Diction Power Point Project
Mr. Mooney
Period 3
IDEA ENGLISH II ACC
Louis D’Angello
Atta Ghassemi
Chris Robbins
Steven Wing
Jay Wu
Diction:
• word choice general
character of the
language used by the
author.
Levels of diction:
Appearance
Sound
Meaning
Mono vs. Poly Syllabic
One Syllable vs. Multi-Syllable
The higher the ratio of the
polysyllabic; the more sophisticated
and complex the content.
Monosyllabic
The small bird flew fast.
Polysyllabic:
The minute robin would soar rapidly in an
elegant and sophisticated manner across the
setting horizon.
Euphonious vs. Cacophonous
Pleasant sounding vs.
Harsh sounding.
Euphonious diction:
a. His eyes flowed with tears of joy.
Cacophonous diction:
a. I was in shock when I learned of his death.
Literal vs. Figurative (cliché)
Accurate without
embellishment vs.
Comparison creating
pictorial effect.
Literal:
a. During rush hour, traffic moves exceptionally slowly and leisurely.
b. Brad Rubyns is a tall man with height of six foot eleven inches.
Figurative:
a. During Rush hour, traffic moves as slow as a snail on concrete.
b. Brad Rubyns is as tall as a fully-developed giraffe.
Literature (Figurative):
“… shocked him as if they had been children playing in a Graveyard.” The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton pg 208
Denotative vs. Connotative
Exact meaning vs.
Suggested emotional
meaning.
Denotative:
a. He had a hideous tie.
b. The fat girl stomped up the stairs.
Connotative:
a. His tie was not in good taste.
b. The plump woman glided upstairs.
Objective vs. Subjective
Impersonal /
Unemotional
vs. Personal /
Emotional
Objective:
a. “Hey, what’s up?”
Subjective:
a. She cried for hours after I told her my dark secret.
Literature (Subjective)
…was a blurry, roaring, roistering blade by the name of
Abraham…” The legend of Sleepy Hallow, by
Washington Irving pg 340
Active vs. Passive
States action vs. States
Being
Active:
a. I walked down the street to the star bucks.
Passive:
a. The piano was played by three grand masters.
Concrete vs. Abstract
Specific, tangible
(practical, details,
facts) vs. conceptual,
philosophical.
Concrete Diction:
a. The sky was a dark blue with hints of grey clouds.
Abstract Diction:
a. The stack of books leered over the edge, like a skyscraper during an earthquake.
Literature (Abstract):
“..a black cockerel who marched in front of him acted as a kind of trumpeter…”
Animal Farm, by George Orwell pg 77
Hyperbole (overstated) vs. Understated
Deliberate
Exaggeration of
Facts (impress) vs.
Deliberate
misrepresentation
of less.
Overstatement:
a. My Coach’s eloquence and articulate manner in
motivating my team could split rocks.
Understatement:
a. Running in a marathon under two hours is a very
minute accomplishment and is not a worthy achievement.
b. A brain tumor is nothing serious and can be easily removed.
Pedestrian vs. Pedantic
Layman’s terms vs.
Boorish, inflated
language (attempting
to display importance)
Pedestrian:
a. I am not allowed to go to the party.
b. We lost our game.
Pedantic:
a. My Father and Mother forbade me from attending
such a festivity and social
gathering at this moment in time.
b. We were supremely defeated and conquered by
the opposing team in our competitive sports match.
Non-Standard: Vulgarity
Language deficient in
taste or refinement.
Vulgarity:
a. You better damn well know how to do your homework!
b. Just Shut your mouth!
Non-Standard: Slang
Vernacular speech,
sometimes humorous
(exaggerated), shortened
for effect.
Slang:
a. Yo bro sicky sicky gnar hallas sick waves today bra.
b. I ain’t got no money right now.
Non-Standard: Colloquial
Regional, provincial,
differs from formal
language in connotation,
pronunciation, usage,
accepted in informal
conversations.
Colloquial:
a. He had spent years honing his soccer skills.
b. Jay’s rubbers were worn out and was obligated
to purchase new ones.
Non-Standard: Jargon
Specific to a field or
profession.
Jargon:
a. My new laptop PC has a 80 Gigabyte hard drive, 512 megabyte ram, and a 1.6
Ghz Intel Pentium Processor. (Computer)
b. During the game, the ball was passed from the point guard to the shooting guard
who shot a three-pointer in the final seconds of the game. (basketball)
Non-Standard: Cliché
Language used so often
it has lost its freshness
or clarity.
Cliché:
a. Stopped dead in my tracks
b. Goose bumps all over
c. Lost track of time
Informal/Standard
Correct, but
conversational
Informal/Standard:
a. Hello, How are you doing today?
b. I saw about three movies yesterday with Michael.
Formal (literate)
Appropriate for
more formal
occasions (often
more abstract)
Formal:
a. The exquisiteness and elegance of this particular day has
gained my admiration and enjoyment.
b. The refined and elegant automobile accelerated with
maximum velocity and alacrity, but with gracefulness.
Devices of Sound: Assonance
Repetition of similar
vowel sounds in closely
associated words.
Assonance:
a. Try to light the fire
b. Mankind can handle most problems.
c. Lock and Load
Devices of Sound: Consonance
Repetition of
similar consonant
sounds in closely
associated words
(half rhyme).
Consonance:
a. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each
purple curtain,"
Devices of Sound: Alliteration
Repetition of initial
consonant sounds in
closely associated
words.
Alliteration:
a. They twirl through the trek tumbling towards the tide.
b. Sandy sold Sea Shells by the Sea Shore
c. Friends forever
d. Fine Fast Food
e. Tesoro Titans Tennis Team
Devices of Sound: Onomatopoeia
Words whose
pronunciation suggests
meaning.
•
Onomatopoeia:
a. The sudden slam of the door in the face of the boy by his ex-girlfriend signified
the end of their prickly relationship.
b. The buzzing of the fly heavily annoyed the exasperated boy.
Reference
Irving, Washington. “The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” New
American Library, a division of
Peguin Group Inc. New York
City, New York, 1961. 340.
Wharton, Edith. The Age of
Innocence. Maxwell publishing
company. New York City, New
York,1968. 208.
Orwell, George. Animal
Farm. Harcourt,
Braceand Company
Inc. New York City,
New York. 1946. 77.
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