Language Features

Alliteration

creates rhythm

Often can sound like a tune or song, this grasps the readers attention, therefore making the line more memorable and appealing, and catchy.

Makes small sections of the text hang together and flow better. Draws our attention to this phrase. Creates a harder or softer mood in line with the meaning

Allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicityly; an indirect or passing reference

If a character in a story uses one referring to another story, this can give a deeper meaning to what they are saying and show you the kind of person they are.

It adds depth and layers of meaning to a text by referencing something familiar to the audience.

Anecdote

They give a human face to facts and figures, bringing credibility to an argument by showing the events or experiences that led a writer to form their opinion. In persuasive writing, these short, personal stories can also encourage audiences to see an issue from a unique or different perspective.

Assonance

Create a sense of rhythm, making a phrase sound more memorable as a result

Makes small sections of the text hang together and flow better. Draws our attention to this phrase. Repetition of vowels generally gives a soft, quiet, calm mood unless the sounds are the short vowels, eg in cat, pet, pin, off, cup.

Cliche

Established phrases that have been used to death, they no longer add meaning to your sentences. Readers switch off when they read them.

conveys common idea quickly, adds to tone, creates sense of familiarity. asy to understand and remember, relevant, distinct to a particular region or culture

Colloquialism

Creating a bond between reader and writer that makes it easier for the reader to agree with the writers point of view, can make the character seem more lifelike.

It creates authenticity and can help establish the setting or character's background. adds to tone, creates sense of familiarity. asy to understand and remember, relevant, distinct to a particular region or culture

Connotation

It shapes the tone and mood of a text by associating words with specific emotions or ideas.

Contrast

emphasizes a change or difference or idea

Writers make their arguments stronger, which makes them more memorable for readers due to emphasis placed on them. Can also entertain. It can shock the audience, heighten drama, and produce balanced structures in a story.

Convincing

Direct address

It enhances the interest of the reader as it directly talks with them, it makes the reader care about the subject matter, and it establishes a relationship between the reader and the writer.

Euphemism

Generally used to make the listener, reader, or audience feel more at ease.

It softens or masks harsh or sensitive topics, making them more palatable.

Extended metaphor

They help readers make complex connections within your story. They also give readers a thought-provoking way to think about something instead of just telling them the boring facts.

Facts/statistics

Used to convince a reader and to add factual weight to an argument.

A specific number or statistic gives the impression that the speaker/writer is authoritative and knowledgeable

Hyperbole

It exaggerates for emphasis, humor, or to make a point more dramatically.

Often used in poems and stories because it helps to emphasise part of the story and evoke a response from the reader. Can help the writer to get their point across so that you understand the emotion, seriousness or humor of the situation.

Imagery

sensory imagery (involved 5 senses) - i could hear the soft swishing of the waves and taste the salt air as i tightened my warm jacket around my shoulders

Enable the reader to imagine the world of the piece of literature. In other words, it engages the senses to deepen the reader's comprehension of what is happening and how to feel about it.

Imperative/command

To encourage the reader to act.

To address the reader directly.

We are socially conditioned to obey commands so the advertiser or speaker may get some affirmative response

Jargon

While it fosters precision and facilitates communication within specific communities, its overuse or misuse can alienate readers and hinder comprehension.

It establishes expertise and can be exclusionary or inclusive depending on the context.

Juxtaposition

Encourages the reader to make comparisons otherwise ignored or unapparent. It can serve to highlight certain characteristics of subjects, to make different subjects more alike, or to challenge the typical perspective on a subject.

emphasises the contrast, adds depth to an idea by considering both sides

Listing

It can create a snowball effect or it can excite or dishearten us as readers. If it's descriptive, it can overwhelm us or calm us, if it's persuasive it can persuade us or challenge us.

Shows the extent of or emphasizes the topic/object/event being discussed/described; shows the author's wide knowledge of the topic

It emphasises details or creates a sense of accumulation.

Metaphor

Allows writers to convey vivid imagery that transcends literal meanings, creates images that are easier to understand and respond to than literal language.

To heighten the image of an object through comparison. It therefore enlivens descriptions by helping us to see these people/animals/things in a new light - in a way we may have never seen before

Onomatopoeia

Add excitement, action, and interest by allowing the reader to hear and remember your writing. You may also include onomatopoeia to add humor to a poem or story and make your reader laugh.

This helps us hear the actual sound being named and therefore we understand it properly or it transports us to the place of the sound.

Parallel construction/structure

each part of a sentence has the same gramatical structure (tricolon, antithesism isocolon etc.)

This structure makes the information easier to read and remember, enhancing the readability of your writing. provides rhythm while expanding the detail of the description and creates balance. gives a positive connotation too

Personification

Object or concept can help readers understand it better. it makes inanimate objects seem lively and lifelike (+ more relatable) while it also contributes to our sense of oneness with these inanimate objects.

starts connecting with the object emotionally - relatable, immerive → message resonates more

Pun

Provokes amusement and therefore a tendency for the reader to feel good about the company / product and possibly to buy the product.

