Paper 1 - Techniques

Repetition

Repetition

repeating an element three or more times; repetition often occurs with minor variations within an element

Contrast

using opposites (or near opposites); something within one element is placed in direct opposition to something else in that same element

Conflict

• Character vs. Character

• Character vs. Society

• Character vs. Nature

• Character vs. Technology

• Character vs. Self

First Person

Using ‘I’ or ‘me’

Second Person

‘you’

Third Person Narrator

Telling things from the perspective of an onlooker.

Third person omniscient is when the speaker knows the perspective of all the characters.

Tone

The authors emotions towards the subject or character e.g. serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, satirical, tongue-in-cheek, solemn, objective (see list).

Alliteration

The repetition of the same sound beginning several words in a sequence.

e.g.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet.

Let us go forth to lead the land we love.

Sibilance

/s/ /sh/ /ch/ /x/ : depending on context, these sounds can be soft or hissing, calming or sinister.

Plosives

/b/ /p/ /t/ /d/ : create an abrupt, sharp, sometimes shocking effect. Look for plosives blended with sibilants or liquids - as a short, sharp shock after the softer mood.

Liquids

/l/ : this can flow, creating a sense of quick, light movement - or of water - ‘light slipped down the lee of the hill’, or sound thick, heavy when combined with dull sounds - as in 'ladle', 'paddle' and 'paddle'.

Fricatives

/f/ /v/ /th/ /th/ : are divided into voiceless (soft) and voiced (hard). Notice the connection: the /f/ in 'knife', is soft, and becomes hard in the plural 'knives'. The same thing happens in 'loaf' and 'loaves'. Voiceless fricatives can create an airy effect, while voiced fricatives often combine with plosives or sinister sibilance.

Connotation

The emotions associated with a word

Euphemism

substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant.

E.g.

Come buy a pre-owned car.

I’m sorry to hear of your cousin’s passing.

Hyperbole

overstatement, or exaggeration, used for effect.

E.g.

I couldn’t paint that if I tried a million times.

I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!

Motif

A recurring symbol or image that contributes to the theme

Personification

When an inanimate object is given human characteristics

Anaphora

The repetition of the same group of words at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines.

E.g.

The ice was here, the ice was there, the ice was all around.

We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of a national community.

Parallelism or Parallel Structure

The framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.

E.g.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…

She wants more help bringing people together; he wants more eyes keeping them safe.

There was no time to sweep the floor, to wash the dishes, or to fold the laundry.

Tricolon

a series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses.

e.g.

I require three things in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless, and stupid.

You are talking to a man who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe."

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

Types of Sentences

declarative sentence: simply makes a statement or expresses an opinion. In other words, it makes a declaration. This kind of sentence ends with a period.

imperative sentence: gives a command or makes a request. It usually ends with a period but can, under certain circumstances, end with an exclamation point.

interrogative sentence: asks a question. This type of sentence often begins with who, what, where, when, why, how, or do, and it ends with a question mark.

\n exclamatory sentence: expresses great emotion such as excitement, surprise, happiness and anger, and ends with an exclamation point.

Imagery

The use of words or phrases (either figurative or literal) that create vivid sensory experiences in the reader's mind. While the majority of images are visual, imagery may also appeal to the senses of smell, taste, touch, and/or hearing. Authors often use imagery in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech.

Enumeration

Listing

Asyndeton

Listing where commas are used, with no conjunction to separate a series of words.

e.g. “Snow fell, wind howled, trees shook, river froze.”

Polysyndeton

Sentence which uses “and” or another conjunction abundantly (usually without commas) to separate the items in a series.

e.g. “The President must lift our hopes and courage and dreams and lives from the muck.”