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A Hundred Years of American Protest, Then and Now | The New Yorker

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Protests over climate change in 139 countries | A New Climate

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Watch the Ask an Expert: Breaking News" video featuring NPR managing editor Sara Kehaulani Goo. Ask students to discussion the tension between being right and being first. Why do media outlets want to be the first to break a story? What pressures do they face from other outlets - and from news consumers? Then, as a class, select a topic to analyze. Compare and contrast breaking news coverage of this topic from at least three media outlets. What's the same? What's different? Repeat with updated stories on the following day. Has any information changed? Been added? Do you think any of the outlets reported too much originally, or too quickly? Why or why not?

As a class, create a list of current events, with a focus on events or issues that have generated some controversy and diverging opinions. Individually or in small groups, students select a topic to focus on. They should create a collection of at least three news stories and three opinion pieces about the topic (using the Is It News? poster to help them identify the correct content). After reviewing their collections, they write a short essay comparing and contrasting the news and opinion content, and explaining the role of each in becoming fully informed about the topic.

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Watch the Ask an Expert: Breaking News" video featuring NPR managing editor Sara Kehaulani Goo. Ask students to discussion the tension between being right and being first. Why do media outlets want to be the first to break a story? What pressures do they face from other outlets - and from news consumers?

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Media literacy: making the news/ getting the source

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Media literacy: making the news/ getting the source

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In this post, we've curated just for you three screenplay examples from each of the five major genres: drama, comedy, action/adventure, thriller and horror

Each screenplay example listed below comes in a PDF for easy download and has been carefully chosen by us to represent one of the best examples of a script in that genre.

Study them, absorb their storytelling techniques, soak in how the writer gets you to visualize what's on the page and apply what you learn to your own screenplays.
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3 drama screenplays.

This script was somewhat controversial... Mark Wahlberg originally didn't want the role, after seeing how Showgirls had tanked. He changed his mind after reading the screenplay. William H. Macy's agent didn't want him to take the part. Macy read the script, loved it, and immediately signed up. Burt Reynolds did the same but later regretted it and fired his agent for recommending the role to him.

Whatever you may think of the movie, Roth is one of our generation's greatest screenwriters and this script doesn't disappoint. Just take a look at this gem of a line from the opening page: "And we see a Man, sitting on a Bus bench, reach to pick it up. In his forties, he looks like he smells like fish."

A lonely middle-aged guy falls in love with a Siri-like operating system in the near future. Once Jonze had this great idea, the script must have more or less written itself. Although it is an updated and expanded version of his 2010 short, I'm Here which is also well worth reading/watching.

3 comedy screenplays.

The Disaster Artist.
screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber / b ased on the novel by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell.

Since their 2009 breakout script, (500) Days of Summer, Neustadter and Weber have focused more on book adaptations and this one is the best of the bunch. The script tells the true story of Greg Sestero's friendship with the weird and wonderful Tommy Wiseau and their attempts to make it in Hollywood. Anyone who's writing a script from a novel should compare both for a masterclass in adaptation.

Behind Sideways this is probably Payne and Taylor's greatest screenplay. Writing comedy is all about making your protagonist make the wrong choices due to their flaw, which is something lead character, Jim, does over and over while battling his antagonist, Tracy Flick. One of the very best comedy screenplay examples you'll find.

This fantastic comedy/drama script made it onto the Black List six years before being released as a movie in 2013. The inspiration behind the whole script came from an incident in real life-a conversation writer, Jim Rash, had with his own stepfather as portrayed in that soul-crushing opening scene.

3 action/adventure screenplay examples.

Many aspiring screenwriters get stuck wondering how to write a fight scene. Well, here's the answer. With a body-count of 585, there's much to learn in this script on how to write action sequences, hand-to-hand combat and epic battle scenes. A must-read for any budding Action/Adventure writers out there.

The sequel that took Alien into action/adventure territory and away from its horror beginnings. Walter Hill only contributed to the story on this one, not the screenplay, so it's missing his vertical writing style. It's essential reading if you want to master self-contained action sequences.

Whatever you do, don't follow the method Tarantino adopted while writing this script. It took him over a decade to squeeze this thing out. As he admitted, he became "too precious about the page," convinced the script was his magnum opus. As a famous writer/director, Tarantino could afford to write like this. Aspiring writers, of course, are much better off adopting a much more disciplined, even machine-like approach.

3 thriller screenplays.

