Literary Devices 6-8

Means EXACTLY what it says.


ex: Her locker was overflowing.
She is feisty.
It took 3 hours to get to the state line.

​Literal

Does NOT mean exactly what it says.

ex: It is raining cats and dogs.
Baby, you're a firework.
It took a million hours to finish my homework.

Figurative

Figurative Language

Sound Devices

​Verbal irony is when there is a contrast or startling juxtaposition between what is said, and the truth or reality. “Verbal” means “relating to words,” so this form of irony is about words, not actions. In my illustration below, you can see one example: The fluffy pink monster is grumbling, “What a beautiful day,” which is ironic because it is actually a disgusting, stormy day.

Situational irony is when something that happens (a “situation”) is in stark contrast with what is expected, causing a funny, surprising, sad, or jarring effect.

Examples:
• A fire station burns down. (This is ironic because you would expect that a fire station would be fully prepared to prevent fires.)
• An English teacher mixes up “your and you’re.” (This is an example of situational irony, because you’d expect an ELA educator to know spelling and grammar rules.)

Dramatic irony is sooooo fun and shocking — in literature, plays, TV, movies, and REAL LIFE! The definition of dramatic irony is: the tension that arises when the audience knows something that the characters being watched (or read about) do not. Dramatic irony is key in building suspense, because you want to keep watching to find out how the conflict of these hidden secrets will be resolved.