Literary techniques

• Metaphor


  A comparison made without using 'like' or 'as'

  E.g. "His home was his castle." His home is presented as a secure and safe place to be.
• Simile


  A comparison using 'like' or 'as' to create a vivid image

  E.g. "She had a smile like the sunrise." Her smile seems bright and full of hope.
• Personification


  A type of imagery in which non-human objects, animals, or ideas are given human characteristics

  E.g. The wind is given the human characteristic of "screaming." This creates an uneasy atmosphere
• Pathetic fallacy


  The environment (usually the weather) reflects the mood of the character in the scene
• Onomatopoeia


  The sounds of words to express or underline their meaning, sensory imagery

  E.g. "Howling, the cat ran through the house." We get a sense of the cat’s terror from the sound of the word "howling."
• Alliteration


  The repetition of the same sounds usually at the beginning of words

  E.g. "The suffocating steam filled the room." The repetition of the ‘s’ sound adds to the discomfort of the room.
• Assonance


  The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words
• Rule of three


  Repetition in a group of three to strengthen an idea or argument. Makes the text catchy, it sticks it the readers head
• Connotations


  Implied meanings suggested by a word rather than its literal meanings
• Hyperbole


  Over-the-top exaggeration for effect
• Repetition


  Words, phrases or ideas that are repeated for effect

  E.g. "Stephen tried and tried and tried to get the ball in the net." The repetition emphasises the effort exerted and Stephen’s desperation at his failed attempts
• Rhetorical questions


  A question asked for effect with no answer expected. Engages the reader
• Emotive language


  Words chosen to bring an emotional response
• Motif


  Any repeated idea, theme or image that has symbolic significance in the text

  E.g. “rotten apple…feverish heat… plague of flies…sickened trees…” The repeated references to illness could symbolise the moral sickness within the narrative.
• Listing


  A number of connected items written one after the other.

  E.g. “Phoebe saw that the garden was over-flowing with foxgloves, lupins, daisies, sun-flowers and pretty weeds of all shapes and heights.” The listing gives a vivid sense of the garden’s abundance and beauty.
• Is the text in the first person or third person? Is it personal or impersonal?
• Which tense has the writer chosen, e.g. past or present? What effect does this have?
• How sentences are structured, e.g. short and simple – to pack a punch - or is listing used to suggest boredom or to pick up the pace?
• Openings


  The start of a text must interest the reader. Comment on how the writer introduces ideas and raises questions.
• Focus


  This is what the writer focuses on as the text develops. Analyse what is implied, eg a gloomy landscape implies an unhappy situation - what is causing that unhappiness? What will happen next?
• Shifts


  Changes in ideas and perspectives, eg outside to inside. Comment on how this change is effective, eg creates contrast.
• Contrast


  The differences between two things. Comment on the effect a drastic difference produces.
• Repetition or patterns


  When words, phrases or ideas are repeated for effect. Repetitive features can highlight key meanings, indicate a development or show a lack of change.
• Pace


  The feeling of speed in the writing – are events and ideas revealed to the reader slowly or quickly? Ask what effect is created by altering the pace, eg a slow pace builds tension or suggests boredom, a quicker pace may suit a piece about things happening at speed.
• Temporal references


  References to time. Comment on how time is used to speed up or slow down the pace of the text.
• Order of events

  This could be chronological or writers might choose to start at the end, in the middle, or with flashbacks / flash forwards. Comment on how the order of events introduces and prioritises key ideas – and how this engages the reader.
• Endings


  The conclusion of a text may be neat or leave us with questions. Think about how the reader feels at the end. Have their feelings changed since the opening?
• Withholding information


  Clues and hints are given without revealing everything at once. Analyse what is implied by hints - how does this build the readers expectations?
• Dialogue


  Conversations and speech. How does dialogue move the text forward?
• Headings, subheadings and questions


  Divides the content of texts into topics and sub topics, can signal the start of new points. How do they guide readers through a text?
• Bullets


  Bullets can summarise and simplify a range of ideas. Why does the writer summarise certain points?
• Sentence structures


  Varied types of sentences, eg simple, compound and complex. Comment on how sentence structures affect the fluency of the text, eg a sudden short sentence could reveal shocking information.
• Paragraph lengths


  These vary like sentences eg, to highlight significant points or to provide a detailed account. Comment on how paragraph lengths affect the development of the text, eg a final paragraph might summarise key points in an argument.