Understanding literary devices is essential for analysing texts in English class, and this deck of 20 flashcards defines the terms you'll need most often, each paired with a clear example. You'll cover the core comparisons — metaphor, simile and personificatio...
Understanding literary devices is essential for analysing texts in English class, and this deck of 20 flashcards defines the terms you'll need most often, each paired with a clear example. You'll cover the core comparisons — metaphor, simile and personification — before moving into hyperbole, the three types of irony (verbal, situational and dramatic), and sound-based devices like alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia. The deck also explains symbolism, foreshadowing, allusion and imagery, along with trickier terms like metonym, paradox, oxymoron and motif that students often mix up. It finishes with tone, idiom and understatement, giving you a complete toolkit for identifying and naming techniques in poetry, prose and drama. Suited to GCSE, A-Level and AP English Literature students, this deck turns abstract literary terminology into memorable, example-driven definitions you can recall confidently during a timed essay or exam.
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A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as," stating one thing is another: "Time is a thief."
A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as": "Brave as a lion."
Giving human qualities or actions to non-human things or abstract ideas: "The wind whispered through the trees."
Deliberate, obvious exaggeration used for emphasis or humour, not meant to be taken literally: "I've told you a million times."
A contrast between expectation and reality, or between what is said and what is meant.
Verbal irony: saying the opposite of what you mean. Situational irony: an outcome contrary to what's expected. Dramatic irony: the audience knows something a character doesn't.
The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
A word that phonetically imitates the sound it describes: "buzz," "crash," "sizzle."
Using an object, person or colour to represent a deeper meaning beyond its literal sense, such as a dove symbolising peace.
A hint or clue about events that will occur later in a narrative, building anticipation or tension.
A brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature, assuming the reader will recognise it.
Descriptive language that appeals to the five senses, helping readers visualise or experience a scene vividly.
A figure of speech where something is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it, e.g. "the crown" for the monarchy.
A statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but reveals a deeper truth upon reflection: "Less is more."
A figure of speech combining two contradictory terms for effect: "deafening silence," "bittersweet."
The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words: "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain."
A recurring element, image, or idea that develops or reinforces a theme throughout a literary work.
The author's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice, style and perspective (e.g. sarcastic, sombre, playful).
A phrase whose figurative meaning differs from its literal meaning, understood culturally: "kick the bucket" means to die.
Understatement deliberately downplays the significance of something, the opposite of hyperbole's exaggeration: "It's just a scratch" (about a badly damaged car).