Writing a limited location, self-contained thriller script is often advised as a way to break into the industry. That's exactly what Dowling did with this spin on the classic "loved one suddenly goes missing" tale, found in movies such as The Lady Vanishes, Frantic, and The Vanishing.

"It is impossible to tell where the Young Woman is from or how old she is; everything she does contradicts something she did. The boy and girl sit in a booth. Their dialogue is to be said in a rapid-pace 'HIS GIRL FRIDAY' fashion." If you haven't already read what is perhaps the most celebrated screenplay of the modern era, you're in for a treat.

When talking about Shutter Island, Kalogridis really extolls the virtues of outlining. "I started this extensive outlining process when I was working for Jim Cameron... I found once I'd done it, it was hugely helpful. It's almost like doing an abbreviated first draft." We agree. Especially for a twisty thriller like this in which every beat and reversal must be meticulously tracked.

3 horror screenplays.

As a writer, it's important to have a strong emotional connection to your work and screenwriter, Matt Reeves, had just that with this modern vampire tale. As he said in an interview, "I wrote Lindqvist and told him that it wasn't just that I was drawn to the story because it was a brilliant genre story-which it is-but also because of the personal aspect of it. It really reminds me of my childhood."

This script was written by childhood friends/co-writing team, Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, and was their third major project together. After being named as one of the top 10 scripts of the year on Tracking Board's 2017 Hit List, it was purchased by Paramount and rewritten with John Krasinski.

While writing this script, Peele wanted to make sure people weren't confused by the genre, as they had been with his previous movie, Get Out, and write a full-on horror film. Hence, inspiration came from old and new classics of the genre, such as The Shining, The Sixth Sense, Let the Right One In, The Babadook and It Follows.
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Screenplay examples: conclusion.

You may also have heard that reading screenplays is one of the best ways to learn how to write. It's true. Don't just check out these screenplay examples and then leave it. Keep reading as many scripts as you can.

Start with our list of the 50 best screenplay s to read and aim to read at least one new script a week. After just a couple of months, you'll already have a much greater command of the craft of screenwriting than before you started.

Enjoyed this post? Read more screenplay examples...

50 of the Best Screenplays to Read and Download in Every Genre

50 of the Best TV Scripts to Download and Study to Improve Your Writing

20 Best Comedy Scripts to Read and Download For Free

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15 Screenplay Examples From Each Genre to Download for Free

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In this post, we've curated just for you three screenplay examples from each of the five major genres: drama, comedy, action/adventure, thriller and horror Each screenplay example listed below comes in a PDF for easy download and has been carefully chosen by us to represent one of the best examples of a script in that genre.

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Just like in our post on the best screenplays to read, we've broken down our list of the best TV scripts into the following categories:

* Drama

* Comedy

* Action/Adventure

* Thriller

* Horror

If you want to learn how to write for TV, reading these TV pilot scripts is one of the best ways to help boost your writing ability. You will learn how to establish the characters in a pilot, set up the world of the show and all about TV pilot structure.

Most importantly, study these TV script's PDFs in order to discover how to create a sense of intrigue that will make a reader want to know what happens in the next episode. As you know, your script will be up against the hundreds of other TV specs out there, so it better make an impression.

The list contains examples of single-camera, multi-camera, half-hour, one-hour, network and cable pilots and TV specs, so pretty much every formatting option is also covered.

So let's dive on in with the first category...
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Best TV scripts online to download: drama.

Created by Vince Gilligan as a spin-off from his hit TV series Breaking Bad (see below), Better Call Saul has received similar levels of critical acclaim for its writing. In fact, when the pilot aired in 2015, it became the highest-rated premiere in cable history. This is one of the best TV scripts in recent years.

From a writing perspective, Breaking Bad is a tremendous study in how to write an anti-hero. Vince Gilligan's whole concept for the show came from a desire to create a protagonist who turned into an antagonist, and it's this character arc that makes the show so fascinating to many.

Based on Michael Crichton's own experiences as a medical student, the script was originally written as a feature in 1974, before being resurrected twenty years later as a pilot. If you're writing medical-based TV show scripts, there's probably no better one to check out than this mid-90s classic.

This seven-episode Western mini-series is a great example of how TV is attracting some of the very best feature writers. In this case, Scott Frank wrote the series exclusively for Netflix and it went on to win many awards including Outstanding Writing for a Long Form from the WGA West.

