Images offer sensory impressions to the reader and also convey emotions and moods through their verbal pictures. See also figures of speech. Implied metaphor See metaphor. In medias res See plot. Informal diction See diction.
Internal rhyme See rhyme.
A literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true. It is ironic for a firehouse to burn down, or for a police station to be burglarized. Verbal irony is a figure of speech that occurs when a person says one thing but means the opposite. Sarcasm is a strong form of verbal irony that is calculated to hurt someone through, for example, false praise. Dramatic irony creates a discrepancy between what a character believes or says and what the reader or audience member knows to be true.