A Writer’s StyleNot an exhaustive list but a good basis of knowledge

Syntax

The length and types of sentences a writer uses, along with the order in which words are stated.

Used to enhance the meaning and effect of a written work.

Ex: In natural English the subject of the sentence comes before the verb: Oranges grow in California. If you were going to play with the syntax you might say: In

California oranges grow. Or if you want to sound like Yoda: Grow in California oranges

do. By playing with Yoda’s syntax George Lucas was able to

create a memorable character.

Note – often when you come upon a sentences that doesn’t seem to flow in a piece of writing or sounds different than the other sentences around it you might want to look at the syntax. Ask yourself: Is this sentence shorter or longer than the others around it? Does the subject come before the verb?

Diction/Word Choice The writer’s use of particular types of words.

Used for many purposes word choice can affect the tone or mood of a piece of writing, it can use the multiple connotation and denotations of a word to give the work multiple meanings and it can help clarify what the author means. The right word can change the whole meaning of a sentence. Remember that writers choose their words carefully.

EX: The dialectical interface between neo-Platonists and anti-disestablishment Catholics offers an algorithm for deontological thought. Revision: The dialogue between neo-Platonists and certain Catholic

thinkers is a model for deontological thought.

Ex2: Words with unwanted connotations or meanings. Example: I sprayed the ants in their private places. Revision: I sprayed the ants in their hiding places.

Tone The writer’s attitude toward his or her subject or toward his or her

readers.

Tone in writing is not really any different than the tone of your voice. You know that sometimes it is not “what” you say, but “how” you say it.

It is the same with writing. Every adjective and adverb you use, your sentence structure, and the imagery you use will show your tone.

The definition of “tone” is the way the author expresses his attitude through his writing.  The tone can change very quickly, or may remain the same throughout the story. Tone is expressed by your use of syntax, your point of view, your diction, and the level of formality in your writing. Note how many of the types of style we have looked at work together

throughout a piece of literature and rely on one another to present a whole meaning or purpose.

Examples of tone in a story include just about any adjective you can imagine: Scared, Anxious, Excited, Worried, Foolish, Smart, Depressing 

A Comparison of Tone “It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man

who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference.” In Hemingway’s A Clean, Well-Lighted Place the tone is calm and

peaceful.

“There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none. A clammy and intensely cold mist, it made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do. It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings, and a few yards of road; and the reek of the labouring horses steamed into it, as if they had made it all.” In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the tone could be said to be

mysterious, secretive, ominous, or evil.

Repetition

The repeated use of certain words, phrases and sentences

Used to emphasize an idea or incite a feeling

Ex: “We are compelled to fight the injustice of low wage, the injustice of long hours, and the injustice of child labor”

Parallelism

The repetition of a grammatical structure A different type of repetition

Used to emphasize or link related ideas

Ex: “What do we want of these men? What do we want of ourselves?” (Hayden).

EX2: This is not only just what I wanted, but also just what I needed.

Restatement

Expressing the same idea using different words Again, another type of repetition

Used to emphasize a point or make a point clearer

Ex: “…We can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground” (Lincoln).

Ex: “I call not upon a few, but upon all; not on this state or that state, but on every state” (Paine). Notice that this example also uses parallelism

Figurative Language

Metaphor – a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken as though it were something else. The identification suggest a comparison between the two things that are identified. Ex: Death is a long sleep

Simile – figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two subjects, using either link or as Ex: The trees looked like pitch forks again the sullen sky

Imagery – descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word picture for the reader. These pictures, or images, are created by details of sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, or movement.

Writing or speech not meant to be taken literally. Writers use figurative language to express ideas in vivid and imaginative ways.