Have a question?
(770) 368-6096
[email protected]
Login
[miniorange_social_login shape="longbuttonwithtext" theme="default" space="4" width="240" height="40"]

Login with your site account

Lost your password?

Strive Academics Strive Academics
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Process
    • Guarantee
  • Tutoring
  • Testimonials
  • Worksheet Store
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Process
    • Guarantee
  • Tutoring
  • Testimonials
  • Worksheet Store
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Login

High School

  • Home
  • High School
  • Common Literary Devices Students Should Know

Common Literary Devices Students Should Know

  • Posted by Strive Academics
  • Categories High School, Middle School, Reading/Writing, Test Prep
  • Date July 13, 2020
  • Comments 0 comment

In learning to read and analyze literature, students will see these terms pop up again and again. Being able to recognize literary devices – linguistic or writing techniques meant to produce a specific effect – is an important part of understanding the messages an author is trying to communicate. While the amount of literary devices out there is plentiful, here’s a short list of some of the most common ones students should know.

  • Alliteration – the repetition of a sound at the beginning of a word.
    • Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words.
    • Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds in a series of words.
  • Allusion – an implied reference to another piece of work (literature, mythology, history, plays, movies and TV, people, places, things, etc).
  • Apostrophe – when a character speaks directly to a person, idea, inanimate object, or otherwise that is not/cannot be present (e.g. dead persons) as if they were a person that is currently there.
  • Diction – word choice of the author or character. Consider the following questions: Why did they use a word as opposed to its synonym? Is it formal or slang? What kind of tone does it convey?
  • Hyperbole – an over the top exaggeration.
  • Imagery – the use of descriptions that invoke the 5 senses to represent things, actions, or ideas.
  • Irony – when something is the opposite of what is expected. There are three types of irony.
    • Verbal – a statement that means the opposite of what is actually said.
    • Situational – a situation turns out differently than what would normally be expected.
    • Dramatic – when a character says or does something that has more meanings that what they think it means. The other characters and/or audience will understand the meaning the speech or action, but the character won’t.
  • Metaphor – a comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as.”
  • Onomatopoeia – use of words that are similar to the sounds they describe.
  • Paradox – a saying/situation/action/feeling that appears to be absurd or contradictory but turns out to be true upon greater inspection or explanation.
  • Personification – giving something non-human human characteristics (feelings, actions, etc.)
  • Pun – substituting words (or parts of words) with different but similar sounding words to suggest a different meaning, usually for humorous effect.
  • Sarcasm – a type of verbal irony where words are used to criticize or show contempt.
  • Simile – a comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as.”
  • Symbolism – the use of a meaningful object, phrase, action, etc. to suggest a hidden meaning.
  • Syntax – word order. An author may shift English’s usual Subject-Verb-Object word order to emphasize specific words or elements.
  • Tone – the attitude of the speaker. Consider: is the character angry? Sad? Relieved? Overjoyed? Cynical? Serious? Etc.
  • Understatement – the opposite of hyperbole. Emphasizing something by describing it as smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.
  • Voice – the author’s writing style or point of view. The author will use this to convey a specific message in their work.
    • Author’s voice – how the writing style affects the writing.
    • Character’s voice – how the narrator and/or main character views the world.

Looking for ways to practice identifying these literary devices? Check out our literary device worksheets.

Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Tag:ACT, ELA, English, High School, Language, Language Arts, Literary Devices, Literature, Middle School, Reading, Reading Comprehension, SAT, Test Prep, Writing

  • Tweet
  • Pinterest
Strive Academics

Previous post

18 Reasons Every Student Should Volunteer
July 13, 2020

Next post

Tips for Advanced Placement Exams
24 August, 2020

You may also like

  • Tips for Advanced Placement Exams
    24 August, 2020
  • What Are Literal Equations and How Do You Solve Them?
    1 June, 2020
  • How to Prepare Your Computer, Phone, and Social Media Accounts for College
    18 May, 2020
  • Stay ahead of the curve!

    Want to stay ahead of your peers? Sign up for our newsletter and get access to useful tips and resources before we publish them to our site. Stay on top of important dates, strategies, and reminders to help your student succeed!

    Tweet
    Close

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Categories

  • ACT
  • Ahead of the Curve
  • AP Exams
  • College
  • Education
  • Elementary School
  • Fall
  • Foreign Languages
  • High School
  • Math
  • Middle School
  • Misc.
  • Podcast
  • Reading/Writing
  • Real World Examples
  • Resources
  • SAT
  • Scholarships
  • Seasons
  • Study Tips
  • Subjects
  • Summer
  • Tech Tools
  • Test Prep
  • Test Prep
  • Tutoring

Latest Posts

Tips for Advanced Placement Exams
24Aug2020
Common Literary Devices Students Should Know
13Jul2020
18 Reasons Every Student Should Volunteer
29Jun2020

Let’s Connect

(770) 368-6096

[email protected]

Company

  • About Us
  • Tutoring
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Become A Tutor
  • Contact

Tutoring

  • Our Tutors
  • Tutoring
  • Online Tutoring
  • Group Classes
  • Our Process
  • Guarantee
  • Review Us

Links

  • Policies
  • Events
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Login

Names of standardized tests are owned by the trademark holders and are not affiliated with Strive Academics.
Strive Academics does not have an affiliation with universities mentioned on its website.
Instructors are independent contractors with their own teaching styles and materials.

© 2016 Strive Academics, All Rights Reserved

  • Terms
  • Privacy