STRUCTURAL DEVICES
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1. Flashback
Definition: A scene set in a time earlier than the main story to provide background.
Example: A character remembers their childhood trauma while looking at an old photo.
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2. Foreshadowing
Definition: Hints or clues about what will happen later in the narrative.
Example: “Little did she know, that would be the last time she saw him.”
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3. Zoom In
Definition: Focus on a small detail to create emphasis or tension.
Example: Describing the twitching of a character’s eye in intense detail.
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4. Zoom Out
Definition: Broadens the perspective to show the bigger picture or setting.
Example: Pulling back from a character to describe the vast, empty landscape around them.
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5. Dialogue
Definition: Spoken words between characters, used to develop character or advance the plot.
Example:
“Are you coming?”
“No. Not this time.”
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6. Change in Tone
Definition: A shift in the writer’s attitude or mood.
Example: From calm and reflective to angry and accusatory.
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7. Short Sentences
Definition: Brief sentences to create tension, urgency, or impact.
Example: He ran. He fell. Then silence.
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8. Long Sentence
Definition: A sentence that is extended with clauses to slow the pace or build description.
Example: As the rain fell and the thunder rumbled in the distance, she stood at the edge of the platform, motionless.
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9. Long Paragraph
Definition: A detailed block of text that may describe a setting, thought process, or sequence of actions.
Example: A paragraph describing a battle scene with no breaks, overwhelming the reader like the chaos of war.
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10. Short Paragraph
Definition: A quick paragraph, often for dramatic effect or emphasis.
Example:
He was gone.
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11. Shift in Focus
Definition: Moving the reader’s attention from one thing to another (e.g., character to setting).
Example: Starting by describing a room, then shifting to a character sitting quietly in it.
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12. Cyclical Structure
Definition: The text ends where it begins, creating a circular pattern.
Example: Opening and ending with the same line: “The wind whispered through the trees.”
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13. Juxtaposition
Definition: Placing two contrasting ideas or images side by side.
Example: A newborn baby crying while a funeral procession passes by.
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14. Extended Metaphor
Definition: A metaphor that continues throughout a paragraph or text.
Example: Comparing a person’s life to a decaying house across multiple sentences.
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15. Pace
Definition: The speed at which the narrative progresses.
Example: Fast pace with short sentences in action scenes; slow pace with descriptive detail.
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16. List
Definition: A series of items or actions to build rhythm or emphasize a point.
Example: “She ran, stumbled, screamed, cried, and fell.”
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17. Point of View (POV)
Definition: The perspective from which the story is told.
Example:
First-person: “I watched him walk away.”
Third-person: “She stood alone on the platform.”
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18. Tone
Definition: The writer’s attitude toward the subject.
Example: Sarcastic, melancholic, hopeful, bitter, etc.
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19. Chronological Order
Definition: Events presented in the sequence they happened.
Example: Beginning with waking up, followed by events of the day in order.
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20. Links (Structural Linking)
Definition: Connections between paragraphs or ideas that create cohesion.
Example: Repeating an image, word, or idea in different parts of the text to create unity.