Read this script not only for inspiration on how to create a dystopian future world but also how to adapt a novel into a TV series. This show does a great job recreating Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name and the author also served as a consulting producer.

If you're interested in writing political drama TV scripts, you need to read this. The show was based on the 1990s British TV series of the same name and co-produced by David Fincher, who also directed the first two episodes.

Mad Men was conceived as a spec script by TV staff writer, Matthew Weiner in 2000. It was the originality of the concept offering a glimpse into the world of New York advertising in the 1960s that first got Weiner a job as a writer on The Sopranos.

Mad Men was then finally picked up by AMC seven years later and went on to be widely accepted as one of the best TV scripts of all time.

In 2015 the Emmys forced Orange Is The New Black to change categories from Comedy to Drama, but that hasn't stopped it winning as many awards in its new category as it did before. Based on Piper Kerman's own memoir detailing her year in a women's prison, the show is the most-watched original series on Netflix.

Originally titled Thirty-Six, this is a solid family-based TV pilot script that first aired in 2016 on NBC. Reading this will be especially helpful to those writers attempting to interweave the emotional storylines of various family members while utilizing the use of flashback.

The genesis of The West Wing lies in Aaron Sorkin's screenplay for the 1995 film, The American President. It was after the moderate success of this film (also starring Martin Sheen as Chief of Staff), that Sorkin decided to lift some of its unused scenes and turn them into one of the most influential TV scripts of all time.

Best TV scripts online to download: comedy.

The creator of 30 Rock, Tina Fey, based on her experiences working as head writer for Saturday Night Live. Shot in a single-camera format, these TV series scripts are definitely worth studying for their original use of surreal humor, satire and abrupt cutaways.

Ron Howard and Mitchell Hurwitz came up with the idea of a show based on a "riches to rags" family. The result was the story of the dysfunctional Bluth family, presented in a serialized format.

Note this TV pilot's use of handheld cameras, voiceover and occasional use of historical photos and movie footage to set it apart from the norm.

Casual is a great example of a TV dramedy, mixing both drama and comedy into its TV scripts about an uptight newly divorced woman struggling to navigate life with her daughter and unpredictable brother. If this is your genre, this pilot is worth breaking down and studying.

Here's a script from a show that famously doesn't rely on scripts. Instead, writer Larry David produces an outline himself, and the dialogue is largely improvised by the actors on set. Nevertheless, this is essential reading for all comedy TV writers looking to find humor in the minutiae of daily life.

Family Guy TV scripts are generally written by a single writer out of a team of fourteen. It's then given to the other writers, including show creator Seth MacFarlane, to be punched up with the funniest gags they can come up with. If you aspire to make it into a writing room coming up with gags all day, this is a script you need to study.

Just as essential is this TV script pilot from the show that won a slew of awards during its ten-year run during the 1990s. Rather than enroll on a "How to Write Comedy TV Scripts" course, simply purchase the Frasier complete boxset, study every episode and save yourself 200 bucks.

No "best TV scripts to download" list would be complete without Friends. The show that started life as Insomnia Cafe, before becoming Six of One, and then Friends Like Us is required reading if you want to learn how to set up and pay off jokes within a multi-camera sitcom formula.

Christopher Lloyd (who worked for many years on Frasier) came up with the idea for a family-based mockumentary during a discussion about families with co-creator Steven Levitan.

If you're writing or thinking about writing a mockumentary-style comedy, look no further than this TV pilot script on how to write one. (Don't be confused by the title, it was originally called My American Family.)

This is a single-camera ensemble comedy aimed at a general audience that's proved to be one of the most popular TV shows over recent years. What's interesting about the protagonist is that, according to the creators, she would have been a side character on any other series. (Originally called Chicks and Dicks.)

Another great mockumentary, this time about an overly optimistic small-town bureaucrat. If mockumentary is your genre, consider following in the footsteps of the writers who spent months researching California politics, talking to government officials and attending community hearings. No one said writing was easy...

Best TV script PDFs to download: action/adventure.

The author of the original novels, George R. R. Martin was happy when HBO expressed interest in adapting them, saying, "I knew it couldn't be done as a network television series. It's too adult. The level of sex and violence would never have gone through." The lesson: always bear in mind the target home of your TV script pilot.

Creating a sense of urgency is paramount in most TV pilot scripts, and this one is required reading for all action/adventure writers. Use it to study how the writers harness the power of real-time action in order to heighten the dramatic tension. Maybe there are moments you can add to your own TV script that emulate this.

