LITERARY

DEVICES
Recognizing
Figurative
Language
Let’s start with the first set of slides

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The opposite of literal language is
figurative language. Figurative
language is language that means
more than what it says on the
surface.

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1. Simile
× A figure of speech that makes a 
comparison, showing similarities
between two different things
× A simile draws resemblance with the
help of the words “like” or “as”. 4
× It is a direct comparison
Our soldiers are as brave
as lions.

Her cheeks are red like a

rose.
 He is as funny as a
monkey.
The water well was as dry
as a bone.
He is as cunning as a fox.
2. Anagram
× a form of word play in which letters
of a word or phrase are rearranged
in such a way that a new word or
phrase is formed.
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Mother-in-law = Hitler woman
Debit card = Bad credit
Dormitory = Dirty Room
The earthquakes = The queer
shakes
 Let’s Play!
Astronomer Punishments School master

Moon Nine The

starrer Thumps classroom

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 ROUND 2!
Conversation Listen The eyes

Voices rant Silent They see

on

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 ROUND 3!
A gentleman Funeral The Morse
Code
Elegant man Real fun
Here comes
dots
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 ROUND 4!
Eleven plus Slot Fourth of July
two machines

Twelve plus Cash lost Joyful Fourth

one in me
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3. Antithesis
× Literal meaning opposite
× It is a rhetorical device in which two
opposite ideas are put together in a
sentence to achieve a contrasting
effect. 13
 Give every man thy ear,
but few thy voice.
Man proposes, God disposes.
Love is an ideal thing, marriage a
real thing.
Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet
fruit.
Money is the root of all evils:
poverty is the fruit of all goodness
4. Cliché
× It refers to an expression that has
been overused to the extent that it
loses its original meaning or novelty.
× A cliché may also refer to actions and
events which are predictable because 16
of some previous events
In describing time, the following expressions
have turned into cliché
in the nick of time – to happen just in time
only time will tell – to become clear over time
a matter of time – to happen sooner or later
at the speed of light – to do something very quickly
lasted an eternity – to last for a very long time
lost track of time – to stop paying attention to time
In describing people, these expressions have turned
into cliché
as brave as a lion – a cliché to describe a very brave
person
as clever as a fox – a cliché to describe a very clever
person
as old as the hills – a cliché to describe an old
person
a diamond in the rough – a cliché to describe
someone with a brilliant future
In describing various sentiments, a number of
expressions have turned into cliché e.g.

frightened to death – to be too frightened

scared out of one’s wits – to be too frightened
all is fair in love and war – to go to any extent to 
claim somebody’s love
all is well that ends well – a happy ending reduces
the severity of problems that come in the way
Below is a list of some more common clichés:

They all lived happily ever after.

Read between the lines
Fall head over heals
Waking up on the wrong side of the bed
The quiet before the storm
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
5. Hyperbole
× derived from a Greek word meaning
“over-casting” is a figure of speech,
which involves an exaggeration of
ideas for the sake of emphasis.
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 My grandmother is as old as the hills.
Your suitcase weighs a ton!
She is as heavy as an elephant!
I am dying of shame.
I am trying to solve a million issues these
days.
6. Metaphor
× is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied
or hidden comparison between two things that are
unrelated but share some common characteristics.
×

× In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory

or different objects is made based on a single or
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some common characteristics.
 My brother was boiling mad.

The assignment was a breeze.

It is going to be clear skies from now on.

7. Personification
× Personification is another tool used for
imagery.

× Personification provides animals and objects

with human-like characteristics. 25
 The wind whistled and hissed through
the stormy night.
The tired tree’s branches moaned in the
gusts of wind.
The ocean waves slapped the shore and
whispered in a fizz as they withdrew
again
8. Irony
× It is a figure of speech in which words are used in
such a way that their intended meaning is different
from the actual meaning of the words.
× It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a
different way than what is generally anticipated.
× In simple words, it is a difference between the 27
appearance and the reality.
 The name of Britain’s biggest dog
was “Tiny”.
The butter is as soft as a marble
piece.
“Oh great! Now you have broken my
new camera.”
9. Metonymy
× a figure of speech that replaces the
name of a thing with the name of
something else with which it is closely
associated.
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England decides to keep check on immigration.
(England refers to the government.)
The pen is mightier than the sword. (Pen refers
to written words and sword to military force.)
The Oval Office was busy in work. (“The Oval
Office” is a metonymy as it stands for people at
work in the office.)
Let me give you a hand. (Hand means help.)
10. Oxymoron
× It is a figure of speech in which two
opposite ideas are joined to create an
effect.
× The common oxymoron phrase is a
combination of an adjective proceeded 31
by a noun with contrasting meanings
 Open secret
Tragic comedy
Seriously funny
Awfully pretty
Foolish wisdom
Original copies
Liquid gas
11. Synecdoche
× a literary device in which a part of
something represents the whole or it
may use a whole to represent a part.

