25 Literary Terms likely to Appear on the SAT AlliterationThe repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, at the beginning of words.

t the beginning of words. Sweet scented stuff is an example of alliteration in Robert Frosts poem Out, Out. AllusionA reference within a literary work to a historical, literary, or biblical character, place, or event. The following line from Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice contains an allusion to the Roman mythological character Cupid: Come, come, Nerissa; for I long to see quick Cupids post that comes so mannerly. AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words. The monster spoke in a low mellow tone has assonance in its repetition of the o sound. CaricatureA description or characterization that exaggerates or distorts a characters prominent features, usually for purposes of mockery. A cartoon of Abraham Lincoln with a giant top hat, a very thick beard, and extremely sunken eyes could be considered a caricature. ClichA familiar expression that has been used and reused so many times that its lost its expressive power. Happy as a clam or eyes like a hawk are examples of clichs. EpiphanyA sudden, powerful, and often spiritual or life-changing realization that a character experiences in an otherwise ordinary moment. ForeshadowingAn authors deliberate use of hints or suggestions to give a preview of events or themes that do not develop until later in the narrative. Images such as a storm brewing or a crow landing on a fencepost often foreshadow ominous developments in a story. HyperboleAn excessive overstatement or exaggeration of fact. Ive told you that a million times already is a hyperbolic statement. IdiomA common expression that has acquired a meaning that differs from its literal meaning, such as Its raining cats and dogs or That cost me an arm and a leg. ImageryLanguage that brings to mind sensory impressions. Homers description of dawn as rosy-fingered in the Odyssey is an example of his use of imagery. IronyIrony usually emphasizes the contrast between the way things are expected to be and the way they actually are. Heres an example of irony: Medieval people believed that bathing would harm them when in fact not bathing led to the unsanitary conditions that caused the bubonic plague. MetaphorThe comparison of one thing to another that does not use the terms like or as. Metaphors use a form of the verb to be to establish a comparison. A metaphor from Shakespeares Macbeth: Life is but a walking shadow. MotifA recurring structure, contrast, idea, or other device that develops a literary works major ideas. Urban decay is a motif in the novel 1984, which is filled with scenes of a dilapidated, rundown city. Shadows and darkness is a motif in A Tale of Two Cities, a novel that contains many dreary, gloomy scenes and settings. OnomatopoeiaThe use of words such as pop or hiss where the spoken sound resembles the actual sound. The whoosh of the waves at the seashore, and The zoom of the race cars speeding around the track are two examples ofonomatopoeia. OxymoronThe association of two terms that seem to contradict each other, as in the expression wise fool or jumbo shrimp. ParadoxA statement that seems contradictory on the surface but often expresses a deeper truth. The line from Oscar Wildes The Ballad of Reading Gaol, All men destroy the things they love is a paradox. PersonificationThe use of human characteristics to describe animals, things, or ideas. Ex.: The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky. PunA play on words that uses the similarity in sound between two words with distinctly different meanings. For example, the title of Oscar Wildes play The Importance of Being Earnest is a pun on the word earnest, which means serious or sober, and the name Ernest. Rhetorical QuestionA question asked not to elicit an actual response but to make an impact or call attention to something. Will the world ever see the end of war? is an example of a rhetorical question. SarcasmA verbal tone in which it is obvious from context that the speaker means the opposite of what he or she says. Mom, Id love to see Howard the Duck with you is probably a phrase you would say sarcastically. SimileA comparison of two things that uses the words like or as. Love is like a fire is a simile. SymbolAn object, character, figure, place, or color used to represent an abstract idea or concept. The two roads in Robert Frosts poem The Road Not Taken symbolize the choice between two paths in life. ThemeA fundamental and universal idea explored in a literary work. The struggle to achieve the American Dream is a common theme in twentieth-century American literature. ThesisThe central argument that an author tries to make in a literary work. Some might consider J. D. Salingers thesis in The Catcher in the Rye that society often forces people to be phoney. ToneThe authors or narrators attitude toward the story or the subject. The tone of the Declaration of Independence is determined and confident.