Similes: a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a

different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion,
crazy like a fox )

Metaphors: A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one
thing by mentioning another.

You’re a monster!
The exam was a piece of cake.

Types of metaphors:

Personal (gives personal characteristics to an object/action) e.g : A heart of gold. The call of
duty.

Extended (a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary
work)

Mixed ( the use in the same expression of two or more metaphors that are incongruous or
illogical when combined ) The president will put the ship of state on its feet.

Dead (A dead metaphor is a figure of speech which has lost the original imagery of its meaning
by extensive, repetitive, and popular usage)

Allegory: a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material

forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another

Symbol: something used for or regarded as representing something else

Denotations: the association or set of associations that a word usually elicits for most
speakers of a language

Connotations: the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its

explicit or primary meaning:
A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”

Personification: the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or

abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.

Apostrophe: a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified

object or idea, as “O Death, where is thy sting?”

Hyperbole: an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as

“to wait an eternity.”
Litotes: understatement, especially that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of
its contrary, as in “not bad at all.”

Irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony
of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend.

Paradox: a statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a

possible truth: “Less is more” is a paradox often repeated in the arts and other fields.

Oxymoron: a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-

contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”

Transferred epithet: figure of speech in which a modifier (usually an adjective) qualifies a noun
other than the person or thing it is actually describing.

“As I sat in the bathtub, soaping a meditative foot and singing...it would be deceiving my public
to say that I was feeling boomps-a-daisy."

Antithesis: the placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed
to form a balanced contrast of ideas, as in “Give me liberty or give me death.”

Pun: the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different
meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different
in meaning; a play on words.

Euphemism: the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be
offensive, harsh, or blunt. “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”

Cliches: a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or

common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as
sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.

Proverb: a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses
effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; adage; saw.

Metonym: a word or phrase used in metonymy, a figure of speech in which the name of one
object or concept is used for that of another to which it is related:
“The crown” is a metonym for “royalty.”

Synecdoche: a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the
special for the general or the general for the special, as in ten sail for ten ships or a Croesus for
a rich man.
II SOUND DEVICES

Alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words.
"the alliteration of “sweet birds sang”"

Consonance: the recurrence of similar sounds, especially consonants, in close proximity

(chiefly as used in prosody).
"the abrupt quality of the sound is echoed in the final “t” consonance of “discreet” and “shut”

Assonance: in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming

stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible (e.g., penitence,
reticence )

Perfect Rhyme: (also known as true, exact, or full rhymes). Perfect rhymes occur when the
stressed vowels in both words are identical. (e.g Moon and tune, Star and far)

Imperfect Rhyme: A slant rhyme is a type of rhyme in which multiple words have
similar—but not exact—sounds. These rhymes are also known as imperfect, half, or near
rhymes. (Crate and braid, Young and long)

Internal Rhyme: The use of rhyme within the line or lines.

( Their feet tapped to a beat as they walked right past me.
The rain falling gently,
helped me stay sane,
silencing pain while whispering peace. )

End Rhyme: The use of rhyme words at the end of lines.

( The stars above shine so bright,
Making me fall in love with the night. )

Onomatopoeia: the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g.
cuckoo, sizzle )

A poet works with five elements:

1. Thought
2. Mood
3. Imagery
4. Melody (Rhyme)
5. Rhythm (metrical foot)

1. Thought:
A poem seems like
A fragment or crisis from the middle of a story
A moment of intense feelings
A way of looking at the world

2. Mood:
- an emotional tone / a series of changing moods.
- Mood ~ thought
➔ Developed through images, rhythm or
single words.

3. Imagery:
1) Reporting sensory impressions
➔ vividly into the mind of the readers.
2) Figurative language (F.O.S)
3) Choice of words (Diction)
➔ connotative meanings.
Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, Gustatory, and Tactile Sensation
HOW TO FIND A THEME
Three Suggested Steps:
1. Ask yourself what common exp. the text is dealing with.
2. Analyze the crisis passage to see exactly how it portrays the theme.
3. Working out how the part you have studied in detail fits into the work as a whole.