If used by a character, shows that that character is rather clever and witty.

can also make you think differently about a subject if it changes the original meaning of the text

Quotation

Provide important pieces of evidence and lend fresh voices and perspectives to your narrative.

adds some authority of the original author to the current speaker

Repetition

repeating the same words or phrases for effect.

It reinforces a point or idea, adds emphasis by highlighting the importance of the word or phrase, and makes a passage more memorable. In some cases it is used to mimic repetition in nature.

Therefore, the reader is more likely to consider the meaning of the word or phrase in a deeper way.

Rhetorical question

It engages the reader or listener, prompts them to pause and think, and can be used for dramatic effect.

Draws attention to what follows - the point.

For that reason, they are effective in hooking a reader's interest and making them think about their own response to the question in hand.

Rhyme

Creates a particular atmosphere and mood, and it can shape the way we respond to the themes in the poem. Can create a fun atmosphere, a chant-like feel, sense of rigidity or even have sarcastic undertones.

Short sentences

Show sudden events, summarize main ideas, or grab the attention of the reader to the detail.

Sibilance

sibilance can have the effect of slowing down the reading process. Could be used to indicate a sinister event or feeling. or mimics/replicates the sound of a tyre going down, or of a snake

maintains rhythm, smoothing flow of text, draws attention to specific part of poem

could relay hidden message in the text

(same as alliteration)

Simile

all imagery gives the person/animal/thing being described the characteristics of something else. enlivens descriptions, helps us to see these things in a new light - in a way we may have never seen or thought about them before.

Helps the thing being described be understood more clearly, while it can help to engage the reader.

draws attention to a characteristic (the two things have in common) tonmake it easy to visualise.

Symbol

Acts as a visual aid for readers to better understand complex ideas of concepts.

Tone

Attitude of the speaker, author etc.

examples: sarastic, sincere, envious, insulting, flippant (not showing a serious attitude) nostaligc, conversational, hostile, mournful, uplifting etc.

shows the feelings of the author, can help reinforce ideas/themes and add emotion and feeling to resonate more with the audience (leaves a mark too?). Can affect how the reader perceives the writer's intentions

Enjambment

It can create a sense of continuity or urgency in a poem or narrative.

Irony

It can provoke thought, humor, or reveal hidden truths by highlighting contradictions or unexpected outcomes.

undermines significance of something or someone

creates humourous tone and can evoke empathy

Rhyme

It adds musicality and rhythm to poetry and can connect ideas or create a sense of closure.

Litote

deliberate understatement: e.g. Richie McCaw wasn’t bad, in his day, at playing rugby

It can soften criticism or create a sense of modesty or irony.

Synecdoche

It can simplify complex ideas or emphasise a particular aspect of something.

Emotive Language

It evokes strong feelings or empathy in the reader, making them more emotionally invested in the text.

Anaphora

It’s so preposterously easy to use anaphora.  It’s so preposterously easy to pick some words.  It’s so preposterously easy to repeat them.

Imagery

It paints a vivid picture in the reader's mind and can enhance the reader's understanding of the text.

Pathetic Fallacy

It connects nature with human emotions, setting a mood or atmosphere that mirrors the characters' feelings.

Extended Metaphor

It allows for a deeper exploration of a theme or concept over an extended passage.

Neologism

It can introduce new concepts or ideas or create a sense of novelty.

difference from the ordinary words which makes it stand out, be more memorable

Oxymoron

It creates tension or irony by juxtaposing contradictory words. makes readers stop and think - could create comedy

Antithesis

It highlights contrasting ideas, often for the sake of emphasis or persuasion.

Rhyme

Makes the text memorable and can make poems amusing. Lightens the mood if subject matter is serious or sad in nature. Can tie together the middle and end of verses.

internal rhyme

rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another at the end of the line or in the middle of the next.

same effect as rhyme

Choice of words

More unusual words provide more specific meaning than common ones. Specialized or technical words make it seem like the writer/speaker really knows the topic.

Use of slang

Grounds the text in informality as well as a certain social group and period of time.

Use of incorrect grammar

Creates an image of the character - helps to define personality and place him/her in a particular educational or social class. Provides authenticity in your writing.

Simple sentences

Used to establish one idea. Often used as topic sentences, making clear what the paragraph is about or marking a change of place/topic/etc

makes the sentence immediate, informal and easy to understand, narrative, childlike, and unsophisticated.

a series of simple sentences could be used to create tension

First and second pronoun

First person: Gives immediacy to the text - the author or character makes a direct connection with the reader / audience. The emotional qualities of the text / character are more available also - the internal life of the author or character. "We" in a speech involves the audience with the speaker ("We all know that violence is wrong").

Second person: In speeches and adverts, this direct address to the listeners/viewers involves them and may challenge them to respond, even if only mentally. In narrative, the use shows interaction between characters. It can also seem accusatory.

Symbolism

These are a form of shorthand to emotions - an author can use a symbol so that the reader / audience understands the emotions invested in the object without describing those emotions every time the object is used. Provides the reader with a visual (actual or mental) aide-memoire - something that conjures up certain memories and/or emotions or qualities when s/he sees the symbol.

It adds layers of meaning to a text and allows for deeper exploration of themes.

