One of the frustrating aspects of the English language is the number of names that mean the same thing, such as literary device which is also referred to as a literary technique. Neither of which is to be confused, *eye roll* with literary element.
A literary device is an overall category of literary techniques that add texture, energy, and excitement to the narrative; grip the reader’s imagination; and, convey the author’s messages in a simple manner to the readers. When employed properly, the different literary devices help readers to appreciate, interpret, and analyze a literary work.
Subcategories include figure of speech, rhetorical device, and word play.
Literary Devices include Figures of Speech, Rhetorical Devices, and Word Play
A figure of speech alters the meanings of words, going beyond a word’s or phrase’s literal interpretation, like simile, metaphors, hyperbole, and more. It becomes a device in rhetoric when it is aimed at persuading the readers or listeners.
A rhetorical device is used in the art of discourse in which the writer (or speaker) uses different methods to convince, influence, or please an audience. This helps explain why rhetorical devices and figures of speech occasionally swap categories.
Word play is a verbal game of wit and fun that brightens and enhances the reader’s understanding.
You may also want to explore the post “Creating Memorable Characters“.
Grammar Explanations is . . .
. . . an evolving list of the structural rules and principles that determines where words are placed in phrases or sentences as well as how the language is spoken. Sometimes I run across an example that helps explain better or another “also known as”. Heck, there’s always a better way to explain it, so if it makes quicker and/or better sense, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on an area of grammar with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.
If you found this post on “Literary Device / Technique” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Literary Device / Technique | |||
| Part of Speech: Writing, Grammar | |||
| Definition: Any of several specific techniques or strategies a writer uses to produce a special effect in their writing whether it’s providing the reader with information or developing the narrative to make it more complete, complicated, or interesting.
Not all works contain instances of literary devices, i.e., not all stories or poems contain both simile and irony. CAUTION: A literary device is not a literary element, although the components of literary elements are literary devices. |
A.k.a., fictional device, linguistic technique, literary fictional narrative, literary technique, narrative technique, stylistic device, stylistic element
Return to top or post contents
Mr. Grumps doesn’t want to listen to anyone, and definitely doesn’t want to help anyone.
I sure hope this one is Mr. Right.
Winston Churchill was referred to as “The Great Commoner”.
The Bard, the man we know as William Shakespeare, was a prolific playwright and poet.
Source:
Return to top or post contents
| snake | Slithering evil |
| poodle | A toy poodle may indicate an indulgent owner, while a standard poodle may evoke thoughts of hunting |
| Paris | Ahh, gay Paree, the city of romance |
| rose | More romance, love, l’amour. . . |
| river | An unending flow of time |
“And once again, the autumn leaves were falling.”
“Autumn” signifies something coming to an end.
Return to top or post contents
| snake | Any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles, having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions |
| poodle | A particular kind of dog |
| Paris | The city of an old tribe called the Parisii |
| rose | A particular flower |
| river | A body of water |
Its opposite is prescriptivism.
Source: Carey
Return to top or post contents
If I were Jane, I’d weep for weeks in anguish for the loss.
How might they feel? What is it like to stand in their shoes and walk that final mile alone?
Return to top or post contents
“Dialogue is also handy in advancing the plot. Interactions within, between, or among characters help to give insight to the storyline.
“Well-written dialogue also makes a text realistic. In the real world, people interact and have conversations. This is critical to a successful text.”
Rules:
- Try to avoid Q&A dialogue as it has almost no conflict. And conflict is necessary on every page
- Do not base your style/grammar/etc., on what a name-brand/bestselling author does as they have earned the right to break the rules
- Nothing can ever be easy for the protagonist: gaining information should be like pulling teeth, BUT tailor the conflict to the value of what s/he’s after
- Pose story questions again and again and again and again and again and again . . .
A.k.a. dialog [U.S.], dialogism, sermocinatio
Be sure to examine the “Properly Punctuated: Dialogue” post.
Use inner dialogue with literary techniques such as:
Return to top or post contents
Robert Browning’s Dramatic Monologues, “A Grammarian’s Funeral“, and “My Last Duchess“
Tracey Ball’s Kids Are So Dramatic Monologues
Source: What is Dramatic
Return to top or post contents
Not to be confused with free writing.
