english language techniques

• Symbolism: the use of symbols to represent ideas or concepts. For example, the colour red represents anger, love or passion
• Satire: uses humour, exaggeration, irony and ridicule to expose and criticise problems in society. These issues can be political, social or of everyday lifestyle eg the pay gap
• Parody: imitates the style of another work for comic effect. Parodies often use humour, irony or exaggeration to create a humorous effect. For example, the Simpsons is a parody of aspects of American culture
• Irony: a figure of speech in which the intended meaning of the words is different from the actual meaning. It is often used to create humour or make a point. For example, if it were raining you might say what a beautiful day!
• Sarcasm: the use of irony in order to mock or convey contempt towards a person or subject. For example, saying oh I love waiting when you are frustrated from waiting
• Juxtaposition: the placement of 2 or more elements side by side in order to create contrast or comparison. It places two or more ideas, characters or events close together to create a specific effect. By having these contrasting elements side by side, we can highlight rising tension, similarities and differences
• Foreshadowing: a literary device in which the author hints at or suggests what will happen later in the story. It is used to create climax, suspense or tension
• Tone: the emotional or expressive quality of a piece of writing. It conveys the author's attitude, feelings and intentions towards the matter. Tone can be positive, negative or neutral and is conveyed through word choice and other techniques
• Characterisation: the representation of characters in fiction. This includes physical appearance, personality, attributes, motivations and background story
• Imagery: a literary device that uses vivid and descriptive language to create a vivid experience for the reader. It is used to paint a picture and set a scene. Imagery can be created through the use of figurative language such as metaphors, similes, personification etc. An example of imagery is “the sky was deep blue like the ocean on a clear day”
• Alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Eg Peter's piglets played potatoes
• Metaphor: a form of figurative language that states that one thing is the other. Eg he is a pig when he eats
• Simile: a rhetorical device used to compare two things using the words like, as or than. Eg, I ran like the wind
• Repetition: when a word or phrase is repeated several times to emphasise and develop a certain idea. Eg, no no no no no no!!
• Personification: a literary device that gives human qualities to non-human things or inanimate objects such as animals, objects or ideas. Eg the leaves danced in the wind
• Enjambment: a literary device where a sentence or phrase does not come to a natural end but instead continues to the next line
• GAZE refers to where the figure in the image is looking
• DEMAND is when a figure in the image 'gazes' directly out of the page at the responder, establishing a connection between subject and viewer
• OFFER is when a figure 'gazes' at another object in the image, encouraging the viewer to look at that object
• READING PATHWAYS are the path taken through a visual text, moving from the most salient to the least salient elements
• A VECTOR is a line that leads the eye from one element to another, created by visible or invisible lines such as pointing fingers or direction of gaze
• SALIENCE (focal points) are elements in an image that stand out and attract the viewer's attention, influenced by placement, color, size, focus, and distance
• PERSPECTIVE includes FOREGROUND, MIDDLE GROUND, and BACKGROUND, with the foreground often considered more important
• JUXTAPOSITION is placing visual elements side by side to create contrast or interaction
• SHOTS AND PERSPECTIVES are viewing angles and distances similar to film shots, influencing how the subject is perceived
• MODALITY/ CREDIBILITY:

  • Lowest modality graphics are the least real
  • Highest modality is the most real
  • Influenced by idealization, decontextualization, and tricks with perspective
• SYMBOLS can be used to represent ideas or concepts
• LIGHTING creates mood, with shadows suggesting concealment and light symbolizing hope and inspiration
• COLOUR is tied to emotions, with different hues, values, and intensities evoking various feelings
• Facts and statistics are used to support points made
• Emotional appeals and appeals to family values manipulate and persuade the audience by referring to emotions and values that everyone can relate to
• Repetition is the repeated use of a word or phrase to emphasize an idea
• Rhetorical questions are used to make the reader think about the points made
• Inclusive language, such as we, us, our, is used to make the audience feel involved
• Expert testimony involves quoting someone known as an expert on the subject to make the topic explored seem more valid
• Rule of Three is a device where three points are made to emphasize the point further
• High modality words are used to raise the intensity and strength of an argument, making the reader or audience feel a sense of obligation
• Praise creates positivity and gets the audience on side
• Direct address communicates a message directly to the person or audience, often using the pronoun "you"