This show, based on the DC Comics hero Green Arrow, is a great example of how to incorporate flashbacks as a major part of the narrative. Here, the flashbacks aren't added because they look good, they illuminate what's going on in the present as Oliver Queen attempts to stop a gang of mercenaries targeting the Chinese economy.

When writing TV show scripts based on superheroes, remember the advice of this show's creator, Bruno Heller. He notes: "Frankly, all those superhero stories I've seen, I always love them until they get into the costume." After this point, "they've stopped becoming humans."

Reuniting the executive producers of 24, Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, this show was based on the Israeli TV series, Hatufim. The pair developed the idea in early 2010 and Showtime green-lit it in 2011. While its later seasons came in for a fair amount of criticism, these early TV scripts are well worth studying.

This show offers a "new contemporary take" on Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series of novels and is worth studying if you're writing a political, action-based series. Note the extensive use of bold, underscore and all caps in making the action really pop off the page of this TV pilot script.

In 2003, Lloyd Braun who was then head of ABC, was on vacation in Hawaii when he had the idea of a show that was "part Cast Away, Survivor and Gilligan's Island, with a Lord of the Flies element." Despite many finding his idea ridiculous, it went on to become one of the most popular TV shows of all time.

Starring the criminally underrated actor Giovanni Ribisi, this is a great TV pilot script that expertly mixes genres. The show is listed on IMDb as a "crime drama" but its use of humor, zippy dialogue, action set pieces and so on, set it apart from darker crime shows, such as True Detective or The Wire.

Series creators, the Duffer Brothers, received a hands-on mentorship from M. Night Shyamalan during the production of an episode of Wayward Pines. Once finished, they came up with the idea for Stranger Things and pitched it to fifteen cable networks-all of whom rejected it, saying a plot involving kids as leading characters wouldn't work.

Writer Michael Hirst initially wanted to write about vikings way back in 1998 after penning the movie, Elizabeth. However, there wasn't the appetite for historical Scandinavian TV scripts back then and so he waited until 2013 when the zeitgeist had changed. Now it's one of the hottest shows on TV.

Best TV pilot scripts to download: thriller.

Joe Weisberg, a former CIA officer, came up with the idea for the show after leaving the service. He says " The Americans is at its core a marriage story. International relations is just an allegory for the human relations. Sometimes, when you're struggling in your marriage or with your kid, it feels like life or death. For Philip and Elizabeth, it often is."

It was executive producer John Eisendrath who came up with the idea of a TV pilot script about a criminal surrendering to the FBI and offering the names of people he's worked with for the past twenty years-at a price. The character was based in part (like the Jack Nicholson role in The Departed) on the notorious gangster, Whitey Bulger.

Writing anthology-style TV series scripts like Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone can be an extremely effective approach. If this interests you, study the Black Mirror scripts and see how the show weaves the theme of mankind's growing dependency on technology throughout its episodes.

This is also an anthology-style series of sorts, with each season set in a different time period containing mostly different characters. Like the Coen brothers movie of the same name, this show deftly combines elements of drama, thriller and comedy into one intriguing mix.

Producer Veena Sud describes this excellent remake of the Danish original as "slow-burn storytelling in a sense that every moment that we don't have to prettify or gloss over or make something necessarily easy to digest, that we're able to go to all sorts of places that are honest, and dark, and beautiful and tragic, in a way that is how a story should be told."

If your TV show scripts are based on real-life people and/or organizations, research is probably the most important step. The producers of this show spent months researching all the characters they intended to bring to life from Ali Soufan and Lawrence Wright's books chronicling the build-up to the 9/11 attacks by Islamic terrorists.

If you're part of a writing team you could do worse than follow the example of writers Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. They spent a lot of time reciting the story to each other out loud, noting their reactions and making changes accordingly. All their hard work paid off as their resulting studio pitches triggered a bidding war.

This TV series was created by British screenwriter, Steven Knight who hails from the same area of Birmingham as the show's setting. As he began researching the project, he was surprised to find that the gangster stories he'd heard growing up hadn't been embellished at all-in fact, they'd been toned down.

Shonda Rhimes' Scandal lasted for seven seasons from 2012 to 2018 and is another great example of a TV script based around the machinations of Washington. The lead protagonist was based on a former White House press aide Judy Smith, who was a co-executive producer on the show.

