Literary Devices and Terms

What this page covers

This unit page collects resources on the words used to talk about writing. Many of the flashcard decks are plain term lists. Literary and Poetic Terms runs from allegory and alliteration through to archetype and asyndeton. Language Techniques covers imagery, irony, metaphor, onomatopoeia, pathos, logos and ethos. English Rhetorical Device Terminology adds anaphora, litotes, euphemism and paradox.

The mind maps work differently. English Literary Devices pairs each term with a short definition, such as allegory as a word with a second moral meaning. P.O.V & Mood covers first, second and third person narration.

Where to start

1. Open Language Techniques if the terms are new to you. It sticks to common devices.
2. Move to Literary and Poetic Terms for a longer list.
3. Use English Literary Devices to see definitions laid out on one map.
4. If you are preparing for a named exam, try AP English Lit Terms or English Literature Key Terms, which includes drama words such as aside, chorus and caesura.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then test yourself. The quizzes include several AP-style term sets, plus ones such as Literary Terms (Poetry), Figurative Imagery and Stylistic Techniques. Note the terms you miss, go back to the matching map or deck, and try the quiz again.

Some resources show terms at work in a text. Lather and Nothing Else links first person narration and simple sentences to quoted lines. Reading examples like these helps you move from naming a device to explaining its effect.

Where this unit sits

This unit belongs to the strand Foundations of Literary Study in the subject Literature. It is the place to build your working vocabulary before you write about poems, stories and plays.

Teachers can use the decks and maps as ready-made material for a class. Whatever your role, choose one resource that fits what you are working on and open it now.