Writing Devices

• Diciton tone: words may be mainly colloquial, informal, formal, or old-fashioned.
• Words may be denotative or connotative
• Denotation is the literal meaning of a word
• Words may be concrete (specific) or abstract (general).
• Words may be euphonious (pleasant sounding)or cacophonous (harsh sounding)
• Diction impacts tone through word choice.
• A telegraphic sentence is 5 words or less.
• Medium sentences are about 18 words.
• Long sentences are 30 words or more.
• A declarative sentence makes a statement.
• An interrogatory sentence asks a question.
• Imperatives sentences give commands.
• Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion.
• The first person point of view uses "I" to refer to the narrator.
• Second person uses "you".
• Third person refers to someone or something other than the speaker, using he/she/it.
• A simple sentence is one independent clause.
• A compound sentence uses two independent clauses.
• A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
• A compound complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.
• Anadiplosis is the repetition of the last word of a sentence at the beginning of the next one.
• Epistrophe is the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. It is also known as epiphora and occasionally as antistrophe.
• Anaphora is the same word being repeated at the start of sentences or clauses.
• Hypophora is asking a question and then answering it.
• Parallelism refers to similar grammatical structure used throughout a piece of writing.
• Paradox is an apparent contradiction that may actually be true when viewed from another perspective.
• Oxymoron is a figure of speech where seemingly opposite terms are combined to create a new meaning.
• Hyperbole is exaggeration used for emphasis.
• Understatement is an irony where something is represented as a lot less than it really is. It is also called meiosis.
• Loose sentences make sense before reaching their conclusion.
• A periodic sentence only makes sense once the end of the sentence is reached.
• Natural order of a sentence is when the subject comes before the predicate.
• Inverted sentences are where the predicate comes before the subject.
• Juxtaposition is where to unrelated/opposite words or phrases are placed next to each other in a sentence.
• Repetition is where the same word of phrase is used multiple times.
• Antithesis is direct contrast of structurally parallel word groupings. Ex. Sink or swim.
• A rhetorical question is one which expects no answer.
• Personification is assigning human qualities to inanimate objects.
• Hyperbole is exaggeration, often used as humor.
• Simile is comparing two things with "like" or "as".