HEARFULNESS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, OMEGA BRANCH 2024 - 25

Revision Notes – Literary Device

The effect of the literary devices depends on the context they are used in.

I. Figures of Speech

1- Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as."

Effect: Similes use a direct comparison to link two seemingly unrelated things to
create a vivid image and enhances the reader's understanding.
Example: " The politician's promises were as empty as a desert mirage."
2- Metaphor: A comparison between two things without using "like" or "as."
Effect: Metaphors use an indirect comparison to link two seemingly unrelated things
creating a vivid image and enhancing the reader's understanding.
Example: "Love is a rose, beautiful but with thorns that can prick and hurt."
3- Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Effect: This literary device is used to make non-human things more relatable or to
emphasize the importance of an idea or concept.
Example: " The car engine coughed and sputtered before finally dying."
4- Hyperbole: An exaggerated statement used to emphasize a point or create humor.
Effect: This literary device is often used to grab the reader's attention, create
emphasis, or add humor to a text.
Example: "My heart stopped beating for a moment."
5- Irony: A contrast between what is expected or intended and what actually occurs or
is said.
Effect: It can be used to create a sense of humor, surprise, or irony.
There are three types of irony:
Verbal Irony: This occurs when a speaker says something but means the opposite or
something different. It is often used for humorous or sarcastic effect.
Example: " "I love spending hours on hold with customer service," said David.

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Situational Irony: This occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected to
happen and what actually happens. It can be tragic or comedic.
Example: A traffic policeman getting a speeding ticket on the way to work.
Dramatic Irony: This occurs when the audience knows something that the characters
in the story do not. It creates tension and suspense for the audience.
Example: In a book, the audience knows that a character's best friend is actually the
villain, but the character trusts them completely.
6- Oxymoron: A combination of two contradictory terms to create an effect.
Effect: This literary device is often used to emphasize a point or create a sense of
tension or contrast.
Example: "Living dead", "Silent scream", "Clearly confused"
7- Paradox: A statement that contradicts itself but may reveal a deeper truth.
Effect: This literary device is often used to challenge the reader's assumptions and
provoke deeper thought.
Example: "The only constant in life is change." or" I can resist anything except
temptation."
8- Pun: A play on words that creates humor or emphasis. Puns often rely on multiple
meanings of words or phrases to create their effect.
Effect: This literary device is often used toadd humor or emphasize a point in a text.
Example: "I tried to take a photo of some fog, but I mist."
"I used to be a fisherman, but I got caught up in my work.”
9- Idioms: phrases or expressions that have a figurative meaning that differs from
their literal meaning.
Effect: They help to clarify or emphasize a point, or create a more vivid image in the
reader’s mind.
Example: "A chip on your shoulder": This means to be easily offended or always looking
for a fight.
"The elephant in the room": This refers to an obvious problem or issue that everyone
is aware of, but no one wants to talk about.

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10- Euphemism: A mild or indirect word or expression used in place of one considered
to be too harsh or blunt.
Effect: Softens the impact of unpleasant or offensive language and make a text more
polite or socially acceptable.
Example: "He passed away" instead of "He died."
11- Apostrophe: Addressing an absent or non-human entity as if it were present and
able to respond.
Effect: Creates a dramatic effect and emphasizes the importance of the addressed
entity.
Example: "Oh, Death, where is thy sting?"
12- Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or
the whole is used to represent a part.
Effect: Adds variety and creates a more vivid image.
Example: "Lend me your ears" (ears represent attention)
-"He has a roof over his head" (roof represents a home)
-"I've got to get some new wheels if I want to go on that cross-country road
trip."
Here, the word "wheels" is used to represent a vehicle.

