What Are Literary Devices? A Complete Guide for Students and Writers

Literary devices are things that writers use to make their writing more interesting and to help the reader understand what they are trying to say.

You can find devices in all kinds of writing from school papers to novels and poetry.

When writers use it helps them to create a certain feeling or mood in their writing.

If you write a lot you might want to use a tool like the Trinka Grammar Checker to help you make sure your writing is clear and easy to understand.

Introduction

There are two kinds of literary devices: structural and rhetorical or figurative.

Structural devices are about how a writer puts their writing rhetorical or figurative devices are about how the writer uses language to create meaning.

For example, if a writer starts their story in the middle of the action that is an example of a device called in medias res.

If a writer compares a persons’ grief to the sea that is an example of a device called a metaphor. Both of these devices can create feelings in the reader.

What Are the Most Common Figurative Language Devices?

• Simile: This is when a writer compares two things using the words “like” or “as”. For example “She felt as cold as ice.”
• Metaphor: This is when a writer compares two things without using the words “like” or “as”. For example, “He was a tiger on the field.”
• Personification: This is when a writer gives human- qualities to non-human things. For example “The wind sang a tune.”
• Hyperbole: This is when a writer exaggerates something to make a point. For example “I have a million things to do.”
• Alliteration: This is when a writer repeats the sound at the beginning of words. For example “The big blue ball bounced boldly.”
• Onomatopoeia: This is when a writer uses words that imitate sounds. For example “The clock ticked loudly.”
• Oxymoron: This is when a writer uses two words that seem to be opposites. For example “a bittersweet memory.”
• Irony: This is when a writer says something that’s the opposite of what they mean.

What Are Structural and Narrative Literary Devices?

There are also narrative literary devices. These are about how a writer organizes their writing.

Some examples include:

• Foreshadowing: This is when a writer hints at something that will happen later in the story. For example, a character might say “I have a feeling about this.”
• Flashback: This is when a writer goes back in time to tell a part of the story that happened earlier.
• In medias res: This is when a writer starts their story in the middle of the action.
• Cliff-hanger: This is when a writer ends a chapter or section at a suspenseful moment.
• Framing device: This is when a writer tells a story within a story. For example, “The Canterbury Tales”.
• Deus ex machina: This is when a writer introduces an unexpected solution to a problem.

What Is the Difference Between a Metaphor and a Simile?

Some people get confused about the difference between a metaphor and a simile.

A simile uses the words “like” or “as” to compare two things.

For example, “She moved like a gazelle.” A metaphor on the hand compares two things without using those words.

For example, “She was a gazelle.” Both of these devices help to create feelings and ideas in the reader.

What Are Some Lesser-Known Literary Devices Worth Knowing?

There are also some known literary devices that are worth learning about. These include:

• Anaphora: This is when a writer repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences. For example “We shall fight… We shall fight…”
• Chiasmus: This is when a writer uses a sentence that is reversed in the part. For example “Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you.”
• Epistrophe: This is when a writer repeats a word or phrase at the end of sentences.
• Juxtaposition: This is when a writer puts two things side by side to compare or contrast them.
• Allegory: This is when a writer tells a story that has a meaning. For example “Animal Farm” by George Orwell is an allegory for communism.
• Pathetic fallacy: This is when a writer gives human- qualities to nature. For example “The stormy seas reflected her mind.”

How Do Literary Devices Work in Academic Writing?

Literary devices can be used in all kinds of writing including writing. In writing literary devices can help to make your writing more interesting and engaging.

For example, you can use anaphora to emphasize a point.

How Should I Start Using Literary Devices in My Work?

The best way to start is to choose a device and spend seven days on it.

Let us choose simile. For one week try to write one simile in everything you write. Does it make your writing clear or does it confuse things?

Now try metaphor. Try foreshadowing in the draft of your story. Each literary device becomes a habit.

When you have gotten used to a few devices try reading your work again and checking the language against that of your finished drafts using Trinka Grammar Checker to make sure the style is consistent.

Literary devices add colour and meaning when the grammar and structure of your sentence is already strong and Trinka’s grammar checker helps maintain that structure.