The following list is not completely exhaustive but it does provide a good foundation, especially for GCSE level students. The terms are loosely ordered so that terms used in similar ways or contexts are near each other.
| Name | Meaning | Example / usage |
|---|---|---|
| Allegory | A story which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning | ‘Animal Farm’ is an allegory for the Russian revolution |
| Frame narrative | The use of a story within a story | In ‘Watchmen’, there exists a pirate themed comic which mirrors the events of the main story |
| Satire | The use of humour, irony or exaggeration to form a critique | ‘Shrek’ satirizes fairy tales by using elements of traditional stories in a new way which comments on the original |
| Narrator | The character or voice which recounts the events of a story | Holden Caulfield in ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ narrates the story and doesn’t understand everything because he is only a teenager |
| Archetype | The most common example of a certain person or thing | Superman is the archetypal hero |
| Personification | Giving human characteristic to an object, animal or feeling | In ‘The Great Gatsby’ the billboard picturing a large set of eyes is personified as a figure of judgement |
| Anthropomorphism | Like personification but only for animals | In ‘The Lord of the Rings’, Smaug has many human qualities which make him an interesting character |
| Asyndeton | The absence of ‘and’ | Asyndetic listing is ‘lemons, oranges, pears’ |
| Polysyndeton | The repeated use of ‘and’ | Polysyndetic listing is ‘lemons and oranges and pears’ |
| Repetition | Repetition of a word or phrase | ‘That is really, really good!’ |
| Alliteration | A sequence of words beginning with the same letter. You can have guttural alliteration (letter G), plosives (letter B and P), sibilance (letter S) and dental alliteration (letter D) | ‘Wet, wild, windy’ is an example of alliteration |
| Assonance | The repetition of vowel sounds | ‘Round, sound, bound’ |
| Rhyme | Repeated use of a sound at the end of a word or line | ‘Seated … released’ |
| Anaphora | Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence | ‘This is good. This is bad.’ |
| Tone | The character or quality of a piece of writing | The tone of gothic literature is generally quite dark |
| Motif | A symbolic image or idea that is repeated throughout a story | In ‘Of Mice and Men’, the motif of Lenny’s dream about owning rabbits motivates his actions throughout the story |
| Mantra | A statement or slogan repeated frequently | Boxer’s mantra is ‘I will work harder’ |
| Hyperbole | An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally | ‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse’ is a hyperbolic statement |
| Imagery | Visually descriptive language | Floral imagery is used in the description of the garden |
| Juxtaposition | The effect created by purposefully contrasting two opposing things | ‘The tall man stood next to the short man’ |
| Simile | The comparison of one thing with another different thing | Superman is fast like a speeding bullet |
| Metaphor | The description of object or action which is not literally applicable | Superman is as fast as a speeding bullet |
| Onomatopoeia | A word which was created based on a sound | ‘Bang… sizzle… cuckoo’ |
| Oxymoron | Adjacent words which are opposite | ‘The wet desert’ |
| Paradox | A seemingly impossible or absurd problem | ‘This is the beginning of the end’ |
| Symbolism | The use of a symbol to represent an idea or quality | The windmill in ‘Animal Farm’ is a symbol for technological advancement |
| Allusion | Something intended to remind the reader of something else | By referencing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the author uses intertextual allusion to Shakespeare |
| Anachronism | When something exists in a time period to which it does not belong | The modern film of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ uses anachronistic elements such as guns and phones |
| Colloquialism | A word or phrase used in ordinary conversation | ‘He’s a regular bloke’ |
| Euphemism | A word or phrase which indirectly addresses an unpleasant or embarrassing topic | ‘The birds and the bees’ |
| Dramatic irony | When the reader knows something which the characters do not | In ‘Animal Farm’, we know that the pigs are evil whereas the other animals do not |
| Situational irony | When the setting of a story is very different to what was expected | In ‘Animal Farm’ we would not expect animals to be plotting a political revolution |
| Verbal irony | A word or phrase which is not meant to be taken literally | ‘I’m really glad we have more homework’ |
| Foreshadowing | An indication or warning of a future event | Chekov’s Gun is the idea that if a gun appears in the first act of a play it must go off by the end |
| In media res | When the story begins in the middle of an action | ‘The boy was running…’ |
| Analepsis | When a past event is told to the reader after it has happened | The book uses a flashback to the narrator’s childhood |
| Prolepses | When a future event is narrated before it happens | The character was shown a glimpse of their future |