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Repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. Example: 'The lumpy, bumpy road.'

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. Example: 'Bittersweet.'

A comparison of two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Her cheeks are like roses.'

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. Example: 'He was a real Romeo with the ladies.'

A rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order. Example: 'Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.'

The ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse. Example: 'abab' in a four-line stanza.

A literary technique in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant or expected. Example: 'A marriage counselor files for divorce.'

A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Example: 'Repeated references to the color white in 'Moby Dick' signify purity and obsession.'

Using symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. Example: 'A red rose can symbolize romance and love.'

Attributing human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature. Example: 'The somber clouds darkened our mood.'

Applying animal characteristics to humans or gods. Example: 'Hercules was as strong as a lion.'

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Example: 'Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory for the Russian Revolution.'

A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. Example: 'He's not bad looking.' (Meaning: He's good looking.)

The repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words. Example: 'Hear the mellow wedding bells.'

A figure of speech in which the poet addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing. Example: 'O Death, where is thy sting?'

The inversion of the usual order of words or clauses. Example: 'Excited the children were when Santa entered the room.'

An exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally. Example: 'I could sleep for a hundred years.'

A word that imitates the sound it represents. Example: 'The bees buzzed in the garden.'

In poetry, the continuing of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. Example: 'I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.'

A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept. Example: 'The pen (writing) is mightier than the sword (war/fighting).'

A comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: 'Love is a rose; but you better not pick it.'

Attributing human characteristics to non-human objects or abstract ideas. Example: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

Descriptive language that creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind. Example: 'The sunset was a rich tapestry of flaming oranges and reds.'

A play on words that exploits the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings. Example: 'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.'

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. Example: 'All hands on deck.'

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Example: 'She sells seashells by the seashore.'

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story. Example: 'The evening was still. Suddenly, a cool breeze started blowing and made her shiver.'

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. Example: 'He passed away' instead of 'He died.'

A descriptive literary device that describes a place, a thing or a person in such a way that it helps in making its characteristics more prominent than they actually are. Example: 'Alexander the Great.'