Discover published sets by community

The purification or purgation of emotions, especially pity and fear, through art. Examples: The moment of revelation in 'Oedipus Rex' by Sophocles, the ending of 'King Lear' by William Shakespeare.

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Examples: 'The black box in 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson symbolizes tradition and death', 'Doves as symbols of peace'.

Descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader. Examples: 'The stars looked like bright diamonds in the night sky', 'The fragrance of spring flowers made her joyful'.

A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Examples: 'The White House' to refer to the President or Presidential actions, 'The pen is mightier than the sword' to suggest that thinking and writing can have more influence than military force.

A figure of speech where the intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words used. Examples: A pilot with a fear of heights, saying 'Great weather we're having!' during a storm.

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristic to something nonhuman. Examples: 'The wind whispered through the trees', 'The flowers danced in the breeze'.

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. Examples: 'All hands on deck' meaning 'all crew to their posts', 'Cleveland won by six runs' meaning 'Cleveland's baseball team'.

A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Examples: 'The green light in 'The Great Gatsby' symbolizes Gatsby's hope and the American Dream', 'The conch in 'Lord of the Flies' represents law and order'.

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words close to one another. Examples: 'She sells seashells by the seashore', 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers'.

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. Examples: 'Buzz', 'Click', 'Rattle', 'Bang'.

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. Examples: 'The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain', 'Hear the mellow wedding bells'.

An exaggeration for the sake of emphasis which is not meant to be taken literally. Examples: 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse', 'He's running faster than the wind'.

A repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs. Examples: 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are', 'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall'.

A narrative mode that depicts the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind. Examples: 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf, 'Ulysses' by James Joyce.

Attributing human emotions and traits to nature or inanimate objects. Examples: 'The somber clouds darkened his mood', 'The angry sea'.

A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. Examples: 'Jumbo shrimp', 'Deafening silence', 'Bittersweet'.

A narrative in which characters and events represent particular ideas or themes, often moral or political ones. Examples: 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell, 'The Pilgrim's Progress' by John Bunyan.

The use of words or phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create. Examples: 'Cellar door', 'Lullaby and goodnight'.

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 (using 'like' or 'as'). Examples: 'As brave as a lion', 'Crazy like a fox'.

A figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Examples: 'Time is a thief', 'The world is a stage'.

A statement that seems self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. Examples: 'This statement is false', 'Less is more', 'Only the forgotten are truly dead'.