STYLE
Style is the
characteristic way a writer uses language. Here are the BIG 5 components of style that we will emphasize this year:
1. Diction
(word choice)
|
plain, ornate, formal,
colloquial, abstract, concrete, technical, archaic, hip, allusive, cultured,
esoteric, euphemistic, homespun, horrific, idiomatic, insipid, jargon,
Latinate, moralistic, obscure, picturesque, pretentious, sensuous, scholarly,
sharp
many modifiers, few modifiers,
strong verbs/nouns, weak verbs/nouns, active verbs, passive verbs, emphasis
on nouns, emphasis on verbs, emphasis on adjective, etc.
|
2. Syntax
(word arrangement)
|
loose, periodic, long, short,
simple, compound, complex, tight, standard word choice, inverted word choice,
fast, slow, flowing, clipped, singsong, metered, conversational, varied,
repetitious
|
3. Imagery
(appealing to senses)
|
vivid (use sparingly),
frightening, stark, lush, pastoral, urban, violent, tranquil, original,
hackneyed, observed, associational(???)
|
4. Tone
(author’s attitude toward…)
|
acerbic, ambivalent, audacious,
bantering, biting, brash, cajoling, candid, clinical, complacent,
contemptuous, contentious, cynical, detached, effusive, haughty, harsh,
histrionic, impartial, facetious, flippant, inflammatory, intimate,
introspective, ironic, irreverent, macabre, maudlin, morbid, naïve,
nostalgic, patronizing, pedantic, reflective, sardonic, satirical, serious,
spiteful, whimsical, wry
|
5. Figures
(tropes and schemes)
|
Abundant, sparse, direct,
implied, extended, predictable, inventive, surprising, jarring,
straightforward, intricate
|
Download this page here.
No comments:
Post a Comment