Literary Techniques to learn
Similes Personification
One thing is like or as another
As thin as a beanpole
Metaphors
More direct
No like or as
The stars were diamonds
Foreshadowing
The writer hints something is going
to happen
Sneak peak to create suspense
E.g. in fiction: a stormy sky
Repetition
Useful in speeches and persuasive
articles.
Used to prove a point
Hyperbole
Exaggerated statement
“You told me this a million times”
Helps to reflect feelings of
annoyance
Symbolism
Writer describes a non-human thing
Using human-like actions and
emotions
The sea roars
Tone
Writer’s attitude towards what he
writes or towards the readers
Tone can change suddenly
Tone must adapt to audience
P1: when commenting on writer’s
tone, don’t be vague
P2: adopt tone to audience you
write for
Modality
Writer’s attitude towards the world.
Alliteration
Same consonants placed together
Used to mimic sounds or create
rhythm
To create certain effect
The snake slithers
Allusion
Indirect reference is made to a
person/event/place.
Use the familiar to describe
something less familiar.
5 Senses
Use symbols to portray and idea Describe settings by appealing to the
(What it looks like) reader’s 5 senses
White dove - peace It adds depth
Punctuation + font Rhetorical questions
Comma: used to create urgency and Make audience think more deeply
abundance about an issue or to prove a point.
Colons and semi-colons:
create a short break In narrative pieces it may indicate a
divert attention to words after the struggle.
colon or semi-colon.
Capitals + bold fonts grab attention Useful in P2
Hyphens and brackets add additional
information
Sometimes connection between
write and audience
Onomatopoeia Juxtaposition
A word is formed from a sound Contrasting ideas/words are placed
Creates lively and noisy atmosphere close together
Thud, slam Oxymorons
Contrasting ideas are placed side-
by-side
Deafening silence
Juxtapositions and Oxymorons are
used to create emphasis
Tense Sentence length
To create tone Short sentence: to create fear and
Past tense: nostalgia suspense.
Present tense: urgency, despair Long sentence: long and windy idea
We experience what the character is
experiencing
Future tense: effect of determination
“I will wake up at 4:00”
 Point of view
First person “I”, “myself”.
See things through the writer’s eyes.
Second person
Personal pronouns “you”, “you’re”,
“your”
Speeches and persuasive writing
Writer appears to speak directly to
the audience.
Third person “he”, “she”, “they”
Writer describes another person’s
feelings and experiences.
Asyndeton
A conjunction is omitted from a
sentence.
“I stopped, turned, ran”.
Increases pace of story.
Makes writer sound breathless.
Paradox
Statement that seems false but could
be true.
Makes us think.
“All animals are equal but soe are
more equal than others”
Triadic structure
Things are placed in groups of 3
“sugar, spice and all things nice”
Creates pleasant rhythm.
Readers cling to the idea.
Puns
Word-play that used words/phrases
that sound familiar but mean totally
different things.
Create interest, focus.
“I am so fed up with chocolate”
Irony
A message/idea which uses
language that means the opposite of
what the writer is trying to say.
Creates humorous effect.
Euphemism
A term used instead of an offensive
one.
Writer is considerate.
Newspapers – crime
Stream of consciousness
Character’s thoughts/emotions are
described continuously.
Natural thought process, does not
have to be grammatically correct.
It connects the reader to the
characters (he knows what they are
thinking).
Jargon Neologism
A technical term to do with a New word created by writer
technical field that people outside the “eater-tainment”
field may find difficult to understand.
Targeted to a specific audience. Aspect
Writer creates a bond with audience Perfect She will call you
because only they are familiar with it. Progressive (continuous)
She was running late
Verbs, adverbs, + adjectives Showing, not telling
Verb: action word Imply something, not explicitly
“bellowed” not “shouted” stating it.
Hot: “My T-shirt is sticking to my
Adverb: describes the verb body”
“bellowed ferociously”
Adjective: describes a noun
“enormous man”
Amplification Dialogue
Add extra information to enhance the Conversation.
idea. To create fear, happiness, anger
Syntax Tautology
Order of words in a phrase/sentence Repeat single idea using different
Changing syntax diverts the focus. words.
“never have I lied to you” “last and final call”
Emphasises “never”. Emphasises