A.k.a. interior monologue, internal monologue, stream of consciousness narration
“Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; life is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end.” – Virginia Woolf, The Common Reader
Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway
E.B. White’s “The Door“
William Faulkner
Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Marcel Proust
The funeral scene in Dorothy Sayers’ The Nine Tailors
Return to top or post contents
- Leave the quotes off
- If the thought is part of a spoken dialogue, put it in italics.
He is such a dork, Miriam thought. “How is your foot this morning, George?”
Return to top or post contents
CAUTION: Only encase actual direct dialogue in quotation marks. See “Properly Punctuated: Dialogue“.
There are several types of outer dialogue:
- Echoing
- Macrology
- Stichomythia
- Written (primarily a matter of punctuation):
There are a number of tips on using punctuation to cope with quoting multiple paragraphs, quoting someone else inside someone’s dialogue, and creating the effects of trailing off, pausing, interrupting, stuttering, stumbling, slurring, and mumbling.
A.k.a. direct dialogue
Guildenstern: ‘Words, words. They’re all we have to go on.'” – Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
“As you see,” old Martha said, as she smiled, “alive.”
“Said the little boy, ‘Sometimes I drop my spoon.’
Said the old man, ‘I do that too.’
The little boy whispered, ‘I wet my pants.’
‘I do that too,’
Said the little boy, ‘I often cry.’
The old man nodded and replied, ‘So do I.’
‘But worst of all,’ said the boy, ‘it seems grown-ups don’t pay attention to me.’ And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
‘I know what you mean,’ said the little old man.” – Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic
Source: Nordquist, Dialogue
This is one of two formatting rules too many writers ignore and the willful ignorance of this rule drives me mad . . . it drives most readers mad, as it generally forces one to go back and re-read the text trying to figure out who is speaking and/or doing.
“And then I drove around. I’ve had . . . a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine.”
“You didn’t go?” he asked, turning to face her. “No. Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside.”
“We have to go.” “But I’ve had such a terrible —”
“We have to go. Now.”
“Oh. Oh, god. She’s all right, isn’t she?”
“And then I drove around. I’ve had . . . a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine,” Mary said.
“You didn’t go?” George asked, turning to face her.
“No. Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside.”
George insisted. “We have to go.”
“But I’ve had such a terrible —” Mary said in a whine.
“We have to go. Now.”
“Oh. Oh, god. She’s all right, isn’t she?”
See dialogue tag for more.
“And then I drove around. I’ve had . . . a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine.”
“You didn’t go?”
“No. Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside.”
“We have to go.”
“I’ve had a terrible —”
“We have to go. Now.”
“Oh. Oh, god. She’s all right, isn’t she?”
“And then I drove around. I’ve had . . . a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine.”
“You didn’t go?” George asked
“No. Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside.”
“We have to go.”
“I’ve had a terrible —” Mary cried.
“We have to go. Now.”
“Oh. Oh, god, George. She’s all right, isn’t she?”
Return to top or post contents
The echo question is similar, but repeats part or all of something which someone else has just said.
A.k.a. shadowing, echo utterance
Source: Quizlet
Gloria Delgado-Pritchett: ‘Everybody back to work!’
Claire Dunphy: ‘I just said that.’
Gloria Delgado-Pritchett: ‘And I co-said it.'” – Julie Bowen and Sofía Vergara, “Dance Dance Revelation“, Modern Family, 2010
“Olivia: ‘If the temperature is dropping, this mess could freeze up. We got to get outta here.’
Cassie: ‘We got to get out of here.’
Olivia: ‘I just said that. Where are you going?’
Cassie: ‘If the temperature is dropping, this mess could freeze up.’
Olivia: ‘I just said that.’
Cassie: ‘We got to get out of here.’
Olivia: ‘I just said that!'” – Marsha A. Jackson, “Sisters”, The National Black Drama Anthology
Source: Nordquist, Echo
Source: Macrology
Return to top or post contents
A bunch of politicians or inexperienced young professionals arguing for argument’s sake, to display their knowledge or make their voice heard yet without contributing any value to the discussion at large, or worse, derailing it entirely.
So, I says to her, I says, however do you manage a career, a family, and all the committees you belong to. And she says that it’s a simple matter of time management. And I says “Time management?!” However do you find the time to manage your time? So she says that . . .
In Erich Segal’s Love Story, the relationship of the two protagonists is handled with such beauty, delicacy, and sensitivity that the reader is compelled to feel the trials and tribulations of the characters.
