| Term | Definition |
|---|
| alliteration | the repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words. |
| allusion | a brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or ficticious, or to a work of art |
| homophone | a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not |
| hyperbole | exaggeration or overstatement |
| idiom | an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket |
| metaphor | comparison of two unlike things using the verb "to be" and not using like or as as in a simile |
| personification | giving human qualities to animals or objects |
| pathetic fallacy | The attribution of human traits to nature or inanimate objects (Personification is direct and explicit in the ascription of life and sentience to the thing in question, whereas the pathetic fallacy is much broader and more allusive.) |
| simile | the comparison of two unlike things using like or as |
| onomatopoeia | a word that imitates the sound it represents |
| theme | the general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to express. All of the elements of literary terms contribute to theme. A simple theme can often be stated in a single sentence. |
| genre | a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like: the genre of epic poetry; kind; sort; style. |
Combine with other sets
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