Literary Devices

1. Figurative Language Literary Devices

2. Personification • An object or animal is given the characteristics of a person • Such as “the hail stomped on the flower petals until they wilted.”

3. Flashback • The author takes the reader back to a time from the past, then back to the present • Such as, “Margaret looked at the stone. She instantly remembered what her Granny had told her about it: “It is a wicked thing, to attach yourself to the earth. Do not keep that stone, or you will find yourself bound to it.” Margaret stuffed the stone in her pocket, shook her head free of Granny’s words, and ran.”

4. Foreshadowing • When what is going to happen in the future is predicted or hinted about using words, imagery, or dialogue. • Such as in The First Day of School Forever, when every morning Artie woke up to find himself falling out of bed. It foreshadowed that the day would be the same as yesterday.

5. Onomatopoeia • Words or phrases that sound like what they are describing. • Such as,“’Bang!’ sounded the gong and the children instantly quieted.”

6. Hyperbole • Extreme exaggeration used to make a point or place emphasis. • Note: sometimes used in sarcasm. • Such as, “Take all the time you need - I only have a million things to do!”

7. Simile • Comparing two things by using words such as like or as • Such as, “I will eat like a pig tonight, I’m so hungry.”

8. Metaphor • A word or phrase that directly compares one thing to another. • Usually the two things are nothing alike. • Such as, “She wept in a sea of grief.”