Return to top or post contents
The rhythmic intensity of the alternating lines can be quite powerful.
A.k.a. stichomythy, cut-and-thrust, cut-and-parry
Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex“
Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost and the exchange between Richard and Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, Act IV, Scene iv
Noël Coward
Return to top or post contents
Frequently used in headlines.
A.k.a. baby talk
The term was coined by Brown and Fraser
“A preschooler who called 911 on Thursday to report ‘mom and daddy go bye bye’ helped authorities find three young children left unattended in a home with drug paraphernalia.
Chair broke.
That horsie!
“Cop Shot” (headline in the New York Post, July 26, 2009)
“Headless Body in Topless Bar” (headline in the New York Post, 1983)
“Fire Kills Teenager After Hoax” (headline in NEWS)
“Job interview tip: ‘Tell them you’re not an applicant, you’re an appliCAN. Lick your finger, hold it against buttock. Make sizzling noise.'” (Spicer).
Source: Nordquist, Telegraphic and Beare.
Read up on how diction affects dialect.
Return to top or post contents
Types of diction include, but are not limited to:
- Contraction
- Profanity
- Conversational or colloquial language
Gritty urban stories may include vulgarity or profanity
Military stories would include military jargon
Stories in the schoolyard reflect teenspeak
More formal language is used in more formal situations, to create a sense of separation, to emphasize a message
Source: Diction
Return to top or post contents
A.k.a. a-effect, alienation effect, estrangement effect, German Verfremdungseffekt (V-effekt)
- Explanatory captions
- Illustrations
Plays by Bertolt Brecht
Return to top or post contents
Popularized by 20th century playwright Bertolt Brecht.
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series
Plays by Bertolt Brecht
See also the post “Creating Memorable Characters“.
Return to top or post contents
CAUTION: Take extra care when using epithets, as you could be accused of using racial or abusive epithets.
You may also want to explore the posts, “Word Confusion: Epigram vs Epigraph vs Epitaph vs Epithet” and/or “Properly Punctuated and Grammar Explanation: Ellipsis“.
A.k.a., by-name, descriptive title
“Death lies on her like an untimely frost. Upon the sweetest flower of all the field . . .” – Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Distinguish bearers without using numbers: Richard the Lionheart, Charles the Fat, Charles the Bald, Alexander the Great, the Black Prince, the Virgin Queen
Nicknames: Unferth is known as a brother-killer, Unferth Son of Ecglaf, Sideways-Walker – Beowulf
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series contains many epithets.
Return to top or post contents
Return to top or post contents
Ivan the Terrible may be referred to as dear father, white tsar, great sovereign, protector of stone-built Moscow, custodian of all Russia
Return to top or post contents
A.k.a. kennings
Source: Kenning
| ocean sea |
whale-road sail road swan-road (Heaney) |
| blood | battle-sweat |
| sun | sky-candle |
| sword | light-of-battle |
“I’ve come,
As you surmise, with comrades on a ship,
Sailing across the wine-dark sea to men
Whose style of speech is very different . . .” – Homer, Odyssey
Return to top or post contents
“She turned me down flat . . . must be a dyke.” Hank growled.
Fatty, fatty two-by-four . . .
See the post, “Figure of Speech.
A recurrent, noticeable image, idea, concept, or symbol that develops or explains a theme or mood and plays a significant role in defining the nature of the story, the course of events, and the very fabric of the story and building up multiple layers of meaning which are essential to the story.
Return to top or post contents
CAUTION: Motifs are not symbols.
Source: Motif.
- Two themes (the central message, statement, or idea) exist within the story:
- The ever-present possibility of resurrection
- The necessity of sacrifice to bring about a revolution
- Motifs (a detail repeated in a pattern of meaning that helps to explain the theme) include:
- The presence of doubles:
- The action takes place in two cities
- Two opposed doubles in the form of female characters, i.e., Lucie and Madame Defarge in Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities
- Recurrent images of darkness that adds to the gloomy atmosphere
- Imprisonment as each and every character struggles against some kind of imprisonment
- The presence of doubles:
- Symbols (represents something else and helps to understand an idea or a thing) include:
- The broken wine cask is a symbol of people’s hunger
- Madame Defarge knitting is a symbol of revenge
- The marquis is a character that stands for social disorder
- “the nautical motif of his latest novel”
- “a recurring motif in her work”
The “handsome prince” falls in love with a “damsel in distress” with the two being bothered by a wicked stepmother, evil witch, or beast and ending with “live happily ever after”.
