1. Sensory Imagery: Paint with Words 👁️👂👃
Imagery uses descriptive language to create mental pictures and appeal to the reader's senses.
| Type | Sense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Visual 👁️ | Sight | "The crimson sunset painted the sky in hues of orange and gold." |
| Auditory 👂 | Hearing | "The leaves rustled like whispers in the wind." |
| Olfactory 👃 | Smell | "The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room." |
| Gustatory 👅 | Taste | "The sour lemon made her lips pucker." |
| Tactile ✋ | Touch | "The rough bark scraped against her palms." |
| Kinesthetic 🏃 | Movement | "Her heart raced as she sprinted toward the finish line." |
Writing Tip:
"Show, don't tell!" Instead of "She was sad," write "Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at the empty chair."
2. Figures of Speech: Literary Devices 🎨
These are techniques that add depth, beauty, and meaning to writing.
Comparison Devices
- Simile: Compares using "like" or "as"
"Her smile was like sunshine." - Metaphor: Direct comparison (A is B)
"Life is a journey." - Personification: Human traits to non-human
"The wind whispered secrets." - Analogy: Extended comparison for explanation
"Just as a caterpillar transforms..."
Sound Devices
- Alliteration: Same consonant sounds
"Peter Piper picked..." - Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds
"The rain in Spain..." - Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds
"Buzz, hiss, splash, bang!" - Consonance: Repeated consonant sounds
"Pitter-patter, pitter-patter"
Emphasis Devices
- Hyperbole: Exaggeration
"I've told you a million times!" - Understatement: Downplaying
"It's just a scratch" (about a big wound) - Irony: Opposite of expected
"Fire station burns down." - Oxymoron: Contradictory terms
"Deafening silence"
Reference Devices
- Allusion: Reference to known work
"He has the patience of Job." - Symbol: Object representing idea
"Dove = peace, Red = love/danger" - Metonymy: Associated word used
"The Crown" = monarchy - Synecdoche: Part for whole
"All hands on deck!" (hands = crew)
3. Diction: Word Choice Matters 📝
Diction is the choice of words a writer uses. It affects tone, mood, and meaning.
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Formal | Professional, academic | "Please proceed to the designated area." |
| Informal | Casual, conversational | "Head over there, guys!" |
| Colloquial | Regional, everyday speech | "Dali na, tara!" |
| Slang | Trendy, generational | "That's so lit!" / "Slay!" |
| Jargon | Specialized terminology | "The patient presents with acute myocardial infarction." |
Connotation vs. Denotation:
- Denotation: Dictionary meaning (home = "place where one lives")
- Connotation: Emotional meaning (home = warmth, family, safety)
4. Elements of Fiction 📚
The building blocks of short stories, novels, and narratives.
Plot Structure
- Exposition: Introduction, background
- Rising Action: Conflict develops
- Climax: Turning point, peak tension
- Falling Action: Events after climax
- Resolution/Denouement: Conclusion
Types of Conflict
- Person vs. Self: Internal struggle
- Person vs. Person: Against another
- Person vs. Society: Against norms/rules
- Person vs. Nature: Against environment
- Person vs. Fate/Supernatural: Beyond control
Key Fiction Elements:
- Setting: Time and place (When and where?)
- Character: People in the story (Protagonist, Antagonist)
- Theme: Central message or lesson
- Point of View: Who's telling the story? (1st, 2nd, 3rd person)
5. Poetry Elements & Forms 📜
Poetry uses condensed language, rhythm, and form to convey emotions and ideas.
| Form | Structure | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Sonnet | 14 lines | Iambic pentameter, rhyme scheme (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG) |
| Haiku | 3 lines (5-7-5) | Japanese, nature-focused, no rhyme |
| Free Verse | No set structure | No regular meter or rhyme scheme |
| Limerick | 5 lines (AABBA) | Humorous, bouncy rhythm |
| Ballad | 4-line stanzas | Tells a story, often musical |
Meter & Rhythm
- Foot: Basic unit of meter
- Iamb: da-DUM (unstressed-stressed)
- Trochee: DUM-da (stressed-unstressed)
Rhyme Schemes
- Couplet: AA BB CC
- Alternate: ABAB CDCD
- Enclosed: ABBA
6. Creative Nonfiction & Drama 🎭
Creative Nonfiction
True stories told creatively using literary techniques.
- Personal Essay: Reflective, first-person
- Memoir: Personal memories/experiences
- Biography: Someone else's life story
- Autobiography: Your own life story
- Travelogue: Travel experiences
- Literary Journalism: News + storytelling
Drama Elements
Written for performance (theater, film, TV).
- Script/Screenplay: Written dialogue & directions
- Dialogue: Characters speaking
- Stage Directions: Actions, setting cues
- Acts & Scenes: Story divisions
- Monologue: Long speech by one character
- Soliloquy: Thinking aloud (alone on stage)
7. Practice Questions & Exam Tips 📝
Test Your Knowledge:
1. "The wind howled through the empty streets." What figure of speech is this?
Show Answer
Personification - The wind is given the human quality of "howling."
2. What type of imagery appeals to the sense of smell?
Show Answer
Olfactory imagery - From Latin "olfactus" meaning smell.
3. "She sells seashells by the seashore" demonstrates what sound device?
Show Answer
Alliteration - Repetition of the "s" sound at the beginning of words.
4. What is the turning point of highest tension in a story called?
Show Answer
Climax - The peak of the story where the main conflict reaches its highest point.
5. A haiku has how many lines and syllables per line?
Show Answer
3 lines with 5-7-5 syllable pattern (total 17 syllables).
Exam Tips!
- ✓ Simile vs Metaphor: Simile uses "like/as," metaphor doesn't
- ✓ 5 senses for imagery: Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, Gustatory, Tactile
- ✓ Plot structure: Exposition → Rising Action → Climax → Falling Action → Resolution
- ✓ Sonnet: 14 lines; Haiku: 3 lines (5-7-5)
- ✓ "Show, don't tell" - Use descriptive language instead of stating emotions directly