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The word “sails” refers to a whole ship.
The word “suits” refers to businessmen.
The word “boots” usually refers to soldiers.
The term “coke” is a common synecdoche for all
carbonated drinks.
“Pentagon” is a synecdoche when it refers to a few decision
makers.
The word “glasses” refers to spectacles.
“Coppers” often refers to coins.
 
12. Symbolism
× use of symbols to signify ideas and
qualities by giving them symbolic
meanings that are different from their
literal sense.
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 The dove is a symbol of peace.
A red rose or red color stands for love or romance.
Black is a symbol that represents evil or death.
A ladder may stand as a symbol for a connection
between the heaven and the earth.
A broken mirror may symbolize separation
 
13. Epigram
× a clever and witty statement expressed
in just a few lines, pointing out foibles
and truths of mankind.

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 “I’m starting with the man in the mirror.” – Michael
Jackson
“This is the moment when we must come together
to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not
leave our children a world where the oceans rise
and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate
our lands.” – Barack Obama
“Blessed are the peacemakers.” – Jesus Christ
“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put and end
to mankind.” – John F. Kennedy
“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
“A word to the wise ain’t necessary; it’s the stupid ones
who need all the advice.” – Bill Cosby
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.” – H.G. Wells
“Live simply, so that others may simply live.” – Mother Teresa

 
14. Image/Imagery
× Imagery is a figure of speech that is “a
concrete representation of an object or
sensory experience.

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Taste: The familiar tang of his grandmother’s cranberry
sauce reminded him of his youth.
Sound: The concert was so loud that her ears rang for days
afterward.
Sight: The sunset was the most gorgeous they’d ever seen;
the clouds were edged with pink and gold.
Smell: After eating the curry, his breath reeked of garlic.
Touch: The tree bark was rough against her skin
15. Allusion
A reference to a work of literature or to a
familiar person, place, or event outside of
literature.

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Kinds of Allusion
Biblical Allusion
Historical Allusion
Literary Allusion
Classical/ Mythological Allusion
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Historical Allusion
An allusion referring to the historic event
in a country when a peaceful revolution
took place and paved the way for the
establishment of a new government
Let us stage another EDSA. 44
Literary Allusion
An allusion pertaining to literary piece
“Cinderella.”

I hope to meet my prince charming

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Classical Allusion (allusion to mythology)
This is an allusion to beautiful Helen, who
was supposed to have caused a tragic ten-
year war between the Greeks and the
Trojans.
A pretty girl is sometimes referred to as 46

having a face that could launch a thousand

ships.
Biblical Allusion
An allusion made to characters and stories
from the Bible.

A Good Samaritan is used to refer to

someone who helps another person even47
if the latter is of different background or
16. Epithet
Epithet is a descriptive literary device that
describes a place, a thing or a person in
such a way that it helps in making the
characteristics of a person, thing or place
more prominent than they actually are. 48
Agamemnon, “shepherd of the people”
“all-seeing” Jove
“gray-eyed” Athena
“lovely-haired” Ariadne
Odysseus, “sacker of cities”
“rosy-fingered” dawn
“swift footed” Achilles
17. Pun
A pun is a play on words in which a
humorous effect is produced by using a
word that suggests two or more meanings
or by exploiting similar sounding words
having different meanings. Humorous 50
effects created by puns depend upon the
ambiguities words entail.
In everyday life, pun examples are found intentionally or
accidentally used in jokes and witty remarks. Such as:

The life of a patient of hypertension is always at steak.

Why do we still have troops in Germany? To keep the
Russians in Czech.
A horse is a very stable animal.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
An elephant’s opinion carries a lot of weight
18. Eponym
Eponym refers to the name of a person or
deity commonly associated with some
widely recognized trait or characteristics
that the name itself has become a
substitute for the trait or characteristic. 52
Athena for wisdom

Jezebel for seduction

Caesar for dictator

Judas Iscariot for

treachery
Croenus for wealth

Machiavelli for duplicity

19. Paradox
Paradox is a statement that appears to be
self-contradictory or even illogical but
which can actually be true

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 “I must be cruel to be kind.”
Hamlet (By William Shakespeare)
Truth is honey, which is bitter.
“I can resist anything but temptation.”
– Oscar Wilde
 Thanks!
Any questions?

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