What type of literary device is this

Point of view is, of course, the mode of narration in a story. There are many POVs an author can choose, and each one will have a different impact on the reading experience.

Example: Second person POV is uncommon because it directly addresses the reader — not an easy narrative style to pull off. But here you are, and you cannot say that the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy.

Instead of using a single conjunction in a lengthy statements, polysyndeton uses several in succession for a dramatic effect. Repetition , repetition, repetition… where would we be without it? Though too much repetition is rarely a good thing, occasional repetition can be used quite effectively to drill home a point, or to create a certain atmosphere. For example, horror writers often use repetition to make the reader feel trapped and scared.

Writers use satire to make fun of some aspect of human nature or society — usually through exaggeration, ridicule, or irony. There are countless ways to satirize something; most of the time, you know it when you read it.

They were towed by grinning dolphins or else crewed by fifty black-haired nereids, faces silver as moonlight. Soliloquy involves a character speaking their thoughts aloud, usually at length and often in a Shakespeare play. Authors turn to tangible symbols to represent abstract concepts and ideas in their stories Symbols typically derive from objects or non-human — for instance, a dove might represent peace, or raven might represent death.

Eckleburg actually a faded optometrist's billboard to represent God and his judgment of the Jazz Age. Synecdoche is the usage of a part to represent the whole. A tautology is when a sentence or short paragraph repeats a word or phrase, expressing the same idea twice. Example: "But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door" — The Raven , Edgar Allan Poe.

Tmesis is when a word or phrase is broken up by an interjecting word, such as abso-freaking-lutely. Example: "This is not Romeo, he's some other where. Tone refers to the overall mood and message of your book. Tone sets the feelings you want your readers to take away from the story. Example: No matter how serious things get in The Good Place , there is always a chance for a character to redeem themselves by improving their behavior. The tone remains hopeful for the future of humanity in the face of overwhelming odds.

Tragicomedy is just what it sounds like: a blend of tragedy and comedy. Tragicomedy helps an audience process darker themes by allowing them to laugh at the situation even when circumstances are bleak.

Example: When vampires turn into bats, their bat form is an instance of zoomorphism. Readers and writers alike can get a lot out of understanding literary devices and how they're used. But whatever your motivation for learning them, you certainly won't be sorry you did! Not least because you'll recognize the device I just used in that sentence. Which literary devices are your favorites? Share any thoughts, questions, or soliloquies in the comments below!

Paraprosdokians are also delightful literary devices for creating surprise or intrigue. They cause a reader to rethink a concept or traditional expectation.

In this post, we reveal the seven essential story elements and show you how they work together. Whether you're working on a story, an essay, or an article, here's how to write better with these 5 tips. Try them on for size! Finished your first draft and ready for the next step?

We've put together nine top tips to help kickstart your self-edit! Learn how to write a story in six steps! From initial concept to polishing your final draft, here's everything you need to know. Build a compelling world and tell a story readers will love with these 6 tips on how to write science fiction from professional editors. Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book. Last updated on Jul 08, What are literary devices?

What are the 10 most common literary devices? Find out here! Click to tweet! Start quiz. Takes 30 seconds Start quiz. Comments are currently closed. Continue reading Recommended posts from the Reedsy Blog. For example, if you want to catch a reader off-guard when something traumatic or intense happens, keeping the tone light and humorous before the event can increase the sensation of shock and tension.

Tone can guide your readers right into the emotion you want them to feel in a particular scene. Disclosure: Some of the links above may contain affiliate partnerships, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Self-Publishing School may earn a commission if you click through to make a purchase. While she's not whipping up content here, she's creating her own life and teaching others how to over at Own Your Ordinary , hanging out with her dog, and eating something with cheese!

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Knowledge sharing is how we all get better. Your email address will not be published. Business Builder. Career Fiction. FREE Training. Book Outline Template. Author Help Center. Skip to content. Pin All writing is made up of literary devices. Literary devices are used to: guide your readers in a specific direction to interpret your words the way you want them to add color to your words to get more readers hooked from line 1 help you sell more of your self-published books if you want to get serious about it.

Metaphor A metaphor is a comparison between two things that are NOT alike and replaces the word with another word. Metaphor Examples She was drowning in a sea of her own despair. Simile Examples It was like she was drowning in a sea of her own despair.

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To help you become a pro at identifying literary devices, we provide this guide to some of the most common ones. Give your writing extra polish Grammarly helps you communicate the way you intend Write with Grammarly.

With millennia of literature in hundreds of different languages, humankind has amassed quite a few of these writing devices, which continue to evolve. Literary devices can entail general elements that come back again and again in a work of literature, as well as the specific and precise treatment of words only used once.

Really, a literary device is anything that can take boring or flavorless writing and turn it into rich, engaging prose!

Literary elements and literary techniques are both types of literary devices. Literary techniques are the literary devices that deal with individual words and sentences, such as euphemisms and alliteration.

The more literary devices you recognize, the more you comprehend the writing as a whole. Recognizing literary devices helps you notice nuances and piece together a greater meaning that you otherwise might have missed. Your first step is to know what to look for, and from there it just takes practice by reading different works and styles. See how literary devices are used in the hands of expert writers.

See what we did there? Oftentimes, novice writers will shoehorn literary devices into their writing to make them seem like better authors. The truth is, misusing literary devices stands out more than using them correctly.

Allegories are narratives that represent something else entirely, like a historical event or significant ideology, to illustrate a deeper meaning. Sometimes the stories are entirely fabricated and only loosely tied to their source, but sometimes the individual characters act as fictional stand-ins for real-life historical figures. Alliteration is the literary technique of using a sequence of words that begin with the same letter or sound for a poetic or whimsical effect.

An allusion is an indirect reference to another figure, event, place, or work of art that exists outside the story. The Japanese word for the number nine is pronounced the same as the English letter Q.

Amplification is the technique of embellishing a simple sentence with more details to increase its significance.