Imagery refers to language that describes how something looks, tastes, smells, sounds, or feels. By engaging these senses, writers draw readers into the story and immerse them in its atmosphere. Imagery can be found in various forms of writing, including novels, short stories, speeches, and advertising.
Imagery examples The smell of strong perfume wafted in the air.
My muscles tensed as I could feel the anxiety balling up in my stomach.
I tripped over my shoelace while juggling my morning coffee and car keys.
An anecdote is a brief, engaging story about a specific incident or experience, often involving an individual. While they can be real or fictional, anecdotes are typically presented as true. They may entertain, serve as cautionary tales, or reveal character traits. Some are humorous, while others are serious, making them common in casual conversations, speeches, and literature.
Anecdote example Schoolchildren are often told a well-known anecdote about how Sir Isaac Newton developed the idea for his theory of gravity. This story tells of Newton observing an apple falling from a tree, which led him to question why objects fall downward. While the story is likely fictional, it is commonly used to emphasize the power of curiosity and observation.
An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase that highlights a specific quality of a person, place, or thing, such as “Alexander the Great” or “Ivan the Terrible.” While epithets can range from neutral to highly critical, they are powerful linguistic tools that shape our perception and memory of their subjects. As a result, we encounter them in various contexts, including literature, public speaking, and everyday conversations.
Epithet exampleAthletes and teams often earn epithets that capture their playing style or achievements, like “Air Jordan” (Michael Jordan) or “Bronx Bombers” (New York Yankees).
A pejorative is a word used to express disapproval, criticism, or disrespect toward a person, group, or concept. Pejoratives are inherently negative and meant to belittle or insult the subject they refer to. While their seriousness and impact can vary depending on the context and audience, pejoratives are loaded terms and should be used with caution.
Pejorative word examplesDespite her talent, many critics label her as a nepo baby because her father is a well-known Hollywood producer.
After he made that rude comment at the meeting, everyone started to see him as a real jerk.
An eye rhyme is the repetition of two or more words that are spelled almost identically yet pronounced differently, such as “alone” and “gone.” It is also called visual rhyme or sight rhyme. Poets use eye rhymes to appeal to our sense of sight by creating visual patterns, generating an interesting tension between what we see and what we hear.
Eye rhyme exampleShall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Dysphemism is a harsh, derogatory, or blunt word used instead of a neutral or more polite one. It is often employed to express strong negative emotions such as contempt or hatred, to shock the audience, or as a form of humor among peers. Dysphemisms generally add a negative, critical, or confrontational tone to communication, influencing how readers or listeners perceive the message.
Dysphemism examplesAfter working as a pencil pusher for twenty years, Bob finally quit his soul-crushing office job.
The old geezer next door keeps complaining about my music, even though I only play it during the day.
Instead of fixing up their dump on Oak Street, the owners just decided to sell it as-is.
A Homeric simile is a detailed comparison between two things that continues for several lines. It typically occurs in epic poetry, particularly in the works of the ancient Greek poet Homer, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Homeric similes often draw their imagery from nature or everyday life to help audiences visualize dramatic moments in the story.
Homeric simile example in the Iliad 18.318-323 (R. Lattimore Trans.)As thrilling as a trumpet’s note
when it rings clearly, when rapacious enemies
besiege a city—that’s how sharp and piercing
Achilles’ voice was then.
An epic simile is an elaborate comparison that can extend across several lines in an epic poem. Such complex comparisons were typically used in epic poetry to emphasize heroic deeds and provide the audience with a mental image of the scenes and characters.
It is also known as Homeric simile because the Greek poet Homer used them extensively in the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Epic simile example the Iliad 3.33–5 (R. Lattimore Trans.)Just as a man stumbles on a snake
in some mountainous ravine and gives way, jumping back,
his limbs trembling, his cheeks pale, so godlike Paris,
afraid of Atreus’s son, slid back into proud Trojan ranks.
Subtext is the underlying or implicit meaning of a conversation, piece of writing, or other form of communication. It is like a hidden layer of meaning that is not directly conveyed but can be inferred by the audience or readers. Subtext plays a crucial role in film, literature, and everyday discussions and allows us a deeper understanding of what we see, hear, or read.
Subtext exampleYou are debating with your friend about where to go on holiday. You really want to go on a hiking trip but your friend prefers a cultural trip to a city. After going back and forth, your friend gives in and says “That’s fine,” accepting the hiking trip with crossed arms and a tense voice. While they are literally expressing an agreement, the subtext (conveyed through body language and tone) suggests otherwise.
Anastrophe is the inversion of the usual word order in a sentence, placing the emphasis on one or more of the words that have been reversed. This technique is commonly used in prose and poetry where its surprising word order can create a memorable phrase or help to preserve the meter or rhyme scheme.
Anastrophe example“One swallow does not a summer make” ―Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle
“Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.” ―J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
“The greatest teacher, failure is.” ―Yoda in The Last Jedi