What are literary devices?

Literary devices are tools writers use to make their stories more interesting and easier to understand.

Imagine you're building a tower with blocks, each block is like a literary device that helps the tower (the story) stand taller and look cooler. Writers pick different kinds of blocks depending on what they want to build.

Common Literary Devices

  • Simile: This is when a writer compares two things using "like" or "as." It's like saying your brother is as fast as a cheetah, it helps you picture how quick he is.
  • Metaphor: This is like a simile, but without the "like" or "as." Your brother could be a cheetah, still helping you see how fast he is, just in a different way.
  • Personification: This is when something not human does things humans do. Like your favorite toy might whisper secrets to you at night, it makes the story feel more alive.

These tools help make stories more fun and easier to imagine, just like blocks help you build cool towers!

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Examples

  1. A character talks to the moon like it's a friend, that's personification.
  2. Using 'He ran like a cheetah' is an example of simile.
  3. Repeating words at the start of sentences makes poems more rhythmic, that’s repetition.

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