Grade 11 English Exam Review
ENG-3U Exam Review
Literary Devices
Simile: a general comparison, using like or as, of two things thought to be different from each other in nature. Example: “Jason could run like a racehorse”.
Metaphor: an implied comparison of two things generally thought to be different from each other, generally expressed in a statement. Example: “And Juliet is the sun”, (Shakespeare).
Personification: a type of metaphor that gives an inanimate object human attributes. Example: “The tree heaved with a sigh”.
Hyperbole: exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. Example: “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this hand,” (Shakespeare).
Symbol: a figure of speech in which something (object, person, situation, or action) means more than what it actually is. A symbol, in other words, may be read both literally and metaphorically. There are two types of symbols:
1. Universal – recognizable to everyone
2. Personal – comprehensible only to those involved
Allusion: an indirect reference to a person, place, or thing which presumes familiarity, (Greek Mythology). Example: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood …” (Shakespeare).
Alliteration: a repetition of like consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. Example: “The cuddly kitten caught a cold”.
Assonance: the reoccurrence of the vowel sounds that are usually followed by different consonant sounds. Example: “The animals in the zoo waited mutely for their food.”
Anaphora: the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses. Example: “We wear our skin like a flag / We share our colour like a blanket / We cast our skin like a shadow / We wear our skin like a map”.
Consonance: a repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words. Example: “We were very tired, we were very merry”.
Onomatopoeia: words used for special effect when their sounds suggest their meanings. Example: “The cat hissed at the darkness”.
Literary Devices
Simile: a general comparison, using like or as, of two things thought to be different from each other in nature. Example: “Jason could run like a racehorse”.
Metaphor: an implied comparison of two things generally thought to be different from each other, generally expressed in a statement. Example: “And Juliet is the sun”, (Shakespeare).
Personification: a type of metaphor that gives an inanimate object human attributes. Example: “The tree heaved with a sigh”.
Hyperbole: exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. Example: “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this hand,” (Shakespeare).
Symbol: a figure of speech in which something (object, person, situation, or action) means more than what it actually is. A symbol, in other words, may be read both literally and metaphorically. There are two types of symbols:
1. Universal – recognizable to everyone
2. Personal – comprehensible only to those involved
Allusion: an indirect reference to a person, place, or thing which presumes familiarity, (Greek Mythology). Example: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood …” (Shakespeare).
Alliteration: a repetition of like consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. Example: “The cuddly kitten caught a cold”.
Assonance: the reoccurrence of the vowel sounds that are usually followed by different consonant sounds. Example: “The animals in the zoo waited mutely for their food.”
Anaphora: the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses. Example: “We wear our skin like a flag / We share our colour like a blanket / We cast our skin like a shadow / We wear our skin like a map”.
Consonance: a repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words. Example: “We were very tired, we were very merry”.
Onomatopoeia: words used for special effect when their sounds suggest their meanings. Example: “The cat hissed at the darkness”.