Let’s Talk About Diction
Ms. Katz
English III
Diction
Word choice, or general character of
the language used by the author.
Words have three levels.
1. Appearance
2. Sound
3. Meaning
Mono vs. Poly
• 1 syllable vs. multi syllable
• “It is the lark that sings so
out of tune”
• “Straining harsh discords
and unpleasing sharps”
– (Act 3 Scene 5. Romeo and
Juliet)
Romeo and Juliet
Euphonious vs. Cacophonous
• Pleasant Sounding vs. Harsh
Sounding
• "By lunch time, my stomach
boils with anger.” boil=
cacophonous
• “I feel at peace”Peace= Euphonious
Literal vs. Figurative
• Accurate with out
embellishment vs.
embellished and imagined
“But not her maid since she is
envious”(Literal- act 2. Sc. 2)
• “But soft, what light through
yonder window breaks? It is the
East, and Juliet is the sun”
(Figurative- act. 2 sc. 2)
Romeo and Juliet
Denotative vs. connotative
• Exact meaning vs.
Suggest, emotional
meaning
• “I really love you. I’m
crazy about you...”
• “The doctor was a thin
quiet little man who
seemed disturbed by
the war”
A Farewell to Arms
Objective vs. Subjective
Objective: Impersonal and unemotional language
Example: “The lawn started at the beach and ran
toward the front door for a quarter of a mile”
(The Great Gatsby, page 6).
vs.
Subjective: Personal and emotional language
Example: There was a slow, pleasant movement in
the air, scarcely a wind, promising a cool, lovely
day. (The Great Gatsby, page 152)
Hyperbole vs. Understated
Deliberate exaggeration of facts
Example of a Hyperbole from The
Odyssey by Homer: “We’re men of
Atrides Agamemnon, whose fame is
the proudest thing on Earth”(Pg 245).
Example of Understated Diction from Hard
Times, by Charles Dickens: “He sunk
into a chair and moved once all that
night”(Pg 67).
Slang
• Vernacular, casual speech, sometimes
humorous
• “Don’t play booty with me.”
– Bill Sikes from Oliver Twist
• “He’s game enough now,
I’ll engage.”
– Toby on Bill Sikes
Colloquial
• Regional/
provincial language
• “Bloody hell!”
~Ronald Weasley
From Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire by
J.K. Rowling
(statement indigenous
to the English)
Jargon
• Language specific to a field or position
• “Late in the second quarter, he decided against a field
goal on a fourth-and-one...drove 82 yards for a
touchdown and a 20-19 lead at half-time.”
By Chris Foster, L.A. Times Sports Section
(football jargon)
Cliché
• Figurative language that
has lost its freshness and
clarity
• “Everything that has happened for
me since moving here has just
been icing on the cake. ”
– Emeril Lagasse
(A trite expression used to show how
easily a task can be completed.)
Assonance
• Repetition of similar vowel sounds in closely
associated words
• Example: “Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!”
“The Bells” by Edgar Allen Poe
Consonance
• Repetition of similar consonant sounds in closely
associated words.
• Example: “He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
By Robert Frost
Alliteration
• Repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely
associated words.
• Example: “I have stood still and stopped the
sound of feet”
“Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost
Onomatopoeia
• Words whose sounds suggest their meaning.
• Example: She heard the buzzing of the bee.