STYLE ELEMENTTEXT / REMARK
Diction is…(Copy text.)
______
Syntax is…(Copy text.)
______
Tone is…(How do you know?)
______
Two Literary Devices:(Copy text.)
______
______
Other: ______(Copy text.)
Guide to The Style Analysis Chart
I. THEME
To understand the author’s meaning of his/her work (“theme”), start with the literal level. Think about the PLOT (events in the story). Next, move up a notch and determine the subject or TOPIC of the work. Finally, infer the author’s THEME. Remember, your theme must be presented in a complete sentence, not a fragment.
Some examples:
“Love” is a subject. “Love can be painful” is a theme.
“Poverty” is a subject. “Poverty can be overcome” is a theme.
“War” is a subject. “War reflects man’s inhumanity to man” is a theme.
II. DICTION
Use the words from this list to describe an author’s choice of words (“diction”). In the right hand column of your chart, copy samples of text that support your claim.
-abstract
-bombastic
-colloquial, conversational
-cultured, polished
-emotional
-fiery
-generalized
-old-fashioned
-ordinary, plain
-pedantic, “preachy”
-poetic
-precise, specific
-pretentious
-scholarly
-slangy
-technical (uses jargon)
III. SYNTAX
Use the words from this list to describe an author’s sentence arrangement (“syntax”). Remember, syntax can affect a story’s pace, rhythm, suspense, tone, and theme. In the right hand column of your chart, describe the effect that syntax has on the reader.
-anastrophe/inversionformal tone to create a poetic effect
-balanced sentencesusing similar sentence lengths, structures
-exciting punctuationdashes, parentheses, italics, ellipses, all caps
-long, elegantlots of compound, complex sentences
-occasional fragmentsshort blips to add tension or impact
-parallelarranging similar parts to give emphasis
-repetitionusing word(s) more than once for emphasis
-rhetorical questionsasking questions not for an answer
-telegraphicbrief, concise, tight
IV. TONE
Use the words below to describe the way a writer conveys attitude (“tone”). Notice that they are grouped to give different degrees of each. In the right hand column of your chart, tell how tone is expressed (through diction, syntax, imagery, punctuation) with copied text to support your claim.
-affectionate, nostalgic
-approving, admiring, worshipping
-candid, direct, incisive, informative
-complicated, pedantic, didactic
-disliking, patronizing, contemptuous, abhorring
-easy, friendly, comic, jovial
-flippant, cynical, sardonic, sarcastic, irreverent
-formal, elevated, grand, lofty
-insolent, antagonistic, hostile, inflammatory
-interested, benevolent, sympathetic, passionate
-objective, indifferent, apathetic
-serious, solemn, elegiac, lugubrious
-subdued, indirect, understated, evasive
-vibrant, dramatic, urgent, forceful
-whimsical, fanciful, effusive
-wistful, regretful, resigned, bitter, grim
V. LITERARY DEVICES
Use the words from this list to describe an author’s use of literary devices.In the right hand column of your chart, copy the text that supports your claim.
-alliteration: repeated beginning sounds in a series of two or more words (Bravely, the bright bulging beacon flickered.)
-anastrophe/inversion: reversing the natural word order (Into the clouds soared the eagle.)
-hyperbole: extreme exaggeration (He had the weight of the world on his shoulders.)
-irony: using words or ideas that have the opposite effect from what is expected (His worst enemy saved his life.)
-metaphor: to compare two unlike things without using “like” or “as” (Her smile was sunshine.)
-onomatopoeia: a word whose sound echoes its meaning (pop, fizz, buzz)
-oxymoron: two words paired that seem to contradict each other (jumbo shrimp)
-paradox: statements that seem contradictory but are really true
-parallelism: repeated pattern of phrases, but not with the same words (He searched here, he searched there, he searched everywhere.)
-personification: giving human abilities or characteristics to inanimate objects (The desk groaned in agony.)
-repetition: repeated regular pattern of words or phrases (Nevermore, nevermore, nevermore.)
-simile: to compare two unlike things using “like” or “as” (He was like a rock.)
-symbol/allusion: an object, person, situation, or action means more than what it is or refers to something in previous history or literature