Writing Techniques Flashcards
Exaggeration / hyperbole
To emphasise viewpoint:
I’m dead if I get caught.
Exclamations
To communicate emotion:
The view was unbelievable!
Humour
To make the writing more lively and appealing
Sarcasm
To mock the subject under discussion
Rhetorical questions
To make the reader think and reflect:
Can we continue to support this cause?
Repetition
To emphasise a point:
Dull! Dull! Dull! - That sums him up.
Connectives
To help the writing to flow by connecting the sentences and paragraphs
Variety of sentences used - simple, compound and complex
To engage the reader’s interest:
- Short sentences are punchy, provide a dramatic effect (particularly engaging at the start, end or when following a longer sentence as they really stand out)
- Longer sentences provide detail are are useful for descriptions
Use of punctuation
To control how you read the piece:
*remember the impact of full stops, commas, colons and semi-colons
Variety in paragraphing
To add interest for the reader
Descriptive terms
To paint a positive or negative picture of something
Superlatives
To suggest that something is the best
Shock tactics
To frighten the reader:
It’s an accident waiting to happen.
Assertive language
To exude confidence:
Everybody knows / Without question / It’s undeniable that…
Imagery: similes and metaphors
To create vivid images which help the reader to visualise and understand the writer’s point of view
Alliteration
To make certain words stand out and make the writing memorable:
The phenomenal footballer forayed into the opposition’s box
Onomatopoeia
To evoke sounds through the use of words:
Crash / sludge / crunch
Emotive language
To evoke strong feelings on a subject, plays with your emotions:
The strain and stress of weeks of turmoil was etched on his hollow, pallid face as the breaking daylight illuminated the teardrop trickling down his cheek
Puns and jokes
To provide humour
Statistics or facts
Used to reinforce opinion and add authenticity to the writing:
There has been a 50% increase in the number of chocolate bars sold over the past year.
Expert opinion
To support what the writer is saying which makes it more convincing:
Doctor Jones stated that studies have shown that…
Reference to satisfied customers
To support the writer’s viewpoint:
I don’t know how I survived before I bought this. It has transformed my life!
Irony
To provide humour:
Verbal, situational, and dramatic irony
Use of ‘i’
To communicate the writer’s point of view directly
Personal anecdote
To interest the audience through recounting a personal experience:
Last year when I was on holiday with my family…
Conversational tone
To add a personal quality to the writing and to create a positive rapport between the writer and the reader
Inclusive pronoun ‘we’
To persuade the reader to agree with the writer
Personal pronoun
To make the reader feel that the writer is talking directly to them therefore it is highly personal and effective
Alypsis (…)
Creates suspense
Sensory appeal
Touch
Sight
Smell
Taste
