Mrs. Winrow

The form of a piece of writing is the manner or style in which its parts are arranged to achieve an effective result.

• A rhetorical device is a use of language, usually in a persuasive manner, to create a literary effect (and possibly to induce an emotional response).
• A figure of speech is a use of language in a nonliteral or unusual way to achieve a rhetorical effect.
• A logical fallacy is an argument or method of reasoning that does not have a sound basis in reason; logical fallacies may be employed in expository writing to achieve a rhetorical effect.

The items in this list describe literary forms and devices. Consider using these terms in your analysis of pieces of writing.

ad hominem argument: (in Latin: argumentum ad hominem, "argument against the person") a logical fallacy in which an argument attacks a person instead of that person's own argument or stance

• "You would understand my point of view if you weren't so stupid."
• "That research isn't valid because the scientist is a racist."

alliteration: the repetition of the same sounds at the beginning of words in a group

• The titles of the books in the Lemony Snicket series feature alliteration: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, etc.
• Many tongue-twisters are alliterative: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

allegory: a moral story featuring a symbolic representation of ideas through fictional characters (often animals)

• Watership Down is a story about rabbits; this allegory concerns different types of government.
• Animal Farm is a story about farm animals; this allegory concerns communism.

Continue reading "Literary Forms and Devices"

The tone of a piece of writing refers to the stylistic manner in which opinions and emotions are expressed. Consider using these adjectives when analyzing compositions.