Structural features Flashcards
Flashback
Going back in time
Flashbacks make readers more connected to the characters.
Foreshadowing
Gives clues to what will happen in the future.
Foreshadowing makes your reader wonder what will happen next, and keeps them reading to find out.
Zooming in
When writers focus on specific detail.
The narrator might delimit the reader’s scope, before leading the reader to the object of focus.
Or
A conventional use of the technique might first create in the reader’s mind a bird’s eye view, or aerial shot, of the setting
Zoom out
When the writer talks about the setting
Dialogue
When characters are talking
It breaks up the narrative and gives us more detail about which characters are talking and which characters are being spoken to
bring the reader closer to its climax and, ultimately its conclusion.
New character and new setting
This makes the story more interesting and makes the reader more engaged as every new character or setting brings something new to the story.
change in tone
Example; goes from happy to sad
The tone of a document can affect how the reader perceives the writer’s intentions.
Short sentence
used to build tension or make the action seem live.
this makes the reader more engaged and build up adrenaline.
Long sentence
Used to add detail or to slow down the narrative
helps the reader understand what’s going on and builds up their anticipation
gives readers a few moments to think about what’s happening.
Long paragraph and short paragraph
these paragraphs stand out on the page more than anything else.
This can make the reader more interested in them as they stand out and make them more curious about the events in those paragraphs.
Shift in focus
Changing focus to something from something without giving much detail or hiding it.
It is used when the author wants us to divert our attention from something to something else.
It helps us relate to the events
It helps us stay curious and waiting for the outcome
Cyclical Structure
When the opening and the ending is similar (NOT THE SAME)
This structure hooks the reader and makes us curious about how the characters ended up where they are.
It creates a sense of doom and inevitability.
Point of view
This is used to describe a story from different point of views.
This makes the reader understand those characters more and thus makes them more attached to them.
repetition
When the writer repeats a point
this is to show the importance of that point
This helps the reader emphasize certain points in the story
pathetic fallacy
the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals
This is done to add atmosphere to a scene.
It can even give clues to the reader as to what is to come, acting as a kind of foreshadowing .