This is probably one of the best TV pilot scripts on the list: a masterclass in how to establish character, the world of the story and a strong hook in order to get the audience back for episode two. Jessica Biel has stated that she moved into producing shows like this just so that she could play more challenging roles and this one doesn't disappoint.

Best TV scripts online to download: horror.

Here's some good advice from co-creator Brad Falchuk on writing Horror TV scripts: "If you want to kill everybody in a movie except one person, you can kind of get away with that, but if you're looking to do a horror TV show, you have a different responsibility to the characters because the audience has a different affection for them."

Writers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin have cited the inspiration for this Psycho prequel as being Twin Peaks. Cuse states, "They only did thirty episodes. Kerry and I thought we'd do the seventy that are missing." Cable network A&E, gave Bates Motel a straight-to-series order in July 2012.

Basing a show around an antagonist can be tricky. As executive producer Bryan Fuller says, "There is a cheery disposition to our Hannibal. He's not being telegraphed as a villain. If the audience didn't know who he was, they wouldn't see him coming.

What we have is Alfred Hitchcock's principle of suspense-show the audience the bomb under the table and let them sweat when it's going to go boom."

Rather than being based on any preexisting material, Harper's Island is an example of an excellent original concept: a group of friends and family members travel to Harper's Island for a wedding only to discover there is a killer among them. And the protagonist's mother was killed by him seven years ago...

The origin of this anthology TV series lies in a number of dinners hosted by director Mick Garris and attended by several "masters of horror" directors. These included Tobe Hooper, Guillermo Del Toro, Eli Roth, Ti West and others and the success of the events persuaded Garris to develop a series of one hour movies that were picked up by Showtime.

Another Showtime production is this British-American Horror series, developed by John Logan. He wrote the TV pilot script on spec and it's a great example of how to incorporate characters from the public domain into your work, such as Dorian Gray, Van Helsing and Count Dracula.

In 2012 a French movie Les Revenants -about a small town whose dead residents begin returning to life-was adapted into a TV series of the same name. Then, an English-language adaptation was developed by Carlton Cuse for A&E studios. It only lasted a season, despite the quality of the writing which you can see in this pilot.

Following on from a couple of disappointing chapters in the film franchise, MTV decided to make a go of commissioning a writer to pen a TV series adaptation. The resulting show does a good job of maintaining the humor and self-aware pop culture references of the original movies.

Despite being canceled after only two seasons back in the early 1990s, this show has since received cult status. It's been extremely influential on writers and reading the pilot script is a great way of absorbing all its terrifying weirdness. The TV show scripts for both this and the 2017 version are essential reading.

If you're writing particularly gory horror TV scripts, don't give up hope if they don't get picked up right away. The Walking Dead was turned down by many studios, including HBO and NBC, due to its extremely gory and violent material. Bizarrely, it was even suggested that it be rewritten "without zombies."
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FAQs on the best TV scripts to read.

A. If you're looking for a TV scripts database, there are a ton out there where you can search for and download free TV scripts. Some of the most popular are Q1. Where can I find TV scripts?
TV Writing, Simply Scripts and The Daily Script. Each one contains an extensive TV script library that makes finding scripts easy.

Q2. How do you write a script for a TV show?
A. We have the perfect resource for you here at our blog How to Write a TV Pilot Script: The Ultimate 8-Step Master Plan. If you're looking for a TV writing mentor, we can do that too. Check out our Screenwriting Mentorship program for more details.

Q3. What is a script for TV called?
A. The preferred Hollywood term is "teleplay," but it doesn't matter if you use "TV script" or "television script." Or "screenplay" instead of "script." The only difference is, "teleplay" is more specific, and it's clear you're referring to a script designed for single- or multi-camera television show.

Best TV pilot scripts: conclusion.

We hope this resource of the best TV scripts to download has helped you on your journey to becoming a TV writer. Let us know what TV scripts you would have included. Which TV pilot scripts have really helped and inspired your own writing? Let us know in the comments section below.

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If you'd like us to give you feedback on your TV show's concept, pitch document or on the script itself, check out the following links:
* Synopsis/Treatment Coverage
Thanks for reading and we look forward to working with you!

Enjoyed this post? Read more on writing TV scripts...

How to Write for TV: A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Career

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50 Best TV Scripts to Read and Download for Free

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Download 50 of the best TV scripts here for free and learn how to write tv show scripts just like a pro. Includes: Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and many more.

