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English Writing Techniques

The document discusses several English writing techniques including metaphors, personification, and foreshadowing. Metaphors compare two unlike things without using "like" or "as", personification gives human traits to non-human things, and foreshadowing provides hints about what will happen later. Other techniques covered are alliteration, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, tone, symbolism, zoomorphism, and colloquialism.

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Chevannese Ellis
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77 views5 pages

English Writing Techniques

The document discusses several English writing techniques including metaphors, personification, and foreshadowing. Metaphors compare two unlike things without using "like" or "as", personification gives human traits to non-human things, and foreshadowing provides hints about what will happen later. Other techniques covered are alliteration, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, tone, symbolism, zoomorphism, and colloquialism.

Uploaded by

Chevannese Ellis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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English Writing Techniques

Metaphors

For writers, finding a way to compare two things is sometimes a battle.


Luckily, they can use metaphors, which are figures of speech in which
writers describe or refer to something by mentioning something else.
The connection between the two things referred to in the metaphor
might not be readily apparent.

Writers have been using metaphors to compare things to each other for a
very long time; for example, Shakespeare wrote the famous metaphor
‘All the world’s a stage’. The world isn’t literally a stage; he’s comparing
the world to a stage on which men and women are actors, making the
line a metaphor.

Personification

Engaging text jumps off the page and ensnares readers. Using
personification, which involves giving a thing, idea, animal, or anything
else that isn’t human qualities that are normally associated with people
(e.g. text can’t jump).

Foreshadowing

Many great authors have used foreshadowing, a writing technique in


which a writer includes hints in the text letting readers know what will
happen at the end of the story. These hints can be very clear and
forthright, or they can be exceedingly subtle.

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Alliteration describes a series of words in quick succession that all start
with the same letter or sound. It lends a pleasing cadence to prose
and poetry both. And if you have any doubts about the impact of
alliteration, consider the following unforgettable titles: Love’s Labour’s
Lost, Sense and Sensibility, and The Haunting of Hill House.

Example: “Peter Piper picked a pot of pickled peppers.”

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that emphasizes the


significance of the statement’s actual meaning. When a friend says, "Oh
my god, I haven't seen you in a million years," that's hyperbole.

Onomatopoeia

Amusingly, onomatopoeia (itself a difficult-to-pronounce word) refers to


words that sound like the thing they’re referring to. Well-known
instances of onomatopoeia include whiz, buzz, snap, grunt, etc.

Example: The excellent children's book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That
Type. “Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long
he hears: Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. Clickety, clack, moo.”

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Personification

Personification uses human traits to describe non-human things. Again,


while the aforementioned anthropomorphism actually applies these
traits to non-human things, personification means the behavior of the
thing does not actually change. It's personhood in figurative language
only.

Example: “Just before it was dark, as they passed a great island of


Sargasso weed that heaved and swung in the light sea as though the
ocean were making love with something under a yellow blanket, his
small line was taken by a dolphin.” — The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest
Hemingway

Tone

Tone refers to the overall mood and message of your book. It’s
established through a variety of means, including voice, characterization,
symbolism, and themes. Tone sets the feelings you want your readers to
take away from the story.

Example: No matter how serious things get in The Good Place, there is
always a chance for a character to redeem themselves by improving their
behavior. The tone remains hopeful for the future of humanity in the face
of overwhelming odds.

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Zoomorphism

Zoomorphism is when you take animal traits and assign them to


anything that’s not an animal. It’s the opposite of anthropomorphism
and personification, and can be either a physical manifestation, such as a
god appearing as an animal, or a comparison, like calling someone a
busy bee.

Example: When vampires turn into bats, their bat form is an instance of
zoomorphism.

Symbolism

Authors turn to tangible symbols to represent abstract concepts and


ideas in their stories. Symbols typically derive from objects or non-
human — for instance, a dove might represent peace, or raven might
represent death.

Example: In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the eyes of Doctor T.J.
Eckleburg (actually a faded optometrist's billboard) to represent God and
his judgment of the Jazz Age.

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Colloquialism

Colloquialism is the use of casual and informal language in writing,


which can also include slang. Writers use colloquialisms to provide
context to settings and characters, and to make their writing sound more
authentic. Imagine reading a YA novel that takes place in modern
America, and the characters speak to each other like this:

“Good morning, Sue. I hope that you slept well and are prepared for
this morning’s science exam.”

It’s not realistic. Colloquialisms help create believable dialogue:

“Hey Sue, what’d you get up to last night? This science test is gonna
suck.”

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