Literary devices and patterns of development

analogy

analogy

explain the unfamiliar through the familiar

analysis

separating something into its elements to understand it better

spatial organization

focuses readers’ attention to one point and describes the object, person from that point

chronological organization

order of occurence in time

structural organization

divides a subject into its parts, types, elements and shows the relation between these

process analysis

explain how the subject happens, how to accomplish it

definition

says what something is and is not, specifying the charasteristics

comparison and contrast

point out similarities and differences between ideas, objects etc.

cause and effect

explain why something happened or what its consequences were or will be (or both)

general to specific

scheme where topic sentence comes first and the following sentences become specific

specific to general

the elements of a paragraph build to general conclusion

abstract to concrete

being vague then moving to a concrete example

concrete to abstract

moving from a concrete example to an abstract concept

problem-solution

the problem solution arrangement introduces a problem and then proposes or explains a solution

countering the opposition

almost anything you can argue or claim in a paper can be refuted. Opposing points of view exist in every debate

question-answer

introduces a question and than proposes an answer to it

classification

involves sorting things into groups based on their similarities

description

details the sensory qualities of a person, place, thing or feeling

narration

retells a significant sequence of events, usually in the order of their occurence

illustration

some ideas can be developed by illustration or simply support - supplying detailed examples or reasons

parallellism

a way to achieve coherence by use of similar grammatical structures for similar events of meaning, withing or among sentence(s)

repetition of key terms

literary device that repeats the same words or phrases to make an idea clearer and more memorable

shift in perspective, person, tone

A perspective is a literary tool, which serves as a lens through which readers observe characters, events, and happenings. A writer may narrate the story from his perspective, or from a character's perspective. Its purpose is to make the voice of a writer distinctive from other writers. Second person point of view occurs when the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. Third person point of view is when the narrator is outside of the story. In general, you should avoid shifts in point of view at all costs. Check for changes in the pronoun use in order to identify errors in shifting.

In literature, tone is the attitude or approach that the author takes toward the work's central theme or subject. ... Tone may shift throughout a work as the narrator's perspective changes, or as the plot becomes more complex, dramatic, bizarre, etc.

climactic organization

an appeal to logic might be arranged in climactic order, beginning with a general statement, presenting specific details in order of increasing importance, and ending with a dramatic statement, a climax

anecdote

a short story about a real person or event, usually serving to make the listeners laugh or ponder about a topic

irony

a figure of speech in which words are used in a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words

aporia

the expression of doubt

tonal ambiguity

conditions or statements not clear in tone

on the one hand ↔ on the other...

there are 2 sides to something