Abstract diction creates tone through ideas, not images.

When the subject of the sentence performs the action.

Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words.

Analysis means breaking something down to explain how it works.

Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

When two opposing ideas in parallel structure are used to highlight a contrast or conflict.

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within words.

The overall emotional feeling of a scene.

The way that emphasis interacts with surrounding content to create a sense of harmony or cohesion.

A pause within a line, often marked by punctuation like a comma, dash, or ellipsis.

Characterization is the way a writer reveals a character’s personality, thoughts, and relationships.

Chiasmus is a rhetorical device where the structure of one clause is reversed in the next.

The use of color to influence emotion or signal meaning

A narrative told through a series of panels combining images and words.

Concrete diction makes writing feel vivid and emotionally charged.

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds at the end or middle of words.

A written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people in a literary or theatrical form.

The specific words an author chooses to use.

The kind of words the writer chooses.

The narrator or another character directly tells the reader what someone is like, describing their looks, personality, background, or motivations.

When the audience knows something the characters do not.

When a line ends with punctuation (., ;, !, etc.)

A line that continues onto the next without punctuation.

Gaze is the narrative vantage point: who sees the action, and how much they know. It determines what the reader experiences and whose lens we’re looking through.

A figure of speech that uses deliberate and obvious exaggeration to create a strong impression or emphasize a point.

Imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive language to create vivid mental pictures or sensory experiences for the reader.

Irony is when there’s a gap between what is said or expected and what actually happens. This contrast creates meaning, often humorous, tragic, or critical and encourages the reader to think more deeply.

When two contrasting elements are placed side by side to highlight their differences or create tension.

The spatial arrangement of elements on a page or screen. It guides the reader's eye and controls the flow of information.

When you analyze two or more techniques in the same quote or moment, and explain how they interact to shape mood, tone, character, or theme.

A metaphor directly equates one thing to another, implying they share qualities.

The rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. Common meters include iambic pentameter (five iambs: da-DUM) and trochaic tetrameter (four trochees: DA-dum).

The emotional effect on the reader.

A motif is a recurring image, idea, or phrase that reinforces a theme throughout the text.

Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate the sounds they describe.

A figure of speech where two opposite words are combined to create a striking or thought-provoking effect.

The organization of panels in graphic novels or comics. Panel arrangement controls pacing and emphasizes key moments.

A statement that seems self-contradictory or impossible, but reveals a deeper truth or insight.

Parallelism is the repetition of similar grammatical structures in a sentence or series of sentences.

Personification is a literary device where non-human things are given human characteristics such as actions, emotions, or intentions. This includes objects, animals, ideas, or forces of nature behaving or feeling like people.

What the writer wants you to think, feel, or do.

A repeated line or phrase, usually at regular intervals (often at the end of stanzas).

Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds, often at the end of lines. Types include perfect rhyme (day/play), slant rhyme(room/storm), and internal rhyme (rhyme within a single line).

Rhyme is the repetition of similar or identical sounds at the end of words, often used in poetry.

The deliberate emphasis of certain elements within a text, making them stand out to the reader.

A comparison using like or as.

When events turn out the opposite of what’s expected.

Sound devices are literary techniques that create auditory patterns in language. These patterns give writing rhythm, mood, and texture. They draw attention to key ideas, make descriptions more memorable, and often mirror the emotions or themes of a text.

Instructions in a play's script about actors' movements and positioning.

A stanza is a group of lines, like a paragraph in prose.

Subordination involves using dependent clauses to add detail or context to a main clause.

A symbol is a tangible object or image that stands in for an abstract idea.

How the writer builds sentences.

One sentence, usually at the end of your introduction, that captures the main argument of your essay.

The writer’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

Words or phrases that guide the reader from one idea to the next.

The style, size, and arrangement of text. Typography can convey tone and emphasize key ideas.

When a speaker says the opposite of what they truly mean.

Visual techniques are the deliberate design choices that shape how we experience a visual text.

Voice is the distinct personality, style, or perspective that comes through in a text.

A rhetorical or thematic shift, especially in sonnets, where tone or argument changes.