Core Devices
These 10 devices carry meaning through comparison and implication. Each card carries an example so you can practice spotting the device, not just defining it.
Practice this set for free — no account needed. Loads 10 flashcards into the learner.
Practice in the free learnerHow to study this set
For metaphor and simile, check for the word "like" or "as" — a simile spells the comparison out with one, a metaphor leaves it out.
All 10 flashcards
Swap question and answerMetaphor
A comparison between two unlike things, without using "like" or "as."
Describing rage as "a storm inside him" is a metaphor.
Simile
A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as."
"Stubborn as a mule" is a simile.
Personification
Giving human qualities to something non-human.
Describing the sea as "angry" personifies it.
Symbolism
Using an object or image to represent a larger idea.
Yorick’s skull in Hamlet symbolizes mortality.
Foreshadowing
A hint of what is to come later in the story.
The ghost’s early appearance foreshadows the violence to come in Hamlet.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration for effect.
"I’ve told you a million times" is hyperbole.
Understatement
Deliberately presenting something as less significant than it is, often for ironic effect.
Calling a catastrophe "a bit of a problem" is understatement.
Allusion
A brief reference to another work, person, or event, without full explanation.
Calling a long, difficult journey "an odyssey" alludes to Homer’s poem.
Imagery
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
A detailed description of the smell and sound of a storm at sea is vivid imagery.
Juxtaposition
Placing two contrasting things side by side to highlight their difference.
Hamlet’s hesitation is juxtaposed with Laertes’ immediate action.
What to learn next
Next: Level 2, "Extended Devices" — structure, irony and perspective.
Continue to Level 2: Extended Devices →