1. Alliteration is a term that describes a literary stylistic device.

Alliteration occurs when a series of

words in a row (or close to a row) have the same first consonant sound.’
e.g. Dunkin Donuts, Coca-Cola, She sells seashells by the seashore.

2. An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that
happened. Allusions often make reference to previous works of literature, especially references to the
Bible and Greek or Roman mythology.’
e.g. Our laws protect good Samaritans. Your backyard is a Garden of Eden.

3. Hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

e.g. “I’ve told you a million times.” “I’m starving to death”

4. Irony - the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite,
typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

e.g. The Titanic was promoted as being 100% unsinkable; but, in 1912 the ship sank on its maiden
voyage.
A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets.

5. Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two
things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics.
e.g. She is a walking dictionary. Life is a journey.

6. Metonymy - It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else
with which it is closely associated. We can come across examples of metonymy both from literature and
in everyday life.
e.g. Let me give you a hand. (Hand refers to help)
The Philippines don’t allow exotic pet trade. (Philippines refer to the government)

7. Onomatopeia - the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.

e.g. bang, oink, meow

8. Oxymoron – a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

-a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings
(compressed paradox)
e.g. defeaning silence, virtual reality, open secret, painfully beautiful

9. Paradox – is a figure of speech in which a statement appears to contradict itself.

e.g. "Some of the biggest failures I ever had were successes."
You can save money by spending it.
The beginning of the end.

10. Personification - is a figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to an abstract
quality, animal, or inanimate object.
e.g. My alarm clock yells at me every morning.
 Lightning danced across the sky.

11. Simile - is a figure of speech that compares two things that are alike in some way. the words “like” or
“as” are typically used in a simile.
e.g. They fought like cats and dogs.
He is as strong as a lion.

12. Litotes - derived from a Greek word meaning “simple”, is a figure of speech which employs
an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by
negating its opposite expressions.
- is one of those methods which are used to talk about an object in a discreet way.

For example, using the expression “not too bad” for “very good” is an understatement as well as a
double negative statement that confirms a positive idea by negating the opposite. Similarly, saying “She
is not a beauty queen,” means “She is ugly” or saying “I am not as young as I used to be” in order to
avoid saying “I am old”. Litotes, therefore, is an intentional use of understatement that renders an
ironical effect.

e.g. The ice cream is not too bad.

You are not doing badly at all.

13. Analogy - a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
e.g. The relationship between them began to thaw.
I feel like a fish out of water.

14. Allegory - is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in a more
material object or idea like in term terms of characters, figures and events. It can be employed
in prose and poetry to tell a story with a purpose of teaching an idea and a principle or explaining an
idea or a principle. (objective is to preach some kind of a lesson. Allegory is an archaic term and used
specifically in literary works. It is difficult to spot its occurrence in everyday life.
e.g. “Animal Farm”, written by George Orwell, is an allegory that uses animals on a farm to describe the
overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW
I.

“All animals are equal but a few are more equal than others.”
The animals on the farm represent different sections of Russian society after the revolution.

15. Caesura - A caesura is a pause in a line of poetry that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech
rather than by metrics. A caesura will usually occur near the middle of a poetic line but can also occur at
the beginning or the end of a line. It involves creating a fracture of sorts.
e.g. Four and twenty blackbirds, // baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened, // the birds began to sing;

16. The term deus ex machina refers to the circumstance where an implausible concept or a divine
character is introduced into a storyline for the purpose of resolving its conflict and procuring an
interesting outcome.
Caesura – Assonance
Deus ex machina – imagery
Allegory – anaphora

Assonance - Assonance takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same
vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.
Men sell the wedding bells.

Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it
appeals to our physical senses.
Usually it is thought that imagery makes use of particular words that create visual representation of
ideas in our minds. The word imagery is associated with mental pictures. However, this idea is but
partially correct. Imagery, to be realistic, turns out to be more complex than just a picture. Read the
following examples of imagery carefully:
e.g. It was dark and dim in the forest. (dark and dim-visual images)
He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. (whiff and aroma-evoke the sense of smell.)

Anaphora – It is the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic
effect.

 e.g. “Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better”

 “My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.”