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Mar 17, 2016 · Is a “piece of time” an idiom or does it literally mean a “fragment of time”? I would really like to know if there’s another natural way to say “a fragment of time”. For instance: Each one has. His own piece of time. And his own piece of space, His own fragment of life. And his own fragment of death.
- When Would Be The Best Time" Vs. "What Would Be The Best Time
What is the best time ...? The question here is: of all the...
- When Would Be The Best Time" Vs. "What Would Be The Best Time
- Allegory. An allegory is a story that is used to represent a more general message about real-life (historical) issues and/or events. It is typically an entire book, novel, play, etc.
- Alliteration. Alliteration is a series of words or phrases that all (or almost all) start with the same sound. These sounds are typically consonants to give more stress to that syllable.
- Allusion. Allusion is when an author makes an indirect reference to a figure, place, event, or idea originating from outside the text. Many allusions make reference to previous works of literature or art.
- Anachronism. An anachronism occurs when there is an (intentional) error in the chronology or timeline of a text. This could be a character who appears in a different time period than when he actually lived, or a technology that appears before it was invented.
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parallelism
- Parody
- Personification
- Plot
- Point of View
- Polysyndeton
- Prologue
- Prose
A short story devised to provide a moral or spiritual lesson, often using metaphor, simile, or symbolism to make the moral more accessible to the audience. Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible explores the meaning of one of the Ten Commandments, to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” In the story, a traveler is beaten, robbed, and left fo...
A provocative statement that contradicts itself yet is typically true in some sense. In George Orwell’s 1984,two of the official slogans of the Party serve as stark examples of paradox: “WAR IS PEACE” and “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.” Although these statements appear to be patently false, they embody two of the twisted, elemental truths propagated by the P...
The repetition of similar grammatical structures within a sentence or passage, often for emphasis or to draw connections between objects. Great orators often employparallelism to make their ideas memorable. Consider the underlined phrases in this line from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which uses parallel structure to highlight...
In literature, an imitation of another literary work that mocks, critiques, or makes light of the original. “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,” by Christopher Durang, is a one-act parody of The Glass Menagerie, caricaturing the overbearing Southern mother and exaggerating the idiosyncrasies of the other three characters.
A type of metaphor in which human attributes are assigned to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. Zora Neale Hurston uses personification throughout Their Eyes Were Watching Godto powerful effect, such as here, near the end of the novel, once Janie is home again and after Pheoby has left her: “The day of the gun, and the bloody body, and the courth...
The sequence of major events of a narrative or dramatic work, usually consisting of five basic elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The plotof most romantic comedies can be succinctly described as: two people meet, they fall in love, they experience some challenge and break up, they cross paths again, they re...
The perspective from which the events of a story are reported to the reader or audience. Point of view can limit or expand the reader’s access to information about the action of the story, as well as the internal lives of the characters. In novels, there are three basic types of point of view: first-person, third-person, and less commonly, second-p...
The repetition of conjunctions (and, but, for, etc.) to connect a series of words, clauses, or sentences. Polysyndeton may emphasize the relationships between the items in the series as well as add rhythm to a list when reciting. One of the most familiar examples of polysyndeton is the motto of the United States Postal Service. “Neither snow nor ra...
An introductory section of a piece of literature, especially of plays, that precedes the inciting action of the story. The prologue is often designed to explain background or reveal context to the audienceso they better understand the story that follows. In the prologue of Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, Tom Wingfield, the protagonist, ad...
Any form of writing that does not observe the limiting features of verse, particularly line breaks. Prose is the most dominant form of both fiction (novels, short stories, plays) and nonfiction (essays, articles, speeches, emails). Keen readers of Shakespeare will notice that “low-born” characters nearly always speak in prose, while their high-born...
The phrase "a piece of time" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a limited or brief amount of time. For example, "I have a piece of time to finish my project before the deadline."
Mar 17, 2016 · Is a “piece of time” an idiom or does it literally mean a “fragment of time”? I would really like to know if there’s another natural way to say “a fragment of time”. For instance: Each one has His own piece of time And his own piece of space, His own fragment of life And his own fragment of death.
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Literary devices are specific ways of using language or other literary elements that we can recognise and identify in a text (a piece of writing). These can work either at a word or sentence...
Sep 7, 2021 · Literary devices are specific techniques that allow a writer to convey a deeper meaning that goes beyond what’s on the page. Literary devices work alongside plot and characters to elevate a story and prompt reflection on life, society, and what it means to be human.
