This document provides an overview of various literary techniques and devices, including definitions and examples. It discusses figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy, synecdoche, hyperbole, oxymoron, paradox, alliteration and onomatopoeia. It also explains other techniques such as anaphora, use of antiheroes, cliffhangers, juxtaposition, foreshadowing, catharsis, stream of consciousness, and hamartia or tragic flaw. Examples are given for many of the techniques to illustrate how authors employ them in works of literature.

1. FIGURES OF SPEECH AND
OTHER LITERARY
TECHNIQUES
TEACHER: DONNA G. MENESES

2. IDENTIFY THE FIGURES OF
SPEECH AND OTHER LITERARY
TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES IN
THE TEXT

3. PRE-TEST
1. The clouds are soft cottons in the sky.
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Personification

4. 2. I ask for your hand to
marry me.
A. Metonymy
B. Hyperbole
C. Synecdoche
D. Simile

5. PRE-TEST
3. He is running faster than
the wind.
A. Oxymoron
B. Paradox
C. Alliteration
D.Hyperbole

6. 4. Black bug bit in a big black
bear is an example of
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Simile

7. PRE-TEST
5. My hair is like a satin.
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Personification

9. SIMILE
COMPARES TWO UNLIKE
THINGS WITH A
COMMON QUALITY
LIKE, AS
EXAMPLE: HER LIPS IS
LIKE A RED ROSE
(HER LIPS IS BEING
COMPARED TO A RED
ROSE)

10. METAPHOR
A COMPARISON THAT IS
DONE BY STATING THAT ONE
THING IS ANOTHER IN ORDER
TO SUGGEST THEIR
SIMILARITY OR SHARED
QUALITIES
EXAMPLE: THE CLOUDS ARE
SOFT COTTONS IN THE SKY.
(CLOUDS ARE COMPARED TO
SOFT COTTONS)

11. PERSONIFICATION
GIVES HUMAN QUALITIES
TO OBJECTS AND THINGS
EXAMPLE: THE RAIN
GENTLY KISSED MY
CHEEKS.
(CAN RAIN KISS?ONLY A
PERSON KISS)

12. METONYMY
REFERS TO USING A THING OR
IDEA THAT IS NOT REFERRED TO
BY ITW OWN NAME BUT BY A
DIFFERENT ONE, A NAME OF
SOMETHING WITH WHICH IT IS
CLOSELY ASSOCIATED
EXAMPLE: “WHITE HOUSE
DECLARED….”
(RATHER THAN “THE PRESIDENT
DECLARED”)

13. SYNECDOCHE
USES A PART OF SOMETHING
TO REPRESENT THE WHOLE
OR THE WHOLE TO
REPRESENT A PART.
EXAMPLE: ASK FOR A HAND
(REFERS TO ASKING FOR A
WOMAN TO MARRY)

14. HYPERBOLE
USES INTENTIONAL
EXAGGERATION TO
ACHIEVE EMPHASIS OR
PRODUCE A COMIC
EFFECT.
EXAMPLE: HE’S
RUNNING FASTER THAN
THE WIND.

15. OXYMORON
IS A WORD OR A
COMBINATION OF WORDS
WITH CONTRADICTORY
MEANINGS, AS IN
BITTERSWEET AND OPEN
SECRET
EXAMPLE: DURIAN IS
DISGUSTINGLY DELICIOUS.

16. PARADOX
IS A STATEMENT THAT
APPEARS TO HOLD
CONTRADICTORY IDEAS
BUT MAY ACTUALLY BE
TRUE.
EXAMPLE: JOHN IS
NORMALLY ABNORMAL

17. ALLITERATION
REFERS TO THE USE OF
CLOSELY SPACED WORDS
THAT HAVE THE SAME INITIAL
SOUNDS.
EXAMPLE: BLACK BUG BIT A
BIG BLACK BEAR.

18. ONOMATOPOEIA
IS THE USE OF WORDS THAT
IMITATE THE SOUND OF WHAT
THEY ARE REFERRING TO.
EXAMPLE: MACHINE NOISES-
HONK,BEEP,VROOM,CLANG,ZAP,
BANG

19. LITERARY
TECHNIQUES

20. What are literary techniques/ devices?
Literary techniques or
devices refer to specific
methods writers employ
in their works to convey
messages.

21. Readers, on the other
hand, look for several
literary techniques when
examining or analyzing a
text or simply evaluating a
text’s artistic value.

