Metaphor

An expression that implies or describes a comparison between two things.

She is a firecracker.

Simile

A comparison between two things, but they stay distinct with words like "as" or "than".

He is angrier than a bear.

Personification

Human characteristics given to objects, animals, or abstract notions.

The story jumped off the page.

Paradox

A seemingly self-contradictory or absurd statement that may prove to be true.

This is the beginning of the end.

Pun

A humorous play on words.

Make like a tree and leave.

Pathetic fallacy

When human emotion of character is reflected in nature.

The sky wept.

Synecdoche

Using a smaller part of something to represent the larger/whole thing, or the reverse.

Brazil is playing against France.

Here Brazil and France represent their respective sports teams

Oxymoron

When contradictory terms are combined for effect.

Awfully good

Hyperbole

An over exaggeration not to be taken literally.

I’m dead tired!

Allusion

A brief or indirect reference to a person, place, or event that is assumed to be familiar with the intended audience.

You don’t have to be Albert Einstein to understand poetry.

Rhetorical question

A question posed to make the reader consider a concept or idea, but you don’t expect an actual answer.

Why me?!

Anaphora

Consists of one or more words repeating at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.

The movie was okay. The snacks were the best. The traffic was brutal.

Epiphora

Consists of one or more words repeating at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.

I'm tired of this job. I'm over this job. I'm done with this job!

Polysyndeton

Repetition of conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) in sentences and successive clauses; gives the impression of multiplicity.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers.

Balance

Two words or phrases that have essentially the same form and length, usually joined by a comma, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Roses are red, violets are blue.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas for effect. Very similar to paradox but antithesis is a form of balance that deals with opposites.

It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness.

Chiasmus

Another type of balance where the second half is balanced with the first, but in reverse.

Fair is foul, foul is fair

Parallelism

When words or phrases match – or are parallel to – the structure of other nearby words or phrases. Parallel sentence structure gives your writing balance and rhythm.

Recommended exercise includes running, swimming, and cycling.

Here running, swimming, cycling have parallel grammatical structure

Verbal Irony

A contrast between what is said and what is meant.

Saying "Just what I needed!" after spilling coffee all over your shirt.

Dramatic Irony

Occurs when the audience or the reader knows more than a character about events; in other words, what the character thinks is true is not consistent with what the audience knows.

When a person goes upstairs calmly in a horror movie, where the audience knows that a killer is up there.

Situational Irony

The contrast between the actual result of a situation, and what was intended or expected to happen.

A fire station burning down in a fire.

Alliteration

Occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds.

Go slow over the road.

Here the "o" sound is being repeated

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds.

A springful of larks in a rolling cloud.

Here the "l" sound is being repeated

Onomatopoeia

When a word echoes the sound it makes.

Splat, zip, boing, clap