The simple, pretty peasant girl or the girl from a modest background in fairytales discovering that she is actually a royal or noble by the end of the tale.
The flute in Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is a recurrent sound motif that conveys rural and idyllic notions.
The green light found in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Shakespeare’s play Macbeth uses a variety of narrative elements to create many different motifs:
- Imagistic references to blood and water are continually repeated
- The phrase fair is foul, and foul is fair is echoed at many points in the play, a combination that mixes the concepts of good and evil
- A central motif of the washing of hands, one that combines both verbal images and the movement of the actors
The sled in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane
The scars borne by Anita Blake and Jean-Claude in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series
The black worn in so many special ops or vampire stories that indicate characters who are bad ass or require stealth
A.k.a. key word style
Return to top or post contents
The recurring phrase, “Are we there yet?” when you go on a trip with kids or impatient adults.
Arabian Nights, so it goes in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five
Gordon Livingston’s Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now, which repeats the phrases: “Don’t do the same thing and expect different results”, “It is a bad idea to lie to yourself”, and “No one likes to be told what to do”.
Source: Bureman
Return to top or post contents
“Ode on a Grecian Urn” and “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats
Urban fantasies and paranormal tales
It can also refer to the character or medium by which this justice is brought about as Nemesis was the patron goddess of vengeance according to classical mythology.
Return to top or post contents
Source: Nemesis
Return to top or post contents
For a more grammatical look, read “Parallel Construction, a.k.a., Parallelism“.
A.k.a. parallelism
| Faulty Parallelism | Proper Parallelism |
|---|---|
This article will discuss:
|
This article will tell managers how to:
Source: Sabin |
| King Alfred tried to make clear laws that had precision and were equitable.
Using the verbs in front of the adjectives does not create parallelism. |
King Alfred tried to make the law clear, precise, and equitable.
Use of the adjectives makes this a parallel structure. |
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” – William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood . . .
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream” speech
Return to top or post contents
Easy come, easy go.
No pain, no gain.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
“Never hurry and never worry!” – E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web
Return to top or post contents
You can smoke now and die sooner or quit now and live longer.
You’re either with us or against us.
You can eat here or go hungry.
America: Love it or leave it.
“It is by logic we prove, but by intuition we discover.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Some examples courtesy of Quizlet, Mejia, and Nordquist, Definition
Return to top or post contents
Her purpose was to impress the ignorant, to perplex the dubious, and to startle the complacent.
Return to top or post contents
“I’ll give my jewels for a set of beads,
My gorgeous palace for a hermitage,
My gay apparel for an almsman’s gown,
My figured goblets for a dish of wood . . .” – Shakespeare, Richard II, Act 3, Scene 3, 170-73
A.k.a. expolitio, exargasia, epexergasia, expolicio, refining, working out
Source: Burton, Exergasia
Return to top or post contents
now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice;
now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood;
now is the time to make justice a reality for all God’s children.
The idea of correcting injustice is repeated in all four lines to emphasize this idea.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream”
“Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer . . .” – Psalm 17:1
We must return. We need to go home now as it is the end of the holidays.
I think they should take time to analyze the situation and discover the many variants that they may be discovered and so understand the possibilities and choose the best way forward. In other words, they should explore all options.
Source: Exergasia; Exergasia, Changing Minds.
Return to top or post contents
To correct faulty parallelism, match nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, and phrases or clauses with similarly constructed phrases or clauses.
A.k.a. parisosis, membrum, compar
Return to top or post contents
“The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Worship”
“He that is to be saved will be saved, and he that is predestined to be damned will be damned.” – James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans
“A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.” – slogan of the Florida Citrus Commission
“The milk chocolate melts in your mouth — not in your hand.” – advertising slogan for M&Ms candy
Source: Nordquist, Parison
Return to top or post contents
Source: Burton, Syncrisis
The post, “Writing: Plot, Its Beats and Devices” goes into lots and lots of detail and includes Story Arc and Plot Devices.
Its opposite is descriptivism.
Source: Carey
See the post, “Rhetorical Device.
