1. Alliteration - the repetition of the initial consonant sound.

She sells seashells by the seashore.

In the example above, the /s/ sound is being repented in the succeeding initial consonantsound of the
word sells, seashells, and seashore. You might wonder why the word "she" is not included. This is
because it begins with a different consonant sound- /f/ or /sh/. It is important that when using this figure
of speech, you are familiar with the various symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which
serves as an accurate guide in the pronunciation of sounds.
2. Assonance - the repetition of the internal vowel sounds.
How now brown cow?
The words in the example above have a repeating diphthong /au/ sound. When using assonance,
remember that it is not how the word is spelled, but how it is pronounced that matters. For example,
despite having the same '-own" letters, the words "blown" and "brown" are pronounced differently.
Note that diphthongs are blended vowel sounds.
3. Anaphora - repetition of same word or phrase in a successive clauses or sentences.
I live to overcome the mistakes of the past, the mistakes untold, and the mistakes unnoticed.
The phrase the mistakes is repeated in the sentence above.
Change me for what I have done. Change him for what he did. Change them, so we can live.
4. Apostrophe - addressing an inanimate object as if it is alive or someone who is not present.
Evry said, "what will I do without your genius brain, my computer!”
The computer is an inanimate object and was addressed like as if it was alive.
“Oh! Dr. Jose Rizal, will you please guide these perverted minds?"
Dr. Jose Rizal is no longer living, yet his ideology and impact on Filipinos live on that his name is still
sometimes referenced in people's remarks to add impact.
5. Personification - giving attribute of human to an inanimate object.
The mountain will bow to the touch of the strongest wind.
The mountain cannot bow in reality, and the wind has no hands to touch. However, in personification,
these inanimate objects are given human- like actions. It only differs from an apostrophe in terms of
usage.
6. Chiasmus - a verbal pattern in which the second half is balanced with the first but written in reversed.
Reading to learn is different from learning to read. Do you get it?
In the example you will see how the sense of the two phrases changed by just changing or reversing the
position of the words in the sentence. Changing the inflection of the word is also necessary to make the
sentence grammatically correct.
7. Euphemism - the use of an inoffensive word or phrases in substitution to an offensive word.
Her mother went to the other side after battling for a 10-year leukemia.
As you may have noticed, the phrase "went to the other side" is an alternative and even kinder term for
the word "died."
Hyperbole - an exaggerating the thought unit that should not be read in the literal sense.
I spent a billion pesos on shopping today.
Although it is possible to spend billions of pesos if you are extremely rich, this could still be interpreted
as hyperbole in the sense that spending that much money on regular shopping would be considered
excessive.
8. Metaphor - a figure of speech that makes an implicit comparison of a word or phrase to another to
show similarity.
Her smile is a sunshine during summertime.
In the example above, "smile" is compared to "sunshine". Notice that the linking verb "is" is used here to
compare the two.
9. Simile - just like metaphor, this figure of speech compares two different objects or persons with a
similar characteristic and use; "like" and "as".
You were as brave as a lion.
Notice the signal word "as" in the sentence in comparing the bravery of the person to a lion.
10. Onomatopoeia - the used of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they
refer to.
The boxes fell from the shelves with a very loud thump.
The example above stimulates your senses that you can imagine how loud the books fell because of the
use of the word thump.
11. Synecdoche - the use of a part to represent the whole.
Two heads are better than one in accomplishing a task.
The word "heads" represents people helping each other in making a task easier.
The different figures of speech that you have learned from this lesson are examples of things that have
been taught to you or that you have already encountered in your previous years of studying Literature.
Below are some additional literary devices that are also helpful in reading and appreciating both prose
and poetry. These can be found at masterclass.com.
1. Allegory - is a literary device used to express large, complex ideas in an approachable manner.
Allegory allows writers to create some distance between themselves and the issues they are
discussing, especially when those issues are strong critiques of political or societal realities.
A good example of an Allegory is found in the 5th chapter book of Jacob from the Book of Mormon. It
tells the story of the olive trees from a vineyard that when analyzed, talks about God's plan and salvation.
2. Allusion - a popular literary device used to develop character, frame storylines, and help create
associations with well-known works. Allusions can reference anything from Victorian fairy tale and
popular culture to the Bible and the Bard.
3. Anachronism – Imagine reading a story about a caveman who microwaves his dinner or watching
a film adaptation of a Jane Austen novel in which the characters text each other instead of writing letters.
There circumstances are examples of anachronisms, or errors in chronology- the kind that makes
audiences raise their eyebrows or do a double-take. Sometimes anachronisms are true blunders; other
times, they are used intentionally to add humor or to comment on a specific time period in history.
4. Cliffhanger – it is a familiar feeling – You are on minute 59 of an hour-long television episode,
and the protagonist is about to face the villain- and then the episode cuts to black. Known as a cliffhanger,
this plot device marks at the end of a section of a narrative with the express purpose of keeping audiences
engaged in the story.
5. Foreshadowing – as its core, storytelling has one ambition: to capture and sustain your reader’s
attention and keep them reading your story. Foreshadowing, or slyly indicating a future event, is one
technique a writer can use to create and build suspense.
The counterpart of foreshadowing is the flashback. This device gives a glimpse of what happened before
in order to explain the circumstances in the present.
6. Humor – this brings people together and has the power to transform how we think about the
world. Of course, not everyone is adept at being funny – particularly in their writing. Making people
laugh takes some kill and finesse, and, because so much relies on instinct, is harder to teach than other
techniques. However, all writers can benefit from learning more about how humor functions in writing.
7. Imagery - if you have practiced or studied creative writing, chances are you have encountered the
expression "paint a picture with words." In poetry and literature, this is known as imagery: the use of
figurative language to evoke a sensory experience in the reader. When a poet uses descriptive language
well, they play to the reader's senses, providing them with sights, tastes, smells, sounds, internal ad
external feelings, and even deep emotion. The sensory details in imagery bring works to life.
8. Suspense - no matter what type of story you are telling, suspense is a valuable tool for keeping a
reader’s attention and interest. Building suspense involves withholding information and raising key
questions that pique readers' curiosity. Character development plays a big role in generating suspense; for
example, if a character's desire is not fulfilled by the end of the book, the story will not feel complete for
the reader.
9. Vignette – a writer's job is to engage readers through words. Vignettes - poetic slices-of-life - are
a literary device that brings us deeper into a story. vignettes step away from the action momentarily to
zoom in for a closer examination of a particular character, concept, or place. Writers use vignettes to shed
light on something that wouldn't be visible in the story's main plot.