| metaphor /ˈmetəfə/ | saying something IS something else | "Time is a thief" is a metaphor. |
| simile /ˈsɪməli/ | comparing two things using like or as | "As brave as a lion" is a simile. |
| personification /pəˌsɒnɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/ | giving human qualities to things or ideas | "The wind whispered through the trees" uses personification. |
| alliteration /əˌlɪtəˈreɪʃn/ | repeating the same first sound in nearby words | "Peter Piper picked a peck" is an example of alliteration. |
| hyperbole /haɪˈpɜːbəli/ | deliberate exaggeration | "I've told you a million times" is hyperbole. |
| onomatopoeia /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/ | a word that sounds like what it describes | "Buzz" and "sizzle" are examples of onomatopoeia. |
| foreshadowing /fɔːˈʃædəʊɪŋ/ | hinting early on at what will happen later | The broken mirror in chapter one is foreshadowing — bad luck follows. |
| irony /ˈaɪrəni/ | when the opposite of what is expected happens or is meant | A fire station burning down is a classic example of irony. |
| oxymoron /ˌɒksɪˈmɔːrɒn/ | two opposite words used together | "Deafening silence" is an oxymoron. |
| flashback /ˈflæʃbæk/ | a scene set earlier than the main story | The film opens in the present, then a flashback shows her childhood. |