Personification is the attribution of human characteristics to animals, inanimate objects or abstractions. Animals, inanimate objects or abstractions are represented as having human characteristics such as behaviour, feelings, character etc.. Personification can make a narration more interesting ...
Parallelism occurs when successive clauses or sentences are similarly structured. This similarity makes it easier for the reader / listener to concentrate on the message. Example: The mediocre teacher tells, The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ...
Onomatopoeia is a word imitating a sound. The pronunciation of the word imitates a sound. Onomatopoeia is used because it's often difficult to describe sounds. Furthermore, a story becomes more lively and interesting by the use of onomatopoeia. Examples: The lion roared. The bomb went off with a ...
Points of view refers to first or third person narration. In the case of first-person narrator, the narrator tells the story from his / her point of view. It is a limited point of view as the reader will only know what the narrator knows. The advantage of the first person narration is that the ...
Metaphor is a figurative expression. Metaphor compares two different things in a figurative sense. Unlike in a simile (A is like B.), "like" is not used in metaphor (A is B.). Example: Truths are first clouds, then rain, then harvest and food. (Henry Ward Beecher) Through much of the last century, ...
Litotes is a form of understatement which uses the denied opposite of a word to weaken or soften a message. Examples: That's not bad. (instead of: That's good/great.) Boats aren't easy to find in the dark (instead of: Boats are hard/difficult to find in the dark).
It is a question raised and answered by the author / speaker. The author / speaker raises a question and also gives an answer to the question. Hypophora is used to get the audience's attention and make them curious. Often the question is raised at the beginning of a paragraph and answered in the ...
Hyperbole represents a deliberate exaggeration. Used sparingly, hyperbole effectively draws the attention to a message that you want to emphasise. Example: I was so hungry, I could eat an elephant. I have told you a thousand times.