Return to top or post contents
The satirist hopes to improve the target by criticizing its follies, issues, and/or weaknesses.
The difference between satire and parody is:
- Satire
- Tries to improve humanity and its institutions by arousing the reader’s disapproval of a vice, abuse, or faulty belief
- Parody
- Imitates the style of another writer, normally for comic effect
- “Metaphor: Analogy“
- Comparison
- “Word Play: Double Entendre“
- “Rhetorical Device: Euphemism“
- Exaggeration
- “Figure of Speech: Irony“
- Character: Juxtaposition“
- Mock epic
- “Figure of Speech: Sarcasm“
- “Figure of Speech: Understatement“
Types of satire include:
Voltaire’s Candide attacks the philosophy of Optimism.
Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels satirizes the “high-class” tastes, social expectations, and popular philosophies of his time.
Return to top or post contents
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock
Return to top or post contents
Particularly popular in romantic poetry, novel, and drama, and ideal when you don’t want to be direct. It is an effective way to destroy someone’s character.
Types of Innuendo
- Accidental Innuendo
- Innuendo in everyday life
- Innocent innuendo
- Innuendo in nature
- Sexual innuendo
A school teacher named Mr. Choakumchild reflects his criticism of the educational system of that time. – Charles Dickens’ Hard Times
A union leader named Slackbridge which shows how he viewed dishonest workers of that time. – Charles Dickens’ Hard Times
Graze on my lips, and if those hills be dry
Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie.” – Shakespeare, “Venus and Adonis”
Return to top or post contents
Return to top or post contents
George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Read more in “Literary Elements: Setting“.
Return to top or post contents
- Has a symbolic value or represents something else and helps to understand an idea or a thing
- Can be visual: an action, a character, an event, an image, an object
- Can be a sense: a word spoken by someone, a smell, a sound, a taste, or a touch
- Can be an action, idea, or event
- Appears throughout a work as a major part of the theme
- Are not specific or definitive in their interpretation
- Meaning is inferred from context
Explore your story for a common symbol that reinforces what your story is about — and be sure that the symbolism is one that will be understood by your readers.
For inspiration, consider symbols — the white flag that indicates surrender or I come in peace — that are relevant to the culture of the characters within the book.
It may appear once or twice in a literary work, whereas a motif is a recurring element.
You may also want to explore the post on “Symbol“.
| Rosebud in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane | Rosebud, as a symbol, was the brand name of the sled Kane was playing with when his world changed forever and was repeated throughout the movie. |
| Water | Cleansing |
| An eye | Indicates all-seeing |
| Crosses, angels | |
| Bats | Prosperity, horror, rebirth and death |
| Pentagrams | The five Greek elements: idea, heat, air, earth, and water
The five senses: hearing, smelling, speaking, tasting, and touching The five wounds of Christ Truth Witchcraft A reversed pentagram is evil Prevents leaving a room A symbol of the Bahá’í Faith A symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints A religious symbol for Wiccans A religious symbol for the Druze A symbol of the Serer religion and the Serer people of West Africa Symbols on the national flags of Morocco and Ethiopia |
| A smile | A symbol of friendship, affection, approval, happiness |
| Someone frowning at you | A symbol of dislike, disapproval, disagreement, anger, etc. |
| A black cat | In some African societies, a black cat is seen as good luck. |
| A chain | A symbol for union, imprisonment, a coming together |
| A dove | A symbol of peace |
| Icons | There are roadside symbols, computer symbols, cellphone symbols, logos, a slash mark across indicating a “no go” area, etc. |
| Uniforms | Think of how often a character dons the disguise of the meter reader, a delivery man, etc. |
| Flags | The U.S. flag stands for America; the Union Jack means British; the red plus sign on a white background is the Red Cross, etc. |
| Bathroom signs | Silhouettes of dancers, cowboy and cowgirls, a wheelchair silhouette, pointers versus setters, the standard man/woman silhouettes, a high heel versus a pipe |
| Finger symbols | Touching forefinger to thumb to form a circle for “OK”
The middle finger extended from a closed fist, flipping someone off Forefinger pointing at someone Forefinger moving back-and-forth, etc. |
| The color black Note that different cultures assign different meanings to colors. |
Represents death or evil |
| The color green | Represents life or envy |
| The flower rose | Represents romance, love |
| The flower lily | Represents death, rebirth, royalty, humility |
| Something long and roughly cylindrical | Phallic |
| “Time is money.” | As a symbol, the phrase warns you that when you spend your time, you are giving up the opportunity to be doing something else with that time or that spending the money on that item means you can’t spend it on something else.
