Diction, Allusion, Analogy

1. Diction, Allusion, Analogy AJ Soutter Erica Johns

2. Diction • Diction is word choice and phrasing. • It can be formal or colloquial. • Syntax is the sentence structure. A sentence could be simple, compound, or complex.

3. Examples of Diction • The president’s State of the Union Address is formal writing. • The words that people use talk to each other is colloquial. • The way that we talk to each other everyday is considered formal diction.

4. Allusion • Allusion is a passing reference in a work of literature to another literary or historic work, figure, or event, or to a literary passage. • The reference is not explained.

5. Examples of Allusion • All the names in Song of Solomon are allusions. • “I am not a crook” is an allusion to President Nixon.

6. Analogy • Analogy is the comparison of a subject to something that is similar to it in order to clarify the subject’s nature, purpose, or function. • Some similes and metaphors are based on analogies between qualities shared by the subject and the thing to which it is compared.

7. Examples of Analogy • 1. Glove is to hand as monitor is to computer. • 2. Surfs are to a king as earth is to the sun. • 3. Furs were to North American aboriginals as credit is to a shopper These are all examples of analogies because they are comparing one thing to something else to give the reader a better understanding.