Literary devices flash cards

The cards, front and back

1. 1
   Front

   Simile

   Back

   A comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

   Example: Her voice was as soft as falling snow.

2. 2
   Front

   Metaphor

   Back

   A comparison that says one thing is another, without 'like' or 'as'.

   Example: The classroom was a zoo.

3. 3
   Front

   Personification

   Back

   Giving human qualities to something that is not human.

   Example: The wind whispered through the trees.

4. 4
   Front

   Alliteration

   Back

   Repeating the same consonant sound at the start of nearby words.

   Example: Big brown bears bounced by.

5. 5
   Front

   Assonance

   Back

   Repeating vowel sounds in nearby words.

   Example: The light of the fire is high.

6. 6
   Front

   Onomatopoeia

   Back

   A word that imitates the sound it describes.

   Example: buzz, crash, sizzle, thud.

7. 7
   Front

   Hyperbole

   Back

   Deliberate exaggeration for effect.

   Example: I have told you a million times.

8. 8
   Front

   Oxymoron

   Back

   Two contradictory words placed together.

   Example: deafening silence, bittersweet, cruel kindness.

9. 9
   Front

   Imagery

   Back

   Descriptive language that appeals to the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

10. 10
    Front

    Symbolism

    Back

    Using an object, colour or character to represent a larger idea. A dove often symbolises peace.

11. 11
    Front

    Foreshadowing

    Back

    Hints or clues early in a story about what will happen later.

12. 12
    Front

    Dramatic irony

    Back

    When the audience knows something a character does not, creating tension or humour.

13. 13
    Front

    Situational irony

    Back

    When the outcome is the opposite of what is expected.

    Example: A fire station burns down.

14. 14
    Front

    Verbal irony

    Back

    Saying the opposite of what you mean, often for humour or sarcasm.

    Example: Saying 'Lovely weather' during a storm.

15. 15
    Front

    Juxtaposition

    Back

    Placing two contrasting ideas, images or characters side by side to highlight their differences.

16. 16
    Front

    Motif

    Back

    A recurring image, idea or symbol that develops a theme across a text.

17. 17
    Front

    Enjambment

    Back

    When a sentence or phrase in a poem runs over from one line to the next without a pause or punctuation.

18. 18
    Front

    Caesura

    Back

    A pause in the middle of a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.

19. 19
    Front

    Rhetorical question

    Back

    A question asked for effect rather than to get an answer.

    Example: Who would not want a better future?

20. 20
    Front

    Pathetic fallacy

    Back

    Using weather or nature to reflect a character's mood or the atmosphere.

    Example: Rain beats against the window as she grieves.

21. 21
    Front

    Allusion

    Back

    A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event or text that the writer expects readers to recognise.

    Example: He was a real Romeo with the new students.

22. 22
    Front

    Anaphora

    Back

    Repeating the same word or phrase at the start of several sentences or lines, often to build emphasis or rhythm in speeches and poems.

    Example: We will try. We will learn. We will win.

23. 23
    Front

    Flashback

    Back

    A scene that interrupts the present action to show events from the past.

24. 24
    Front

    First-person and third-person narration

    Back

    First person uses 'I' and tells the story from inside one character. Third person uses 'he', 'she' or 'they' and narrates from outside.