This isn’t an exaustive list, there are hundreds of language and literary devices. The common ones are listed below.
Descriptive Language §
| Adjectives and adverbs | Adjectives are words that describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs |
|---|
| Connotation | Meaning that is suggested, rather than literal. |
| Sensory Details | Words and phrases that appeal to the reader’s senses, typically of sight and hearing, but also of touch, taste and smell |
Figurative Language §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Anthropromorphism | Giving human qualities to an animal or object |
| Metaphor | A Compartative device that describes one thing as being another. |
| Metonymy | Using a word to represent a larger concept to which it is related, e.g. using ‘the bottle’ to refer to alcohol |
| Pathetic Fallacy | Crediting nature with human traits, e.g. a description of the weather to symbolise a character’s emotional state. |
| Simile | A comparative device that describes one thing as being like another. |
| Symbol | An Object or phrase the emobdies a range of meanings that extend beyond its literal defintiion |
| Synecdoche | Using a part to represent a whole concept, or something specific to represent the general, e.g. using hands to refer to workers. |
| Zoomorphism | Giving Animal-like qualtiies to something that is not an animal |
Sound Devices §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Alliteration | Using words with the same inital sound in quick succession. |
| Assonance | Using words with the same vowel sounds in quick succession. |
| Cacophony | Combining words to create or imply a harsh or unpleasant sound. |
| Consonance | Using words with the same consonant sounds, typically at the end, in quick succession. |
| Euphony | Combining words to create or imply a pleasing sound. |
| Onomatopoeia | Words that sound similar to the sound they are meant to depict. |
| Rhyme | Words that share the same or similar sounds |
Pace §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Caesura | A Break in the rhythm of a line of poetry, created by splitting a sentence or interrupting its regular rhythm, resulting in a dramatic pause. |
| Rhythm | Patterns created through the arrangement of words according to syllables or the natural emphases created by their pronounciation |
Word Play §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Irony | Using words with intended meanings that are different from, or even the opposite of, their literal meanings, often conveyed by the tone of the delivery. |
| Parody | The deliberate exxageration of particular Textual Features of another work for humorous effect. |
| Pun | A play on words, creating humour or irony through the fact that words have two or more meanings. |
| Satire | Using humour or parody to draw attention to human flaws. |
Inter-textuality §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Allegory | Exploring a complex or abstract concept through the creation of a more concrete example. |
| Allusion | A Casual reference to another literay work or real-world event. |
| Analogy | Explaining something by comapring it with a similar thing that is more familar to the audience |
| Quotation | Repeating the words of another work or person, to add meaning or authority to a text. |
