Poetic DevicesMr. Wornell’s GR8LA Class

Alliteration (Sound)• The repetition of the first

consonant sound in a word.– Sally sold seashells by the seashore.– Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

peppers.

Assonance (Sound)• The repetition of vowel sounds in

a series of words.– The fat cat was wearing a miniature

hat as he lay down on the mat.– Mike rides his bike to the store for a

bag of rice.

Rhyme (Sound)

• The repetition of ending sounds in words.– What luck Chuck had that he didn’t

wreck his truck.– Chad was a very sad lad.

Onomatopoeia (Sound)

• The use of words which imitate sound. – Crack, pop, buzz, fizzle

• When writing, italicize onomatopoeias when you want them to represent the sound.

– Honk! Beep! Jan placed her hands over her ears while her mother drove through the traffic, so she wouldn’t have to listen to the harsh sounds of car horns.

Simile (Figurative Language)

• A comparison between two objects using "like", "as", or "than”. – Todd was like a bull in a china shop.– Amy was as quite as a mouse.– Dennis is quicker than a cheetah.

• Can you write a simile about yourself?

Metaphor (Figurative Language)

• A comparison between two dissimilar objects. Usually the words “is”, “are”, or “was” are used.– The track coach complained that

Tara was a turtle and shouldn’t be on the team.

– “You are no Van Gogh,” my art teacher said to me.

• Can you write a metaphor of your own?

Personification (Figurative Language)

• Giving inanimate or non-living objects human characteristics.– The trees danced in the wind.– The wind spoke to me and told me

that rain was on the way.• Write a sentence using personification.

Idiom (Figurative Language)• An expression that is particular to

a group of people or culture. Idioms are NOT literal.– It’s raining cats and dogs.– Why the long face?– Break a leg.– If you jump the gun, you’re going to

get shot in the foot.• Can you name another idiom?

– Helpful idiom site: http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/.

Hyperbole (Figurative Language)

• A hyperbole is an exaggeration or overstatement. It is often meant to be humorous.– I caught a fish that was as big as me!– He inhaled the sandwich.

• FYI: “Yo Mama” jokes are hyperboles!

Understatement (Figurative Language)• Downplaying a situation.

– Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.

• Jan reassured her mother that the gaping wound on her leg was just a scratch.

Oxymoron• A figure of speech that combines

two words with opposite meanings.– Even the word oxymoron is an

oxymoron: oxy is Greek for “sharp” and moron is Greek for “dull”.

• Jumbo shrimp, act naturally, calm storm, cold sweat, good grief

– Can you think of an oxymoron?» http://www.oxymoronlist.com/

Imagery• Eliciting images in the reader’s

mind through sensory and concrete details.– The young freckled boy creeps

through the freshly mown yard with his sleek, black Colt BB gun in hopes of shooting the plump blue jay sitting on the log fence.

Repetition• The technique of repeating

important lines, words, or phrases of a poem for effect.– It is similar to a refrain in a song.

• Read “We Wear the Mask” to see repetition in action.

Structure• Line: similar to a sentence in

poetry.

• Stanza: a group of lines separated from other lines by breaks in the poem. Similar to a paragraph.

• Meter: Using a set number of syllables in each line.