Literary elements can be found in all types of writing. They are used to enhance the readers experience.

LITERARY LITERARY ELEMENTS/FIGURATIVE ELEMENTS/FIGURATIVE LANGUAGELANGUAGE

A comparison between two unlike things using words such as like, as,

than or resembles.

Ex: She sings like a bird

SIMILESIMILE

A comparison between two unlike things in

which one thing becomes another thing.

Ex: She is a witch.

METAPHORMETAPHOR

The repetition of the same or similar

consonant sounds in words that are close

together.

Ex: I saw the bouncing, baby boy

ALLITERATIONALLITERATION

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses—sight, hearing, touch,

taste and smell.Ex: The delicious mozzarella cheese

dripped off the slice of pepperoni pizza.

IMAGERY/SENSORY IMAGERY/SENSORY DETAILSDETAILS

The use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning.

Examples: boom, bang, sniffle, rumble

ONOMATOPOEIAONOMATOPOEIA

A special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman

thing or quality is talked about as if it were human.

Ex: The tree wept with sorrow.

PERSONIFICATIONPERSONIFICATION

Conversation between two or more characters in a story.

Identified by “Quotation Marks ”

DIALOGUEDIALOGUE

An idea about life revealed in a work

of literature.

THEMETHEME

IRONYA contrast between what is

expected and what really happens

Irony can create powerful effects, from humor to horror.

EXAMPLES OF IRONY

1. A shoemaker wears shoes with holes in them.

2. A police officer robs a bank.3. It rains on the day a group of

weather forecasters schedule a picnic.

CONFLICT

A struggle or a clash between opposing characters or opposing forces.

THERE ARE 2 TYPES OF CONFLICT

External Conflict- a struggle between a character and some outside force.

Internal Conflict- a struggle between opposing desires or emotions within a person.

FORESHADOWINGThe use of clues or hints to suggest events that will occur later in the plot of a story.

POINT OF VIEW

The vantage point from which a story is told.

THERE ARE 2 TYPES OF POINT OF VIEW

Omniscient- all knowing point of view, The narrator knows everything about the characters.

First Person- one character is telling a story using the pronoun “I”. The reader can only know what that character knows or observes.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

When one thing is a direct result of another thing.

•The overall emotion created by a work of literature.

Mood

•The attitude a writer takes toward an audience, a subject or a character.

Tone