slightly different meanings. They are imagination, picturing, mental imagery, vision, imaging, and dreaming are almost near in meanings but evocation, chimera, pretense, and mind’s eyes.

Related posts:

• Auditory Imagery
• Visual Imagery
• Gustatory Imagery
• Tactile Imagery
• Olfactory Imagery
• Kinesthetic Imagery
• Examples of Imagery in Poetry

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English Notes

English notes latest questions, what are the poetic devices used in the poem aunt jennifer’s tigers.

Following literary devices/figures of speech have been used in the poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers:

• Metaphor : It is a literary device which is used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike but do have something in common. e.g. “Bright topaz denizens” (tigers are compared with Bright topaz because of their elegant colour).
• Alliteration : It is the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “ f inger f luttering”, “ pr ancing, pr oud”.
• Symbolism : It is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. e.g. “Bright topaz denizens” represents tigers’ elegant colours, “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band” represent male domination, “tigers” represent her hidden desires.
• Personification : It is the attribution of human characteristics to animals and non-human things. e.g. “chivalric” is a word which was used for knights in medieval times. But here, it is used for the tigers.
• Hyperbole : It is an exaggerated statement. e.g. “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.” The weight of wedding band cannot be heavy. But it symbolises mental trauma of marriage.
• Transferred Epithet : It is a poetic device in which adjective is transferred from the noun it is meant to describe to another noun in the sentence. e.g. “terrified hands” refer to Aunt Jennifer who herself is terrified.
• Enjambment : It is the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break. e.g. “The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.”

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