Diction PowerPoint Diction PowerPoint ProjectProject

Sam Andres, Trevor Blake, Sam Andres, Trevor Blake, Michael Gethers, Grant Johnson, Michael Gethers, Grant Johnson,

Bradley Ray, Alex YraguiBradley Ray, Alex Yragui

Mr. Mooney – Period 3Mr. Mooney – Period 3

DictionDiction is the word choice and general

character of the author’s language.Words are chosen based on their

Appearance SoundMeaning

Mono vs. Polysyllabic

one syllable vs. multi syllableThe higher the ration of polysyllabic

words, the more sophisticated and complex the content

• Polysyllabic Diction:

“Wetlands-Challenged-Mutant” •Monosyllabic Diction:

“I ran to class”

Euphonious vs. Cacophonous

pleasant sounding vs. harsh sounding

•Euphonious Diction:

The harmonious duet played a melodious verse.

•Cacophonous Diction:

The honking, bellowing sound of the saxophone player made me cringe in

disgust.

Literal vs. Figurative

accurate without embellishment vs. comparison creating pictorial effect

• Figurative Diction:

“The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s hair, which bristled on the skirts of his bald head, a plantation of firs to keep the wind from its shining surface, all covered with knobs, like the crust of a plum pie.” From Hard Times, by Charles Dickens

• Literal Diction:

The man’s bald head had only a few hairs on top of it.

Denotative vs. Connotative

exact meaning vs. suggested, emotional meaning

• Denotative

My relative died many years ago.

• Connotative

My relative passed away many years ago.

Objective vs. Subjective

impersonal, unemotional vs. personal, emotional

• Objective vs. Subjective:

The football fans liked to win.

• Subjective

The football fans would kill to win every single game of the season.

Active vs. Passivestates action vs. states being

Passive used when author wants to remain vague or to conceal information.

•Active

Someone stole our friend’s boat last week

•Passive

Our friend’s boat was stolen by someone last week.

Concrete vs. Abstract

specific, tangible vs. conceptual, philosophical

• ConcreteHe bought the most

expensive car.• Abstract

Freedom

Hyperbole vs. Understated

deliberate exaggeration of facts vs. deliberate misrepresentation of less

• HyperboleI am so hungry I could eat a horse.

• UnderstatedI was just being nice. (after being complimented

for helping)

Pedestrian vs. Pedantic

layman’s terms vs. boorish, inflated language attempting to display importance• Pedestrian

The rich man bought a nice car• Pedantic

- The prosperous entrepreneur purchased an upscale sports automobile.- “And all the time he was ruthlessly busy, liquidating kulaks, organizing collectives, building an armament industry, shifting reluctant millions from farm to factory” (Huxley 177).

Non-StandardLower-level language

• Non-standard“Called ‘em off on a snipe hunt…didn’t you e’er think a’that, Mr. Finch?” (Lee).

VulgarityLanguage deficient in taste and

refinement; course, base

• Vulgarity

“Great * * * * * * * time to be out for a stroll” (Lincoln and Preston).

SlangVernacular speech sometimes

humorous, exaggerated, or shortened for effect

• Slang“If the White House gets zilched…” (Meltzer).

ColloquialRegional, provincial; differs from

formal language in connotation, pronunciation, usageAccepted in informal

• Bobby (Police Officer in Britain)

Jargonspecific to a field or profession

• JargonAfter math class each day, fractions, functions, graphs, radicals, and variables swirled and curved in her head like the graph of the sine of x.

ClichéLanguage used so often it has lost its

freshness and clarityFigurative language without the freshness

• ClichéIt is hard to believe that there are plenty more fish in the sea when you’re still single at age eighty-five.

Informal/StandardCorrect, but conversational

Often uses contractions

• Informal- “Hey Sam, how’s it going, I haven’t talked to you in a long time?”- “Well, it’s going pretty good, but I’ve got to go! See you later!”

Formal (literate)Appropriate for more formal

occasions, often more abstract.

• FormalWhilst one is writing a formal composition, personal pronouns such as “I” ought to not be utilized.

AssonanceRepetition of similar vowel sound in

closely associated words

• AssonanceThe street looked neat.

ConsonanceRepetition of similar consonant sound

in closely associated wordsHalf-rhyme

• ConsonanceWhile she slept, he crept up to the door.

AlliterationRepetition of initial consonant sound

in closely associated words

• Alliteration“…Thomas Gradgrind now presented Thomas Gradgrind to the little pitchers before him, who were to be filled so full of facts” (Dickens 2).

OnomatopoeiaWords whose pronunciation suggests

meaning

• OnomatopoeiaShe slapped the computer desk in frustration and it got a huge crack in it.

Works Cited

Child, Lincoln and Preston, Douglas. Brimstone. New York: Warner Books, 2005.

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. New York: Dell Publishing Group Inc, 1981.

Huxley, Aldous. Island. New York: Harper and Row Inc, 1962.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Warner Books, 1960.

Meltzer, Brad. The Zero Game. New York: Warner Books, 2004