What are the main literary devices and what effect do they have?

There are various literary devices a writer can use in their work. These are usually used to improve the quality of a description and to achieve desired effects. Keep an eye out for writers using these in their work and experiment with using them yourself.Today I will go over some of the main literary devices. A simile is where a writer compares two unrealistci things using ‘like’ or ‘as’. For example: ‘the house was like a bomb site’. A simile can help a reader to imagine the description (this is called imagery) and also creates a sense of exaggeration (the house if not really a bomb site). In some cases they can even be humorous. A metaphor is very similar to a simile however we don’t use ‘like’ or ‘as’. Instead, we simply say something is something else. This can achieve the same desired effect as a simile however can also create a lyrical or poetic feel: ‘carpets of snow lined the corridors’.A further literary devices is alliteration. This is where a writer has two or more words starting with the same letter, for example: ‘the rain ratteled against the rooftops’. Advertisers often use alliteration because it is memorable – it draws our attention to it and makes us stop and notice. When writing think about which parts you would like the reader to notice and consider using alliteration. Finally, I would like to look at personificaiton. This is where an inanimate object is given a human quality. For example: ‘the trees bowed their heads, exhausted and fatigues fom years of carrying heavy branches’. Personificaton can literally inject ‘life’ into your work and can also add to the overall tone and mood you are trying to create.