Improving literary technique knowledge for AP English

I'm taking AP English and my teacher suggested that I get better acquainted with various literary techniques to help my analysis of the texts. Can anyone recommend a comprehensive list of literary techniques along with definitions and maybe examples? Your help would be much appreciated!

Improving your knowledge of literary techniques is an excellent strategy for enhancing your performance in AP English. Understanding these techniques will enable you to analyze texts more effectively and recognize the author's intentions.

Here's a list of literary techniques, along with definitions and examples, to get you started:

1. Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words. Example: "She sells seashells by the seashore."

2. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words. Example: "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

3. Imagery: Language that appeals to the senses, creating vivid pictures in the reader's mind. Example: "The sweet smell of roses wafted through the air as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the sky."

4. Metaphor: A comparison between two seemingly unrelated objects without using "like" or "as." Example: "The world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

5. Simile: A comparison between two seemingly unrelated objects using "like" or "as." Example: "Her smile was as bright as the sun on a cloudless day."

6. Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human objects or ideas. Example: "The wind howled through the trees, as if warning us of the approaching storm."

7. Hyperbole: Exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Example: "I've told you a million times to clean your room!"

8. Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words are combined. Example: "bittersweet", "deafening silence."

9. Allusion: An indirect reference to a person, event, or another piece of literature. Example: "He was a real Romeo when it came to romance," alluding to the character of Romeo from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

10. Irony: A difference between expectations and reality. It can be verbal (saying the opposite of what is meant), situational (an outcome that's opposite of expectations), or dramatic (when the audience knows something the characters do not).

11. Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate the sound they describe. Example: "buzz", "hiss", "whisper."

12. Symbolism: When an object represents an idea or a concept beyond its literal meaning. Example: A dove symbolizes peace.

These are just a few of the many literary techniques. Familiarizing yourself with them, along with practicing their use in your own writing, will greatly improve your ability to analyze texts for AP English. Keep in mind that there are many more techniques to explore, so don't hesitate to continue expanding your knowledge and understanding as you progress in your studies.