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Literary devices flashcards with examples

This starter set defines the literary devices that appear in middle school, high school and AP-style English analysis, and each card pairs the definition with a short example written for this set. Core definitions were compared with the Wikipedia articles on figures of speech and irony; the narrative-technique cards are standard classroom definitions. It covers the terms, not full close-reading practice, so you will still need to practice explaining a device's effect in a passage.

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Free Literary Devices flashcards: 35-card starter set

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Figurative language (12)

Metaphor

A direct comparison that says one thing is another, without like or as. Example: The classroom was a beehive.

Simile

A comparison that uses like or as. Example: The classroom buzzed like a beehive.

What is the difference between a metaphor and a simile?

Both compare unlike things. A simile signals the comparison with like or as, while a metaphor states or implies that one thing is the other.

Personification

Giving human traits or actions to a non-human thing. Example: The old house sighed and shrugged off the snow.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Example: I have told you a million times to close the gate.

Understatement and litotes

Understatement downplays something on purpose. Litotes does it by negating the opposite. Example: It was no small feat to climb that cliff.

Metonymy

Naming something by a closely associated thing. Example: The crown rejected the proposal.

Synecdoche

Often treated as a kind of metonymy, where a part stands for the whole, or the whole for a part. Example: All hands on deck.

Apostrophe

Speaking directly to someone absent or dead, or to an object or idea, as if it could answer. Example: O Moon, tell me where my brother has gone.

Idiom

A fixed phrase whose meaning is not found in its individual words. Example: Break the ice means to ease the tension at a first meeting.

Symbolism

Using an object, person or image to stand for a larger idea. Example: A locked gate that stands for a character's refusal to forgive.

Allegory

A story in which characters and events work as a sustained symbol for a larger idea or message. Example: A tale of animals in a farm that stands for a political system.

Sound devices (6)

Alliteration

Repeating the same starting consonant sound in nearby words. Example: The silent snow slipped over the sleeping street.

Assonance

Repeating vowel sounds in nearby words. Example: The light of the high sky shone bright.

Consonance

Repeating consonant sounds within or at the end of nearby words. Example: The clock struck back, black and thick.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it names. Examples: buzz, crash, sizzle.

Anaphora

Repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. Example: We will wait, we will watch, we will win.

Rhyme vs repetition

Rhyme repeats the ending sound of words, usually at the ends of lines. Repetition repeats the same word, phrase or structure for emphasis.

Irony and contrast (9)

Verbal irony

Saying the opposite of what you mean. Example: Looking at the flooded basement, she said, What lovely weather for a picnic.

Situational irony

An outcome that is the opposite of what was expected. Example: A fire station burns down.

Dramatic irony

The audience knows something that a character does not. Example: The reader knows the letter is forged while the hero trusts it.

Verbal irony vs sarcasm

Sarcasm is verbal irony used to mock or wound. Verbal irony can also be gentle or humorous, with no cruel intent.

Oxymoron

Two contradictory terms joined together. Examples: deafening silence, bittersweet.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth. Example: The more she gave away, the richer she became.

Juxtaposition

Placing two things side by side to highlight contrast. Example: A bright wedding scene followed directly by a gloomy funeral.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect expression used in place of a harsher one. Example: Passed away instead of died.

Pun

A play on words that uses multiple meanings or similar sounds. Example: The baker quit because he did not make enough dough.

Narrative and structure (8)

Foreshadowing

Hints early in a story about what will happen later. Example: A cracked mirror on the first page that foreshadows a broken friendship.

Flashback

A scene that interrupts the present to show an earlier event. Example: The narrator recalls a childhood summer in the middle of a job interview.

In medias res

Beginning a story in the middle of the action, then filling in earlier events later.

Allusion

A brief reference to a well-known person, event, work or myth. Example: He faced his exam with the courage of Hercules.

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses to create a picture or feeling. Example: The kitchen smelled of cinnamon and scorched sugar.

