U
alliteration
the repetition of consonant sounds
ex: he clasps the crag with crooked hands.
purpose: a repeated rhythm would be very striking and more memorable for the reader. So alliteration can be used to inject mood or emotion into a piece of writing. It can also be used to add rhythm and emphasis, which helps to make the context more memorable.
assonance
repetition of ONLY vowel sounds (not consonants)
ex: he sleeps in the steep creek.
purpose: mood, rhythm, memorable/make point
anecdote
a brief story that shares an interesting or amusing event dealing with one incident
ex: in the fall of 1989, there was a terrible earthquake.
purpose:to hook your reader, capture a moment, caution your reader, or persuade your reader or flesh out characters
anaphora
repetition of a word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses
ex: let us march together. let us sing together. let us dance together.
purpose: emotion, get message across, inspire call to action, emphasize concept, persuade, motivate
cliff-hanger
the writer breaks off the story at an exciting point and leaves the reader guessing about what will happen next.
ex: we knew who the thief was. the question now was how to prove it.
purpose: to draw in reader/get them to guess ending
analogy
showing similarity to a similar/alike situation
purpose: deepen the reader's understanding of one or both of the objects of comparison, either as a means of explanation or as a way to make a broader and more pointed statement.
allusion
a direct or indirect reference to something that you assume your audience will understand.
ex: she's the shirley temple of her time.
purpose: deepen understanding, ironic
enumeration
numerical listing of ideas
ex: first,.... second,....
purpose: convey strong message, avoid confusion
exaggeration
aka hyperbole, a statement that extends the truth
ex: i feel like 1000 pounds.
purpose: to add entertainment or emphasis
flashback
the writer describes an earlier time in the story
purpose: will help readers understand plot and characters better.
foreshadowing
a clue or hint about a significant event that'll happen later in the story
purpose: suspense, curiosity, tension
idiom
a common phrase that means something different than what the words say
ex: it was raining cats and dogs
purpose: add humour, memorable, can relate it to that
imagery
technique used by writers to create pictures in readers head and appeal to 5 senses.
purpose: vivid description, emotion
irony + types
clash between expectation and reality of situation
dramatic - reader knows of event/situation but character doesn't
verbal - speaker says/does something but means something else
situational - opposite of expectation of reader, or straightforward statement is altered by the context it's spoken in
purpose: suspense, shock
jargon/colloquialism
specialized terms/words used in certain occupations
ex: cop
juxtaposition
place two ideas together so that their closeness creates contrast or new (ironic) meaning
ex: dry vs healthy hair in commercial
metaphor
an expression that describes or implies a comparison between a person, place, or thing. (comparison w/out like/as)
onomatopoeia
words whose sound makes you think of their meaning
oxymoron
ex: her kind hatred.
paradox
apparently contradictory statement that holds truth
ex: he is guilty of being innocent
personification
when the writer gives human qualities to a non human thing
ex: the lazy sun strolled its way down the sky.
pun
word or phrase with more than 1 meaning used to create comical effect
repetition
repeating a word, phrase, or line to create emphasis on an idea or produce rhythm
rhetorical question
a question whose answer is already known or implied
ex: it's 11 o clock. do you even know where your children are?
simile
suspense
symbol
a comparison drawn between a place, person, or thing using "like" or "as"
feeling of uncertainty or curiosity created by writer
a person, place, thing, or event that is used to represent something else.