Diction
Word choice, or general character of
the language used by the author.
Words have three levels, and are
selected based on their efficiency in
these three areas:
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
• "Ms. Connors looks so eager. I
like the sensation of
succeeding brilliantly at
somehting...” brilliantly=
euhponious
• "By lunch time, my stomach
boils with anger.” boil=
cacophonous
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Literal vs. Figurative
• Accurate with out
embellishment vs.
comparison creating
pictorial effect.
• “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)
Active vs. Passive
States Action vs. States Being
Example of Active Diction from Hard Times, by
Charles Dickens: “Mr. Gradgrind walked
homeward from the school in a state of
considerable satisfaction”(Pg 8).
Example of Passive Diction from To Kill a
Mocking Bird by Harper Lee: “John Hale
Finch was ten years younger than my father”
(Pg 5).
Concrete vs. Abstract
Tangible, Specific vs. Conceptual Philosophical
Example of Concrete Diction from Jane
Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: “Lady Lynn
was a large and stout personage of
forty: very erect, very haughty-looking,
richly dressed in a satin robe of
changeful sheen” (Pg 185).
Example of Abstract Diction from Picture
Perfect, by Jodi Piccoult: “It was the
undisguised emotion in his eyes that
made Cassie put her fear aside” (Pg
341).
Hyperbole vs. Understated
Deliberate exaggeration of facts vs. Deliberate
misinterpretation of less
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).
Pedestrian vs. Pedantic
Layman’s terms vs. Borish inflated language intending to
display importance
Example of Pedestrian Language from To
Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: “Ain’t
everybody’s daddy the deadest shot in
Maycomb County” (Pg 112).
Example of Pedantic Diction from Jane
Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: “Madam
allow me an instant. You are aware
that my plan in bringing up these girls,
is not to accustom them to habits of
luxury and imdulgence, but to render
them hardy, patient, self-denying” (Pg
64).
Vulgarity
This is a type of non standard diction.
Vulgarity is language that is deficient in taste
and refinement.
Example: “G#$&amn FBI don't respect
nothin’” (Sonny, in The Godfather).
Slang
• Vernacular 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.)
Informal/Standard Diction
This type of diction is language that is correct but
conversational. It is used in casual situations,
but still states accurate facts.
Example: “We’ve heard names.
That’s Johnny. Those two- they’re
twins, Sam ‘n Eric” (Lord of the Flies, page
21).
Formal/ Literate Diction
• This type of diction is the language that is
appropriate in more formal occasions.
Example: “You are all kindness,
Madame; but I believe we must
abide by our original plan” (Pride
and Prejudice, page 143).
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.
Diction Powerpoint Project
Jiyoon Cho, Caitlin Crommett,
Jacqueline Jacobs, Corisa Oh,
Alexandra Steinhaus
IDEA English 2
Period 3
Works Cited
•
•
•
•
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Minneapolis: Dover Publications, Incorporated,
1995. 143.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. 6.
The Godfather. Dir. Francis F. Coppola. Perf. Al Pacino, James Caan, and Marlon
Brando. 1972.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigee Trade, 2001. 21.
•
Bront, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. David Levithan. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks,
2004.
•
Charles, and Robert D. Spector. Hard Times. New York: Bantam Classics, 1982.
•
Robert, trans. The Odyssey. New York: Penguin Classics, 2006.
•
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
•
Mitchell, Margaret. Gone with the Wind. Grand Rapids: Grand Central, 1993.
•
Picoult, Jodi. Picture Perfect. New York: Berkley Trade, 2002.