English II Honors Literary Devices Test

Atmosphere

the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art.

Apostrophe

a punctuation mark ( ' ) used to indicate either possession

Antithesis

a contrast or opposition between two things.

Anthropomorphism

the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.

Anti-hero

a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.

Antagonist

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary. (Opponent)

Catharsis

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Cliff hanger

an ending to an episode of a serial drama that leaves the audience in suspense.
a story or event with a strong element of suspense.

Diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Foreshadowing

be a warning or indication of (a future event).

Metaphor

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Similie

a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).

Allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

Personification

the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Anagram

a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another, such as cinema, formed from iceman.

Irony

the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.