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Style: A Writer's Characteristic Way of Writing

The document discusses various writing styles that can distinguish one writer from another. It defines style as a writer's characteristic way of writing, determined by word choice, sentence structure, and relationship between sentences. Some key considerations that contribute to style are imagery, figurative language, rhythm, and tone. The document provides examples to illustrate styles such as plain style, ornate style, aphoristic style, evocative style, and vernacular style.

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Sumaira Malik
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51 views

Style: A Writer's Characteristic Way of Writing

The document discusses various writing styles that can distinguish one writer from another. It defines style as a writer's characteristic way of writing, determined by word choice, sentence structure, and relationship between sentences. Some key considerations that contribute to style are imagery, figurative language, rhythm, and tone. The document provides examples to illustrate styles such as plain style, ornate style, aphoristic style, evocative style, and vernacular style.

Uploaded by

Sumaira Malik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Style A writers characteristic way of writing.

It is all the qualities and characteristics that distinguish the works of one writer from those of another.

An Essay is written the first-person (I) POV in a conversational (rather than formal) language style.
Research paper writing calls for formal language style.

Style is determined by:


1. The choice of words (diction),
2. The arrangement of words in a sentence (syntax), and
3. The relationship of the sentences to one another.
Other considerations are:
4. Imagery (Words or phrases that create pictures or images, in the readers mind.)
5. Figurative language (Language that is not to be interpreted literally it includes metaphors,
similes, oxymorons, personification, hyperbole, synecdoche)
6. Rhythm (arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables into a pattern.)

For instance
o One writer may write in an elaborate, formal style; others may write in plain, informal language,
or even in slang.
Example: John Steinbeck wrote The Pearl in a folk-tale style. He used simple, straightforward
language that made use of repetition. His characters are either good or bad they are not complex
individuals like those in todays society.

o Some writers include long poetic passages of descriptions; some use a great deal of dialogue.

o One writer may use a lot of adjectives; another may use few.
Shimmering building arrowed upward and glinted through the treetops. This was New York, I felt:
the silver town. Towers of ambition rose, crystalline, within me (John Updike)

o One writer may write long, complex sentences; another may write short, terse sentences.
Here is an example from Ernest Hemingway:
Outside it was getting dark. The streetlight came on outside the window. The two men at the
counter read the menu. From the other end of the counter Nick Adams watched them. He
had been talking to George when they came in.
Ill have the roast pork tenderloin with applesauce and mashed potatoes, the first man
said.
It isnt ready yet.
What the hell do you put it on the card for?
Thats the dinner, George explained. You can get that at 6:00.
George looked at the clock on the wall behind the counter. Its 5:00.
The clock says twenty minutes past five, the second man said.
Its twenty minutes fast (Hemingway, The Killers).
Plain Style This is marked by simple words in clear order. However, it still uses whatever language fully
expresses the writers meaning, even if this calls for difficult words and complex order. Here is an example
of Plain Style, Puritan times.
Thus his curses light on his own head, and it was an astonishment to all his fellows for they noted
it to be the just hand of God upon him (William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation).

Ornate Style diction (word choices) and syntax (word position and word order) is much more
complicated. Here is an example of ornate style:
they can, by applying a Soft Fire to the Glass, make the vegetable rise by little and little out of its
Ashes, to surprise the Spectators with a notable Illustration of that Resurrection, in the Faith
whereof the Jews returning from the Graves of their Friends, pluck the Grass from the Earth, using
those Words of the Scripture thereupon, Your Bones shall flourish like an Herb: (Cotton Mather)

Aphoristic style These are memorable statements and stand by themselves.


What we obtain to cheap, we esteem too lightly (Thomas Paine)
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered (Thomas Paine)

Evocative style This is the use of words and phrases to suggest moods, hope, and dreams.
In one of his many short stories, F. Scott Fitzgerald speaks of the grownup Judy. He notices the
color and mobility of her mouth balanced only partially by the sad luxury of her eyes (Fitzgerald,
Winter Dreams).
Sad luxury of her eyes could suggest the promise he sees in her of a rich full life as well as an
undertone of emotional turbulence

Vernacular style This is based on the patterns and rhythms of language as Americans actually spoke it.
Words are spelled as they are pronounced; expressions are used that are part of informal speech.
When Thomas Wolfe talks about the gladiatorial games of Rome, he describes them in
lively, colloquial language:
o The Thracian carves up an opponent into prime cuts.
o One woman says darling. Nero is all for it.
o The socialites are fighting for kicks.
o The emperor is hacking away at some fall guy.
o The arenas spring up over the empire like shopping-center bowling alleys (Wolfe, Clean
Fun at Riverhead).

Here is another example of vernacular style:


The land in Downingville is most capital rich land, and bears excellent crops. I wouldnt pretend to
say its equal to some land Ive hearn tell of away off in Ohio, where the corn grows so tall they
have to go up on a ladder to pick the ears off (Seba Smith, The Life and Writings of Major Jack
Downing).

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