AICE Lang Literary Tools

Author’s Purpose

The reason an author writes a text, which can include to inform, entertain, persuade, or express feelings.

Audience

The group of readers or viewers that an author targets with a particular text, influencing the style and content of the writing.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is narrated.

First Person POV

Uses I/me to create a sense of connection

2nd Person POV

Uses “You” to create a sense of casual conversation

3rd Person POV

Can increase formality and objectivity

Register

The level of formality within a text

Bias

Being heavily in favor or against an idea of thing

Genre Elements

Text features and unique elements that make up texts

Alliteration

The repetition of two or more letters or sounds at the beginning of words close together. “Six Singing Salamanders”

Asyndeton

Deliberately removes conjunctions, speeding up pace, creating unease

Polysyndeton

Deliberately adds conjunctions and slows down pace and links words

Anaphora

repetition of certain words or phrases at the beginning.

Epiphora

Repetition of certain words at the end

Chiasmus

Grammatical structure that inverts phrases. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”

Hypophora

When a speaker asks a question and then answers it immediately

Juxtaposition

When ideas, people, images, or objects are placed together to highlight their differences.

Punctuation

Marks or symbols used in writing to improve the clarity, meaning, and structure of sentences and texts.

Repitition

The repeating of specific words or phrases. Examples: alliteration, anaphora, and epiphora

Sentence Length

The length of a sentence.

Sentence Type

Establishes the purpose of a sentence.

Declarative Sentence

A sentence that gives a statement

Interrogative Sentence

A sentence that asks a question

Imperative Sentence

A sentence that gives a command.

Exclamatory Sentence

A sentence that displays strong emotion with an exclamation point

Syntax

arrangement of words in a specific order

Triadic Structure

A sentence containing a series of three words, phrases, or clauses

Allusion

A reference to another work, person, event, place, or thing in pop culture. Only works with reader’s background knowledge.

Connotation

Refers to the feeling or emotion associated with a word. It can be positive, negative, or neutral.

Denotation

The literal definition of a word

Diction

The choice of words that authors use in their writing to create special effects.

Hyperbole

Refers to the deliberate exaggeration of a truth or point to give emphasis

Imagery

Refers to the use of descriptive language to create mental pictures for readers.

Visual Imagery

Imagery that relies on vision

Auditory Imagery

Imagery that relies on sound

Kinesthetic Imagery

Imagery that relies on the feeling of touch

Olfactory Imagery

Imagery that relies on smell

Gustatory Imagery

Imagery that relies on Taste

Irony

Refers to a contradiction or disconnect between what is expected and when happens

Verbal Irony

Similar to sarcasm, used verbally or written Ex: “Yay, Another Quiz!”

Dramatic Irony

A secret that the audience/reader knows that the characters don’t. Ex: a shark is shown under a swimmer without them noticing

Situational Irony

An event that mocks the circumstances. Ex: a firetruck burns down

Metaphor/Extended Metaphor

A comparison without like or as. An extended metaphor uses the comparison for several lines.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created within a text

Personification

Giving human qualities to objects, animals, ideas, or other non-human entities

Rhetoric

The art of using language effectively and persuasively to influence or inform an audience.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked by the author that they leave to that reader to answer or don’t need an answer

Logos (Rhetoric)

Persuasion that appeals to logic, facts, and reason

Pathos (Rhetoric)

Persuasion that appeals to emotion

Ethos (Rhetoric)

Persuasion that appeals to authority and credibility

Simile

Uses the words “like” or “as” to compare two unrelated things

Symbolism

The use of symbols or objects to represent ideas, concepts, or qualities beyond their literal meaning.

Tone

The overall attitude of a text that typically reflects the writer’s feelings, opinions, and intentions towards the subject matter

Pun

A playful joke that uses words with more than one meaning, or words that sound alike

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that puts two opposite words together. Ex: Deafening Silence, Pretty Ugly

Invectives

Harsh, insulting, or abusive language used to blame or attack someone

Metonymy

A figure of speech where you call a thing by the name of something else

Onomatopoeia

A word that sounds like the real noise it makes. Moo

Idiom

A common phrase with a hidden meaning