Literary techniques refers to any specific, deliberate constructions or choices of language which an author uses to convey meaning in a particular way. This usually happens with a single word or phrase or particular group of words or phrases at one single point in the text. They are NOT necessarily present in EVERY text, rather they represent deliberate, conscious choices by individual authors.
9716548604 | Allegory | symbolic fictional narrative that conveys a second meaning not explicit in the narrative (Animal Farm-> Russian Revolution) | 0 | |
9716548605 | Alliteration | beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same consonant sound (I saw a bee busy among the sweet bilberries) | ![]() | 1 |
9716548606 | Allusion | reference to a historical, biblical, mythological, or literary event, place, person, thing or idea (He has the patience of Job) | 2 | |
9716548607 | Anachronism | assignment of something to a time when it was not in existence (Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court) | ![]() | 3 |
9716548608 | Analogy | comparison between something familiar and something unfamiliar for the purpose of illuminating or dramatizing the unfamiliar (detailed description of how nuclear fission is like opening a break in a pool) | 4 | |
9716548609 | Anecdote | short entertaining story usually personal or biographical | 5 | |
9716548610 | Antithesis | strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times) | ![]() | 6 |
9716548611 | Aphorism | brief statement of truth or principle given ( A penny saved is a penny earned) | 7 | |
9716548612 | Apostrophe | statement addressing an absent person or abstract quality as though present (Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him) | ![]() | 8 |
9716548613 | Assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words | ![]() | 9 |
9716548614 | Catharsis | Moral and spiritual cleansing; an empathic identification with others. Dark or Black Humor- Use of the morbid or absurd for darkly comic purposes (Catch 22 by Joseph Heller) | 10 | |
9716548615 | Consonance | the repetition of consonant sound within or at end of a series of words | 11 | |
9716548616 | Epigram | short, witty poem expressing a single observation | ![]() | 12 |
9716548617 | Epiphany | sudden understanding or realization which prior to this was to thought of or understood | ![]() | 13 |
9716548618 | Epilogue | closing section added to the end of a novel, play, etc., providing further comment , interpretation, or information | ![]() | 14 |
9716548619 | Ethos | qualities and language in a work that builds trust or credibility in the author or speaker | ![]() | 15 |
9716548620 | Euphemism | substituting a mild/non-offensive word or expression for one whose meaning might be harsh or unpleasant (extensive burns vs. charred flesh) | 16 | |
9716548621 | Farce | humorous play based on improbably situations, gross incongruities, coarse wit, or horseplay rather than plot and character | ![]() | 17 |
9716548622 | Hyperbole | deliberate & outrageous exaggeration; serious or comedic (shot heard round the world) | 18 | |
9716548623 | Irony | words say one thing but mean another | 19 | |
9716548624 | Antiphrasis Irony | satirical of humorous use of a word or phrase to convey an idea exactly opposite to its real significance (Calling Caesar's murderers "honorable men" - Shakespeare's Julius Caesar) | 20 | |
9716548625 | Dramatic Irony | facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audiences, or other characters in the work | ![]() | 21 |
9716548626 | Situational Irony | event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the character, of the reader, or of the audience | ![]() | 22 |
9716548627 | Sarcastic Irony | caustic and bitter expression of strong disapproval. It is personal, jeering, intended to hurt | 23 | |
9716548628 | Verbal Irony | Words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) true meaning. (I couldn't care less.) | 24 | |
9716548629 | Juxtaposition | placing two or more things close together or side by side for comparison or contrast | ![]() | 25 |
9716548630 | Litotes | understatement in which a thing is affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite (not least for great; not to fail for succeed; not bad or good) | 26 | |
9716548631 | Logos | language that appeals to the reader's sense of logic | 27 | |
9716548632 | Metaphor | a comparison of two unlike things not using 'like' or 'as' (time is money) | 28 | |
9716548633 | Metonymy | substitution of one word for another which it suggests (man of the cloth vs. priest) | 29 | |
9716548634 | Onomatopoeia | the use of words that mimic the sounds they describe (hiss, buzz, boom) | ![]() | 30 |
9716548635 | Oxymoron | combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression (jumbo shrimp) | 31 | |
9716548636 | Paradox | contradictory statement which has some truth in it (less is more) | 32 | |
9716548637 | Parable | a short, simple, illustrative story used to teach a moral or religious lesson | ![]() | 33 |
9716548638 | Pathos | Quality in a literary work that arouses feelings of pity, sorrow, or compassion in the reader or audience | ![]() | 34 |
9716548639 | Personification | gives inanimate objects or inanimate ideas human characteristics (wind cried in the dark) | ![]() | 35 |
9716548640 | Prologue | an introduction to a poem, play, novel, etc. | 36 | |
9716548641 | Pun | play on words that are either identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meaning | 37 | |
9716548642 | Satire | a work that attacks human folly or a societal problem with humor and wit | ![]() | 38 |
9716548643 | Simile | a comparison of two different things or ideas using the words 'like' or 'as' | 39 | |
9716548644 | Symbolism | object, person, place, action, that has a meaning but also stands for something larger such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value | 40 | |
9716548645 | Synecdoche | a part of something represents the whole also the whole can represent a part (all hands on deck) | 41 | |
9716548646 | Synesthesia | description of one sense by words generally used to describe another (hungry eyes, blind mouths) | 42 |