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Image Credits

blue circles with figurative language definition and example sentences

Created by Karina Goto for YourDictionary

Owned by YourDictionary, Copyright YourDictionary

If you tell someone "You look like a million bucks," you're not saying that they look like a stack of cash. You're using figurative language to say that they look really good. So why not just say that? What does figurative language add to our conversations and writing - and how many types of figurative language do you encounter every day?

What Is Figurative Language?

Figurative language is non-literal wording that adds creativity or rhetorical meaning to your writing. It invites the reader to use their senses or prior knowledge to understand your meaning.

For example:

This coffee shop is an icebox!

She's drowning in a sea of grief.

She's as happy as a clam.

I move fast like a cheetah on the Serengeti.

The sea lashed out in anger at the ships, unwilling to tolerate another battle.

The sky misses the sun at night.

I've told you a million times to clean your room!

Her head was spinning from all the new information.

She was living her life in chains.

When she saw the dove soar high above her home, she knew the worst was over.

None of these phrases are literal, but you still understand what they mean. They use your senses or experiences to make a point rather than directly explaining what they mean.
Why Use Figurative Language?

Depending on which figurative language you use, you can create different images or arguments for your reader. It's all about choosing the correct wording for what you want to say.

You look like a million bucks. (You look wonderful.)

You look like an angel. (You look beautiful.)

You look like something the cat dragged in. (You look terrible.)

You look like you've seen a ghost. (You look terrified.)

You look like death warmed up. (You look sick.)

You look like a spring morning. (You look refreshed and healthy.)

You look like an old mop. (You're not attractive.)

Examples of Figurative Language: The 9 Types

Any time you're using language that shouldn't be taken literally, you're using figurative language. You can group most examples of figurative language into nine different types.

Examples of Allusion

Allusions reference something famous that readers likely know about. They can refer to written works, songs, famous people, historical events, mythological figures, or even television shows.

He was the Romeo to her Juliet. (Refers to Romeo and Juliet)

I made a Herculean effort this year. (Refers to the myth of Hercules)

You always want the forbidden fruit. (Refers to the story of Adam and Eve)

This job is my white whale. (Refers to Moby Dick)

Red velvet cake is my kryptonite. (Refers to the Superman comics)

Cupid's arrows always seem to miss me. (Refers to the Roman god Cupid)

Don't be such a Scrooge this Christmas. (Refers to A Christmas Carol)

Make sure not to tell he-who-shall-not-be-named. (Refers to Harry Potter)

Examples of Hyperbole Examples of Idioms Metaphor Examples

Metaphors make comparisons between two things that share one attribute. They state that one thing is another thing. But like all figurative language, metaphors aren't literal. You need to think about each thing to figure out how they are alike.

You're likely to find metaphors in poems and poetic language, but they also appear in everyday speech.

Metonymy Examples

In metonymy (met-ON-oh-me) a word becomes linked with a larger concept to the point where it can stand for that concept.

Personification Examples Simile Examples

A simile compares two things using the words like or as. Unlike metaphors, they explicitly state the quality they're comparing between two things.

Symbolism Examples Synecdoche Examples

A synecdoche (sin-ECK-doh-key) uses part of a noun to represent the whole thing. It can also use the whole noun to represent part of a noun.

You've Hit the (Figurative) Jackpot

Using figurative language is like finding buried treasure. (See what we did there?) Once you know how to use the different types of figurative language, your writing will engage readers even better.

But figurative language isn't just a writing tool - it can be an effective way to make your point in different types of writing. You can even use figurative language as a rhetorical device to convince your audience to agree with you - for better or for worse.

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Figurative Language Examples: Guide to 9 Common Types

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Image Credits blue circles with figurative language definition and example sentences Created by Karina Goto for YourDictionary Owned by YourDictionary, Copyright YourDictionary If you tell someone "You look like a million bucks," you're not saying that they look like a stack of cash. You're using figurative language to say that they look really good.

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FROZEN | "In Summer" Song - Olaf | Official Disney UK

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The English Literary Techniques Toolkit for The HSC

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Your go-to reference list of literary techniques and what they are for the HSC. Learn the techniques used in texts to express artistic meaning through the use of language. Find detailed explanations of essential literary techniques complete with relevant examples.