Tone vs mood

Tone is the author's or narrator's attitude toward the subject. Mood is the feeling the text creates in the reader.

Motif vs theme

A motif is an image, idea or pattern that recurs in a work. A theme is the central message or idea the work develops, often supported by motifs.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another, usually the protagonist, so that the other's traits stand out.

What this set covers

Topics covered

Figurative language, sound devices, irony and contrast, narrative and structural techniques

Best used for

English language arts, literary analysis essays, and AP-style prose and poetry analysis

Card style

The front names a device or asks you to tell two close devices apart; the back gives a definition and an original example

Not covered

Poetic forms and meter in depth, full rhetorical analysis, and quotations from copyrighted works

How to study this set

Knowing a device's name is only half the skill; the other half is explaining what it does in a text. Study the definition first, then practice spotting devices in real passages.

1
Day 1
Learn the figurative language group. For each card, say the definition and then make up your own example before you flip.
2
Days 2-7
Add sound devices and irony. Concentrate on pairs that get confused: metaphor and simile, irony and sarcasm, tone and mood.
3
Week 2
Add narrative techniques, then annotate one short passage from your class reading, naming each device you can find.
4
Final week
Shuffle the full deck. For each device you miss, write one sentence explaining what effect it would have in a passage.

Spaced repetition schedules each card to come back just before you would forget it, so reviews get shorter as your recall gets stronger. Cards you miss come back sooner.

Common mistakes to avoid

Naming the device without the effect

Essays are graded on analysis. After naming metaphor or irony, say what it makes the reader think or feel and why the author chose it.

Calling everything irony

Irony needs a gap between what is said or expected and what is true or happens. Bad luck or a coincidence by itself is not irony.

Confusing similar devices

Metaphor vs simile, tone vs mood, motif vs theme, oxymoron vs paradox are common swaps. Keep the one-line difference on your card.

Treating alliteration as any repeated letter

Alliteration is about repeated sounds, not spelling. Knight and night share a sound but not a letter; city and cat share a letter but not a sound.

Make your own from your notes

A starter set is a head start, not your whole course. Your class notes, slides and textbook are what your teacher actually tests, so turn them into cards too.

Put the device name on the front and the definition plus one short example on the back.
Write your own examples or use public-domain quotations, and tag each with the device so you can check yourself.
Make "difference between" cards for pairs you mix up, such as simile and metaphor or tone and mood.
Take sentences from books you are reading and make cards that ask which device the sentence uses and why.

Generate cards from a topic or notes Turn a PDF into flashcards

Literary Devices flashcards: questions

What is the difference between irony and coincidence?

Irony involves a contrast between expectation and reality, such as a safety inspector who causes an accident. A coincidence is just two events happening together without that contrast.

Is hyperbole the same as a lie?

No. Hyperbole is an exaggeration that readers recognize as non-literal, used to add emphasis or humor, whereas a lie is meant to be believed.

What is the difference between symbolism and allegory?

A symbol is a single object or image that stands for something larger. An allegory is an extended story in which the characters and events together represent a larger idea.

Do I need to learn every device?

Focus first on the ones used most in class and on exams: metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, symbolism, irony, tone, mood and foreshadowing. Add the rest as they come up in your reading.

How do I use these in an essay?

Quote a short phrase, name the device, and then explain the effect on meaning or tone. The explanation is where most of the credit comes from.

Sources and review

These cards are an independent study aid, not official exam content, and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam body or publisher. They were written by hand and checked against the sources below on 2026-10-17. Always confirm details with your course materials and the current official documents.

Wikipedia: Figure of speech — Checked that metaphor, simile, metonymy, synecdoche (a sub-type of metonymy), personification, hyperbole, litotes, oxymoron, anaphora, apostrophe, euphemism and pun are covered and defined consistently with the cards.
Wikipedia: Irony — Checked verbal, situational and dramatic irony and the distinction between sarcasm and verbal irony.

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