Literary_Devices__Figurative_Language - Literary...

Literary Devices/Figurative Language – Key Terms
Foreshadowing
- This is a hint given by the writer about something that will happen later in
the story. Foreshadowing increases the reader’s feeling of suspense.
- Eg: From the children’s story “Little Red Riding Hood”, when her mother
tells her to go straight to her grandmother’s house, not talk to strangers and
beware of the wolf!
- setting up the scene for what’s to come
- hints/clues for things that would happen for later
Personification
- When the author attributes human emotions and traits to nature or
inanimate objects.
- Eg: “…where the sun kissed the southern shore.”
Simile
- A comparison using “like” or “as”
- Purpose is to communicate an idea with more impact or using imagery.
- Eg: “Life is like a box of chocolates…” or “She was as busy as a bee.”
Metaphor
- A direct comparison that does not use “like” or “as”
- Eg: “Jesus is the bread of life”

Parallel Structure
- Parallel structure (also called parallelism) is the repetition of a chosen