As a metaphor, it indicates that time, like money is not infinite. |
| “Life is a roller-coaster.” | As a symbol, this phrase indicates that there will be ups and downs in life that you have to weather. |
| “He is a rock.” | As a symbol, it signifies that he is strong and dependable. |
| “Love is a jewel.” | As a symbol, this phrase suggests that love is rare and precious. |
Faith, Brown’s wife, “thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap.”
“Faith’s pink ribbons in Young Goodman Brown carry cultural connotations of innocence and purity, but the fact that the wind plays with the ribbons in one key image also brings to mind temptation, alluring chaos, the struggle with natural forces. Red is also a significant color in the story’s final temptation scene, with its basin of ‘water, reddened by the lurid light? Or was it blood?’ Faith’s pink ribbons carry, of course, a tinge of red” (Elements).
Source: White.
Source: McFarlan
Return to top or post contents
- Wind, sun, fire, water, the four seasons
- The snake, whale, eagle, vulture
- Passage from innocence to experience
- Characters such as the blood brother, the rebel, and the loving prostitute
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The albatross symbolizes a big mistake of the mariner or a burden of the sin just like the cross on which Christ was crucified. Therefore, all the people on the ship agreed to slay that bird.
Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, etc., have influenced all subsequent horror stories (Motif).
Coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976. Graedon
Return to top or post contents
Most memes are transmitted by 20-something millennials, as this age group is hyperconnected and enamored with social media, although the usage is increasing among Generation X and Baby Boomers.
It is expected that memes will become progressively more intellectual and philosophical.
A file attachment with a Stars Wars Kid movie
An email signature with a Chuck Norris quote . . .
Paul Gil’s “50 Famous Internet Memes . . .“
The graphics and video links inserted into book reviews.
Grumpy cat images
Source: Gil
Return to top or post contents
It is not related to the act of choosing specific words or even the meaning of each word or the overall meanings conveyed by the sentences.
Syntax and diction are closely related:
- Diction refers to the choice of words in a particular situation
- Syntax determines how the chosen words are used to form a sentence
In combination, syntax and diction help writers develop tone, mood, and atmosphere in a text along with evoking the readers’ interest.
| Standard Syntax | Nonstandard Syntax |
|---|---|
| “The man drives the car.” | “The car drives the man”. |
| “I cannot go out.” | “Go out I cannot.” |
| “What light breaks from yonder window?” | “What light from yonder window breaks?” – Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet |
| “We are going to the movies.” | “To the movies we are going.” |
Source: YourDictionary
Return to top or post contents
The villain dying at the end of a crime story
The lead male and female getting together by the end of a romance novel
A city being destroyed in an apocalypse story
Some genres practically have to be formulaic — police procedurals and romances are the most obvious — and readers have come to expect the cliché in such genres. They know what’s coming, and they’re comfortable with that. Just be sure to give your readers some great characters and great stories.
Of course, there’s always Sal Glynn‘s note about the anti-cliché in his post, ““, which suggests twisting it into something new.
A.k.a. theme trope
Source: Fogarty
| Horror | Abandoned buildings as per the Friday the 13th movies Going down into basements as in Home Alone The Scary Movies with their parodies of horror films |
| Romance | Older stories “required” that the heroine is raped by the “hero” so she can escape the guilt of wanting sex
The arranged marriage that either forces the hero and heroine to work together or causes one of them to run The girl is always a virgin The man is tamed by the love of a good woman |
| Paranormal / Urban Fantasy | The fated mate in which the hero and heroine must bond or one or both will die or live forever without ever knowing love and/or sex.There’s the insta-love trope which appears in romances as well in which the hero and heroine see the other and are instantly in love.