Contrast

Strengthens each aspect of the contrast by showing up the differences

To emphasize a change or difference or idea

Facts

Exclamatory sentence

into a strong command or reflect an emotional outburst.

Active verbs

To give an impression of the present

or a continuous action. To indicate an

action-packed event or high energy.

Short sentence

To show speed, anger or time passing(lots of short sentences).

To show shock or surprise

(one short sentence).

To be dramatic. To create tension.

To show a contrast.

Adjective

To modify the noun or subject.

Adverb

create for more descriptive actions, which would give the writing a more active feeling.

Quotation

The effective use of quotations augments the power of your arguments and makes your essays more interesting.

Conjunction

First Person Narrative

Allows the reader to learn what the author or character is thinking

sarcasm

emotions and attitudes of the author are conveyed. usually of disdain, or contempt or revulsion or dislike or bitterness etc.

use of direct/indirect speech

"I am happy," she said. (direct speech)

She said that she was happy (indirect speech)

makes the character come alive. we can ‘hear’ the way they speak - the grammar, vocab, tones etc.

direct speech can reveal character, while indirect speech might be used to explain, distance, or present information efficiently. Analyzing the choice between direct and indirect speech reveals the author's purpose, like building authenticity with direct speech or shifting focus with indirect speech, and helps you understand a text's big ideas. 

use of multiple adjectives/verbs/adverbs

slowly, stealthily, the wind was lifting a swell

(could also be rhytmic patterning, or repetition of word endings)

builds up a very full picture of the object/animal/person/activity that it becomes very clear in the readers mind - they can picture it very precisely

emotive language

evokes a tone and mood in readers minds. attitude and emotions of writer are transferred to reader

idiom

conveys complex ideas quickly

register (tone)

formal - sophistication, plausibility, credibility

informal - relaxed tone, easy to understand

colloquial - relatable, friendly, conversational

slang - young

jargon - exclusivity, knowledgable

triple construction (anaphora, epistrophe)

repeating three times a group of words which have the same pattern of word classes

“that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the face of the earth

provides closure and finality

consonance

recurrence of similar sounding consonants in close proximity

hickory dickory dock

i - assonance

d - alliteration

ck - consonance

creates mood - flowy, slow paced, sharp, harsh, rhythmicic

zoomorphism

Zoomorphism assigns animal qualities to humans or inanimate objects

same effect as personification

personification can give human like emotions or behaviours:

frantic, restlessness, graceful, elegance, purpose, energy, alive, respected, chaotic, alive, untamed, wild, clever, witty

present tense

readers feel immediate impac

personal pronours

you/we - involves the audience so that they too can imagine how they should feel. they are directly talked to, reaches the audience more personally

3. Deliberate misspelling

If it’s clearly not an error but a choice, it can be described as phonetic spelling — spelling words the way they sound.

Example:

“Wuz” instead of “was”
✅ Feature: phonetic spelling
✅ Effect: shows accent, identity, or realism in dialogue.

ddd

epistrophe

When you end each sentence with the same word, that’s epistrophe.  When each clause has the same words at the end, that’s epistrophe.  When you finish each paragraph with the same word, that’s epistrophe.  

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

• Emphasises the conclusion or key idea.

• Feels final, rhythmic, and resolute.

• Makes the last words echo in the audience’s mind.

chiasmus:

“All for one and one for all”

• Creates balance and rhythm – the reversal feels neat and complete.

• Emphasises contrast or irony – often highlights how two ideas depend on or oppose each other.

• Makes ideas memorable – the mirrored phrasing sticks in your head.

• Can show change or reflection – it’s like an idea “turning back on itself.”

symploce - anaphora and epistrophe mixed

“When there is talk of hatred, let us stand against it.
When there is talk of injustice, let us stand against it.
When there is talk of division, let us stand against it.”

creates intensity

double repetition reinfores the main idea - It’s persuasive because the pattern builds rhythm and expectation. and you start to feel the conviction

could sound confident and unifying

can feel the the author is pushing the audience towards the belief of …..

• Combines both force and finality.

• Sounds balanced, rhythmic, and powerful.

• Highlights change in the middle (the contrast) while keeping start and end consistent — great for unity through variation.

creates emotional climax

anaphora

Drives momentum forward — it builds like a drumbeat. Sounds confident and unifying. Feels like the speaker is pushing the audience toward action or belief.

Builds energy, persuasion

It adds rhythm, emphasis, and can make a passage more persuasive. Hopeful, determined

epizeuxis

action action action

emphasises importance, significant, drills into memory

can be overkill

cyclical structure

 It gives the impression of going nowhere, and it gives the impression of moving inevitably on. reflects how time continuously moves/passes, but even so, time only moves in circles

anadiplosis Drink leads to drunkenness.  Drunkenness leads to a hangover.  Hangovers cause suffering.  Suffering leads to …

creates logical flow

moods

uneasy, melancholic, gloomy, nervous, lonely, pessimistic, nostaligic, amused, hunourous, calm, optimistic, cheerful, tense, grave, scary, mysterious, energetic, youthful, enthusiastic, playful tone, Humorous and sarcastic, Critical / ironic, reflective, thoughtful, conversational