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II. Sound Devices
1- Alliteration: The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of
multiple words in a phrase or sentence.
Effect: Creates a musical quality and a poetic effect, adds emphasis, and makes a text
more memorable.
Example: "Big Ben's bongs boomed as the bells began to toll."
2- Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds at the end or in the middle of
words.
Effect: Creates a musical quality and makes the text more memorable.
Example: "The black clock stopped with a shock as the rock hit the dock.".
Note that ‘Sibilance’ is a special type of alliteration or consonance that involves the
repetition of the "s" and "sh" sounds in a series of words. It is a sound device that is
often used to create a hissing or whispering effect in a text. Sibilance is often used to
create a mood or atmosphere, such as a sense of secrecy or danger.
Example: "The restless rustle of the restless leaves was relentless."
3- Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words.
Effect: Assonance is often used to create a poetic effect, add emphasis, or make a text
more memorable.
Example: " The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain".
4- Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate the sound they describe.
Effect: Creates a sensory experience such as the sound of animals or natural
phenomena. Onomatopoeia can be used to create a specific mood or atmosphere in a
text.
Example: " The crackling fire warmed their toes as they listened to the pop and snap of
the logs."
5- Rhyme: A sound device that involves the repetition of similar sounds in a text.
Effect: Rhyme is often used to create a musical quality, make a text more memorable,
and add variety.
Example: "A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and
dancing in the breeze."

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III. Imagery
Effect: Imageries use descriptive language that address the reader’s five senses to
draw a picture that helps the reader visualize the scene and making the text more
vivid, memorable and engaging.
1- Visual Imagery: it creates mental images of sight in a text. It uses descriptive
language to create a vivid image in the reader's mind.
Example: "The full moon cast a pale glow over the silent, still lake."
2- Aural (Auditory) Imagery: It creates mental images of sound.
Example: "The booming thunder echoed through the mountains, rumbling in the
distance."
3- Olfactory Imagery: It creates mental images of smell.
Example: "The pungent smell of sulfur rose from the volcanic vents."
4- Gustatory Imagery: It creates mental images of taste.
Example: "The bitter aftertaste of the espresso lingered on his tongue."
5- Tactile Imagery: It creates mental images of touch.
Example: "The rough texture of the tree bark scratched against her skin as she
climbed."

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IV. Narrative Devices
1- Foreshadowing: Hinting at events that will occur later in the story.
Effect: It is often used to build tension and suspense in the reader, as well as to create
a sense of inevitability.
Example: "As the sun began to set, a chill ran down her spine, as if foretelling the
ominous events that would occur that night.”
2- "Flashback: Interrupting the chronological order of events to go back and describe a
past event.
Effect: It is often used to provide background information, as well as to reveal
characters’ motivations and emotions helping a better understanding of the story
incidents.
Example: "As she walked past the bakery, the scent of freshly baked bread transported
her back to her childhood, when she used to visit her grandmother's house every
weekend and they would bake bread together."
3- In medias res (in the middle of things): Starting the story in the middle of the
action.
Effect: Captures the reader's attention and creates a sense of urgency.
Example: "The explosion rocked the building as he was sprinting down the hallway."

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V. Rhetorical Devices
1- Repetition: involves repeating a word, phrase, or idea for emphasis.
Effect: emphasize a point, to create a rhythm or flow to the writing, or to make a text
more memorable.
Example: “While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."
2- Rhetorical questions: questions that are not meant to be answered, but are used to
make a point or to create an effect and engage the reader.
Effect: Creates a dramatic effect, emphasizes a point, engages the reader and makes
the text chattier and more appealing.
Example: “Isn't it time for us to stand up and fight for what is right?"
3- Hypothetical questions: a question that asks about a hypothetical or imagined
situation, usually beginning with the phrase "what if".
Effect: Explore possibilities, test assumptions, or spark creativity. They are not
necessarily intended to persuade or to make a point, but rather to open up new
avenues of thought.
Example: “What if every person had the opportunity to reach their full potential,
regardless of their background or circumstances?”
4- Anaphora: A rhetorical device where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning
of successive clauses or sentences.
Effect: It creates emphasis and draws attention to a particular idea or theme.
Example: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we
shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never
surrender."
5- Analogy: A rhetorical device where a comparison is made between two things to
explain or clarify a concept.
Effect: It helps people understand complex or abstract ideas by drawing a comparison
to something that is more concrete or familiar.
Example: "Just as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, so too must we undergo
transformation in order to reach our full potential.”

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