Description
To recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture what is being described. Sometimes the author engages all five senses.
Narration
To tell the story or narrate an event or series of events.
Cause and Effect
Method of writing development in which the writer analyzes the reasons and or consequences of the previous decision.
Process Analysis
Method of explaining step by step on how to do something
Classification
A method of sorting, grouping, collecting, and analyzing things by categories based on features shared by all members of a class or group.
Comparison/Contrast
Pointing out similarities and differences.
Definition
A method for specifying the basic nature of any phenomenon, idea, or thing.
Exemplification
Providing a series of examples, turns a general idea into a concrete idea, often helps clarify or illustrate a point or argument.
Persuasion
A type of argument that tries to move an audience to thought or action.
Syntax
The grammatical structure of prose and poetry.
Basic Syntax
Subject + Verb + Object
Interrupted Syntax
Interrupted by a supporting statement
Inverted Syntax
Begins with part of speech other than the subject
Listing Syntax
Multiple phrases, makes lists
Cumulative/Loose Syntax
Begins subject, verb, and modifying elements
Periodic Syntax
Opens with modifiers, subject and verb at the end
Parallelism (balanced)
Figure of balance identified by similarity in the syntactical structure of a set of words in successive phrases, clauses, and sentences. Similar grammatical structure.
Appositive
A noun or word is followed by another noun or phrase that renames or identifies it.
Simple
Has only one main or independent clause.
Compound
Contains two independent clauses by joining a conjuction or semicolon
Complex
Contains an independ clause and one or more subordinate clause.
Compound-Complex
Contains two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.
Asyndeton
Commas used (with no conjuction) to separate a series of words.
Polysyndeton
The repetition of conjuctions in close succession for rhetorical effect.
Anaphora
Repetition of word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row.
Dashes
Sets off words, phrases, and sometimes who sentences so they revieve special emphasis.
Ellipsis
Indicated by a series of three periods and it indicated that some material has been omitted from a given text.
Parenthetical aside
Consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence -- punctuation added/repeated for effect
Metaphor
A direct comparasion between dissimilar things.
Simile
An indirect comparison that uses the words like or as to link the differing terms.
Personification
The assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects.
Oxymoron
Where the author groups apparently contradictory terms.
Allusion
A reference contained in a work.
Repetition
The duplication, either exact or approximate, or any element of language, such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.
Tone
Describes the authors attitude towardsthe material, the audience, or both.
Rhetorical question
One that does not expect an elicit answer, it is used to pose an idea to be considered by the audience.
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told.
Paradox
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.