3. Theory – Language Techniques
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What makes a good short story: Plot, characters, setting
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Literary Techniques
| Technique | Description | Example | Effect |
| Personification | Giving an inanimate object living characteristics | The trees huddled around me. | Gives life to the setting, makes it more interesting/vivid. |
| Alliteration | A series of words starting with the same letter | The slick and sophisticated salesmen approached him. | Adds rhythm and emphasizes their association. |
| Assonance | A series of words with similar sounding syllables- rhyming vowels but not consonants | The log was rotten and hollow. | It adds rhythm and flow to your sentences. |
| Contrast | Describing two or more things in very different ways | He looked dull and depressed, while she was happy and excited | It highlights the disparity between two things. |
| Hyperbole | Exaggerating an action/description | He threw the ball miles away! | Used to emphasise the action/description |
| Imagery | Use of figurative language to create a ‘mental’ image of something through the 5 senses | I felt the rough bark of the oak tree and smelt the morning dew dripping from its green leaves. | Creates vivid image for the reader |
| Irony | A use of words to mean the opposite. | The elephant is certainly very skinny. | Highlights the opposite characteristic/humour |
| Metaphor | Describing something as something else | The man was a giraffe- taller than the ceiling! | It is a creative way to describe something. It can also help reader imagine it better. |
| Simile | Describing something by comparing it to something else | She was as skinny as a stick! | It is a creative way to describe something. It can also help reader imagine it better. |
| Repetition | Repeating the same phrase or word | I hated her. I hated him. I hated their whole family! | It emphasizes the word or phrase. |
| Onomatopoeia | A word that is supposed to imitate a real sound | Ooft!Ouch!Huh? | It helps reader imagine the sound for themselves. |
Other Techniques
| Technique | Description | Effect |
| Allegory | When an abstract idea is represented by characters, actions or events | It translates a complicated idea into a simple story, making it easy for the reader to understand/relate to. |
| Chekhov’s Gun | A mystery only revealed at the end. | Provides tension/drama. Makes reader want to continue and discover the mystery. |
| Dramatic Irony | When the audience knows something the protagonist doesn’t. | Adds tension/drama. Specifically, it makes the reader wonder what will happen when the character finds out. |
| Foreshadowing | Provide a hint of what will come | Helps link the story together/provides an interesting twist |
| Juxtaposition | Placing two or more opposing things together OR placing something in an opposing setting. | Emphasises the difference between the things, or between the thing and the setting. |
| Motif | A repeated idea/symbol/icon/phrase. | Emphasises the significance of this thing. |
| Paragraphing | Breaking up your text with a space. | Helps separate your text. Makes it easier for reading. Also can indicate different sections of the story. |
| Punctuation | Using punctuation e.g. !, ?, CAPITALS, italics | Can dictate how the reader reads a particular sentence or word. |
| Symbolism | Using an image or item to evoke meaning | Makes the reader think of/feel something whenever it is mentioned. |