22. Literary Techniques
1. Anaphora (epanaphora)
refers to the repetition of a word or phrase
at the beginning of a sentence.
 To create an artistic or heightened effect.
It adds rhythm to a particular line or
paragraph, making it easier to memorize or
remember.
used for emphasis or to stir emotions
among the audience

23. Anapora Examples:
to Town.
You better watch
out
You better not
cry
You better not

24. Anapora Examples:
Anaphora in Speeches
In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. repeated the words “I have a dream” at the start of
five consecutive sentences. With each repetition, the
intensity of his belief and the inspiration of his words
increased.
I have a dream that one day even the state of
Mississippi, a state, sweltering with the heat of
injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will
be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I
have a dream that my four little children will one
day live in a nation where they will not be judged by

25. Anapora Examples:
In his 1999 speech at the White House,
“The Perils of Indifference” Elie Wiesel
uses anaphora to emphasize the
meaning and effect of indifference.
Indifference elicits no
response. Indifference is not a
response. Indifference is not a
beginning; it is an end.

26. Anapora Examples:
1.“Every day, every night, in every
way, I am getting better and better”
2. “My life is my purpose. My life is
my goal. My life is my inspiration”.

27. 2. Antihero
Antihero is a fictional character
who does not possess the traits,
such as pride and valor, expected
of a hero.
Often, antiheroes are portrayed as
foolish and usually find themselves
in mischief.

28. 2. Antihero
Protagonist is generally
admired for his bravery,
strength, charm, or ingenuity.
Antihero is typically clumsy,
unsolicited, unskilled, and has
both good and bad qualities.

29. 2. Antihero
Despite their flaws, antiheroes
often captivate audiences due
to their relatability, as they
reflect the imperfect and
morally conflicted aspects of
human nature.

30. 2. Antihero
Antiheroes are frequently found in
literature, film, and other forms of
storytelling.
Examples of well-known antiheroes
include characters like Jay Gatsby from
"The Great Gatsby," Severus Snape from
the "Harry Potter" series, and Tony
Soprano from the television series "The
Sopranos."

31. 3. Cliff-hanger
Cliff-hanger is a literary technique used by the
author to arouse curiosity among readers by
ending a chapter or story abruptly.
The characters are confronted with a difficult
or an unsettling situation. Instead of providing
a resolution, the author would end it.
serialized works.
 Writers utilize cliff-hangers in their works to
keep the readers focused and interested as to
what will happen next

32. 4. Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is a technique authors use
in their works to compare two different
things, or two contrasting ideas.
To emphasize their differences, such as
good and evil, life and death, truth and
lies, among others.
This technique is also used to develop a
character, resolve a conflict, or clarify
various concepts

33. 5. Foreshadowing
refers to lines or dialogues in a story which
give the reader an idea of what is about to
happen without spoiling or explicitly
stating the plot’s entirety.
When writers use this technique, especially
in mystery or thriller novels, they provide
“red herrings” (misleading or false clues) to
divert the readers’ expectations.

34. A prime example of dialogue
foreshadowing occurs
in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet,
when Romeo says, “My life were
better ended by their hate, than
death prorogued, wanting of thy
love.”
This line foreshadows Romeo's
eventual fate: commiting suicide over
the loss of Juliet.

35. 6. Catharsis
Catharsis – derived from the Greek word
katharsis, which means “purification” or
“purgation.”
refers to the emotional release or cleansing of the
characters, or audience or readers, from strong
emotions usually brought by learning of the truth
or when confronted with difficult situations.
This technique is commonly found in tragedies,
such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King

36. Examples:
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is a master of catharsis, as
you can see in many of his great tragedies.
In Romeo and Juliet, the two star-crossed lovers
eventually commit suicide. The audience, often in
tears by this point, experiences a feeling of
catharsis. As the play closes, the two families in
the story make peace with one another, offering a
feeling of closure.

37. Example
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Russian literature is full of examples of
catharsis, but one notable work is Anna
Karenina.
In the famous novel by Leo Tolstoy, the
heroine endures the torture of being in love
with one man and married to another. Her
eventual suicide leaves the reader crying,
and it offers an emotional release for the
sadness that runs throughout the story.

38. 7. Stream of
Consciousness
“referred to as interior monologue”
Character's thoughts, feelings, and
reactions are depicted in a
continuous flow uninterrupted by
objective description or conventional
dialogue.
A literary technique that is usually
associated with Modern writers.

39. Stream of Consciousness
The plot is developed based on the characters’
reminiscence or recollection of events and
thought fragments.
Instead of using dialogues to show the
characters’ reaction or emotion, writers make
use of stream of consciousness to show each
character’s complex nature.
Readers are taken into the depths of the
characters’ mind and witness how these
characters process their thoughts when faced
with a particular situation or emotion.

40. 8. Hamartia or
tragic flaw
Found in Greek tragedies.
The tragic hero’s error in judgment, which leads to his
or her downfall.
This error is committed unknowingly, such in the case
of Oedipus when he killed his father Laius and married
his mother Jocasta. Hamartia is used to have the
audience identify themselves with the protagonist (that
he or she has weaknesses too) and to provoke pity
because of the miserable turn of events he or she went
through.
Used to impart a moral objective among readers or
audience to improve or change for the better so as to
avoid the tragedy that has befallen the protagonist

41. Thank you for
listening!