The sexual side in which the man always knows how to bring the woman to orgasm — and satisfies her first. There’s the trope in which he’s a were and she’s a human with the ending changing her to suit him…or vice versa. Or s/he receives immortality as a reward or gift. |
| Science Fiction | How easy space travel is to accomplish and the distances that are achieved
Existence of ancient races Time machines Superpowers and transformations like the Fantastic Four and The Fly Alien invasions à la H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds Immortality as epitomized by The Highlander, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman |
| Stupid | Don’t tell anyone important information in order to heighten the tension, drama, what have you
Expecting a character to know how to do something because it’s part of their bloodline, race, etc. The heroine who can’t stay put I can’t possibly take the time to eat, because, gasp, whatever would we do for drama? (October Daye and Anita Blake) |
It can be used in a variety of different ways to describe something, as well; a way of implying the believability or likelihood of a theory or narrative.
Return to top or post contents
“While some dislike the content of the novel due to its graphic nature, you cannot deny that the content certainly gives the book some Verisimilitude” (Moyano).
A doubtful statement in a court of law
A false testimonial for a restaurant
If something “seems” like it’s all well and good, but you can’t quite decide, then it can be said to have Verisimilitude.
- A metrical writing line
- A stanza
- Any other part of the poetry
- A piece written in meter
You may want to explore “Word Play: Rhyme” for more about verse’s inner structures.
Return to top or post contents
“It’s wrong, and I still can’t see your point.” – a single line from “Washed Away” by Katherine Foreman
“I wandered lonely as a cloud,” – a single line from “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
Source: Betts.
Submerge in depth in the post, “Word Play“.
A.k.a., verbal game
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Grammar Explanations by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Literary Device / Technique
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
“45 Most Annoying Business Jargon.” Forbes.com. n.d. Slideshow. n.d. <http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ekij45gdh/most-annoying-business-jargon/#239afa965d8e>.
“A–Z Guide.” Know Your Phrase. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.knowyourphrase.com>.
“A to Z of Clichéd Phrases.” Phrases.org. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html>.
“Antonomasia.” Literary Terms. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://literaryterms.net/antonomasia/>.
Beare, Kenneth. “How to Understand Newspaper Headlines.” ThoughtCo. Updated on 23 April 2019. Web. n.d. <http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/blocklanguageterm.htm>.
Betts, Jennifer. “Examples of Free Verse Poems: Famous to Original.” SoftSchools. YourDictionary.com. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-free-verse-poems.html#z3JW4py12EvQZbCL.99>.
Brown, Roger and Colin Fraser. “The Acquisition of Syntax”.” Verbal Behavior and Learning: Problems and Processes. C. Cofer and B. Musgrave, (eds.). The version quoted was published in 1963. Hassell Street Press: 2021. <https://amzn.to/3HQQrhJ>. Print.
Bureman, Liz. “Negative Capability: Definition and Examples.” The Write Practice. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://thewritepractice.com/negative-capability/>.
Burton, Gideon O. “Ethopoeia.” Silva Rhetoricae (rhetoric.byu.edu). Brigham Young University n.d. Web. n.d. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Figures/E/ethopoeia.htm>.
⸻ “Exergasia.” Silva Rhetoricae (rhetoric.byu.edu). Brigham Young University. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Figures/E/exergasia.htm>.
⸻ “Syncrisis.” Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Brigham Young University. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Figures/S/syncrisis.htm>.
Carey, Stan. “Descriptivism vs. Prescriptivism: War is Over (If You Want It).” Sentence First. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/descriptivism-vs-prescriptivism-war-is-over-if-you-want-it/>.
Cole, Dr. Shadyah A. N. “Historical Development of Prescriptivism.” <http://libback.uqu.edu.sa/hipres/magz/3200008-11.pdf>. Article. Shows how social and economic conditions influenced scholarly and popular attitudes to the English language.
“Dialogue.” Literary Devices. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://literarydevices.com/dialogue/>.
“Diction.” Literary Dervices. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://literarydevices.net/diction/>.
“Elements.” Bedford St Martins.com. Virtual Lit. Fiction. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/elements.asp>.
“Ethopoeia.” Changing Minds. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://changingminds.org/techniques/language/figures_speech/ethopoeia.htm>.
“Exergasia.” Changing Minds. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://changingminds.org/techniques/language/figures_speech/exergasia.htm>.
“Exergasia.” Wikipedia. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exergasia>.
Gil, Paul. “50 Famous Internet Memes and Viral Videos.” Lifewire. 13 Feb 2020. Web. n.d. <https://www.liveabout.com/internet-memes-that-have-won-our-hearts-3573553>.
⸻ “What is a Meme?” Lifewire. Updated on 16 Sept 2022. Web. n.d. <https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-meme-2483702>.
