Simile
A comparison that uses “like” or “as” For example, “I’m as hungry as a wolf,” or “My love is like a rose.”
Literal Language
Language that means exactly what it says.
Pun
The use of a word in a way that plays on its different meanings. For example, “Noticing the bunch of bananas, the hungry gorilla went ape.
Paradox
A seeming contradiction. For example, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”
Hyperbole
A huge exaggeration. For example, “Dan’s the funniest guy on the planet!” or “That baseball card is worth a zillion dollars!”
Personification
Giving inanimate object human characteristics. For example, “The flames reached for the child hovering in the corner.”
Rhetorical Question
A question not meant to be answered such as “Why can’t we just get along?”
Sarcasm
Language that conveys a certain idea by saying just he opposite such as if it’s raining outside and you say, “My what a beautiful day.”
Soliloquy
A monologue in which a character expresses his or her thoughts to the audience and does not intend the other characters to hear them.
Metaphor
A comparison that doesn’t use “like” or “as”—such as “He’s a rock” or “I am an island.”
Myth
A legend that embodies the beliefs of people and offers some explanation for natural and social phenomena.
Fable
A story that illustrates a moral often using animals as the character—for example, The Tortoise and the Hare.
Parody
A humorous, exaggerated imitation of another work.