FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE/LITERARY DEVICES

Metaphor  ---  comparing two unlike entities without using like or as
He is a cheetah on the soccer field.

Simile --  using “like” or “as” to describe two unlike objects
Her eyes shone like diamonds.

Alliteration -- repeating the first sound in a series
The car careened out of control.

Assonance--- repeating of the interior sound (interior vowel sounds)
The black dagger in his hand was dank and masterfully hidden.
Wide smile
Thick hips
Bright Eyes

Magic Three --   the concept that three in a series always sounds better---also they must be PARALLEL

I like to swim, to run, and to bike.
I like swimming, running and biking.


Hyphenated Modifier-- creating a unique modifier by inserting hyphens

This morning was a three-cups-of-coffee morning.
She strutted in the room with an I-can-take-on-the-world attitude.

Hyperbole  --  over exaggeration
I’m so tired I’m going to fall over on my face.

Understatement -- making a situation seem less serious for effect--

We had a little storm the other day and it left things a bit inconvenient in our lives.


Oxymoron -- two opposite words to describe one thing--  jumbo shrimp, peaceful war, eloquent silence


Onomatopoeia --- word sounds   Ping! Zip!

Synecdoche --- using a part for the whole
The order came from the crown.   All eyes were on me.

Metonymy  --   using the name of one object to refer to something else
The order came from the White House.


Juxtaposition  --- putting two things side by side in order to make a contrast or comparison


Allusion  --- referring to something from history or literary past


Antithesis---- direct opposites written in the same sentence
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. (jfk)


Parallel Structure --- keeping the same elements within a sentence, paragraph or story.
eg of something WRONG:
first of all I went to the store, secondly I bought cookies, and “c.” I am driving home. (WRONG)


Full-Circle Ending --- story starting and ending in similar place/feeling


Expanded Moment -- taking a small moment and giving intense detail to it


Specific Word Choice -- using the nuanced word that allows readers to really visualize an event/character

A person walked into a building. EXPAND AND SPECIFY.