Fogarty, Mignon. “How to Avoid Clichés.” Quick and Dirty Tips. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/how-to-avoid-clichés>.
Graedon, Alena. The Word Exchange. Anchor: 2014. <https://amzn.to/3jRoUVG>.
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. Appeared in print in 1815. Grapevine India: 2022. <https://amzn.to/3jJzoq7>.
“Kenning.” Literary Devices. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://literarydevices.net/kenning/>.
Luke, Pearl. “681 Cliches to Avoid in Your Creative Writing.” Be a Better Writer. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/cliches.html>.
McFarlan, Rebecca. “Character, Setting, Plot, Point of View: Meat and Potatoes of Literary Analysis.” StudyLib. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://studylib.net/doc/8051709/character–setting–plot–point-of-view–meat-and>. There’s an excellent section on archetypes.
“Macrology.” Collins Dictionary. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/macrology>.
Mejia, Gabriel. “Alliosis.” Prezi. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://prezi.com/qm-dpksq2t_q/alliosis/”>.
“Motif.” Literary Devices. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://literarydevices.net/motif/>.
Moyano, Sofía. “Literary Devices.” Sofía Moyano. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://sofiamoyano.cumbresblogs.com/2020/03/20/literary-devices/>.
“Nemesis.” Literary Devices. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://literarydevices.net/nemesis/>.
Nordquist, Richard. “Definition and Examples of Parallel Structure.” ThoughtCo. Updated on 24 June 2020. Web. n.d. <http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/parallelstructureterm.htm”>.
⸻ “Definition and Examples of Parison.” ThoughtCo. Updated on 31 July 2019. Web. n.d. <http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/parisonterm.htm>.
⸻ “Dialogue Definition, Examples and Observations.” ThoughtCo. Last updated 20 Jan 2020. Web. n.d. <http://grammar.about.com/od/d/g/dialogueterm.htm>.
⸻ “Echo Utterance in Speech.” ThoughtCo. Updated on 26 March 2017. Web. n.d. <http://grammar.about.com/od/e/g/Echo-Utterance.htm>.
⸻ “Ethopoeia (Rhetoric).” ThoughtCo. 7 Mar 2021. Web. n.d. <https://www.thoughtco.com/ethopoeia-rhetoric-term-1690675>.
⸻ “Telegraphic Speech.” ThoughtCo. Updated on 13 March 2019. Web. n.d. <http://grammar.about.com/od/tz/g/Telegraphic-Speech-term.htm>.
Pullum, Geoffrey. “Ideology, Power, and Linguistic Theory.” 2004. <https://people.ucsc.edu/~pullum/MLA2004.pdf>. Article. The author assesses justifications for prescriptivist claims, and shows that ‘in grammar the 19th century never really went away’.”
Quizlet. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://quizlet.com/>.
Sabin, William A. The Gregg Reference Manual, 10 ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. <https://amzn.to/3DZ4EIB>. Print.
Spicer, Michael. “Tweet.” 1 Oct 2013. Twitter. n.d. The Telegraph. 30 Dec 2013. Article.
“What is Dialogue in Literature? Definition, Examples of Literary Dialogues.” Writing Explained. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://writingexplained.org/grammar-dictionary/literary-dialogue>.
“What is Dramatic Monologue?” Bachelor and Master. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.bachelorandmaster.com/literaryterms/dramatic-monologue.html#.WGwfDrGZPIE>.
White, Mary Gormandy. “Examples of Symbolism: Signifying Ideas Through Symbols.” Your Dictionary. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-symbolism.html#LcP786GZlhQoQ452.99>.
YourDictionary Staff. “Syntax Examples.” YourDictionary.com. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/syntax-examples.html#lAM6D6PlZzgL7m6F.99>.
Cliché Finders
The most useful, Cliché Finder, allows you to paste your text into the box. Click the “Find Clichés” button at the bottom, and it bolds any clichés in your text.
Cliché Finder (another one) helps you to find clichés as well.
The Writing Center at the University of Richmond is rather brief and mentions why students want to avoid clichés with a few examples of better choices along with a short list of common clichés. <http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/cliche.html>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter is in the public domain, via The Gutenberg Project and Wikimedia Commons.
Revised as of 24 Oct 2024
By: Kathy Davie