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How to write descriptively - Nalo Hopkinson

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ABC Education has 5000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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English Literary Techniques List: 29 Language Devices to Analyse Any Written Text

Many of the English literary techniques in this category will often be found across different written mediums. From allegory to zeugma, here's a comprehensive list of 29 literary techniques to analyse any written text. You're welcome!
Allegory
Definition: An allegory is a text that has a second meaning beyond its literal one. Allegories are often used to explain morals or political situations.

Example: George Orwell's Animal Farm is an allegorical novel about communism. All of the animals on the farm represent different members of a communist society.

Quick Clue: Can you interpret a deeper meaning for the whole story? If so, it's probably an allegory.

Definition: Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words in a sentence or group of sentences.

Example: Susan Smith saw some sneaky squirrels snatching her snacks, so she sought out Sheriff Sanders to spy on several suspicious squirrely suspects.

Quick Clue: If the sentence that you're reading sounds a bit like a tongue-‐twister, it's definitely using alliteration.
Allusion
Definition: An allusion is an indirect reference to something else. Authors often allude to things like culture, politics, history, and other works of literature.

Example: Charlie lies so often that I'm surprised his nose isn't a foot long by now! This sentence is an allusion to the story of Pinocchio, whose nose grew every time he told a lie.

Quick Clue: Do you recognize a reference as being familiar? Congratulations, you caught an allusion!
Anaphora
Definition: Anaphora is the repetition of or a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines or sentences. Authors use this to create a dramatic significance for what they're saying.

Example: I remember when we met. I remember our first date. I remember our first kiss. I remember saying, "I do."

Quick Clue: Do you see the same few words repeated with a different set of words following them? If so, that's anaphora.
Assonance
Definition: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within sentences. Along with

consonance, it is a common technique within lines of poetry.
Example: John thought he lost his mom's frog, Bob.

Quick Clue: If the vowel sounds rhyme but the endings don't, it's assonance.
Characterisation
Definition: Characterisation is the way that the author describes a character throughout a text. This can either be done either directly, in which the author plainly says that a character has a certain trait, or indirectly, in which the author says what a character does and you draw your own conclusions.

Example: Alex is soft-‐spoken, has trouble talking to girls, and never speaks up in class. The author has characterised him as being shy.

Quick Clue: Are you learning something about a character's personality? If so, he or she is being characterised.
Emotive words
Definition: Emotive words are words that are purposely chosen by the writer to elicit a strong emotional response from the reader.

Example: Saying "I saw a twisted mass of mangled steel and shattered glass" is a lot more emotive than "I saw a car crash."

Quick Clue: If you had a strong reaction when you read it, the author probably used emotive words.
Foil
Definition: A foil is a character who behaves in the complete opposite way compared to another character in the text. He or she usually foils the protagonist, but it is important to know that this does not mean that the foil is the antagonist. In fact, a foil can often be the protagonist's close friend or family member. The foil exists to draw attention to the traits of the character that they are foiling.

Example: Sarah is wild and spontaneous. Her best friend, Ella, is cautious and boring. You'll notice Sarah's reckless behaviour more because the difference between her and Ella is so huge.

Quick Clue: Does this character highlight another character's traits because they both act differently? He or she is a foil.
Foreshadowing
Definition: Foreshadowing is when the author drops hints about something that will be more meaningful later in the story.

Example: Fred mentions offhand that he's allergic to peanuts in chapter two. In chapter nineteen, he is accidentally served something with peanuts in it and almost dies.

Quick Clue: You might not necessarily notice that something is foreshadowing when you first read through a text (unless you're psychic), but once you know the ending, it should be pretty clear.
Genre
Definition: The genre of a story is the basic category that it falls into. Common genres include science fiction, fantasy, romance, historical fiction, and non-‐fiction. Storytelling elements and devices like mood, style, tone, and theme all contribute to the genre.

Example: Most of Edgar Allan Poe's works are horror stories because they are dark and suspenseful and because they deal with things like death and madness.

Quick Clue: Every story has a genre. It's up to you to figure out which one it is, so look at things the subject matter and other relevant literary techniques to find some clues.
Imagery
Definition: Imagery is when authors use language to evoke one or more of the five senses in a strong, descriptive way.

Example: He was so distracted by the warm, sweet smell of baking cookies that he tripped and fell down the rough stone staircase.

Quick Clue: Can you almost see, smell, touch, taste, or hear what's happening? If so, the author used very vivid imagery.
Juxtaposition
Definition: Juxtaposition is when two differing objects or concepts are placed near to each other. This is usually done to highlight the differences between them, much like how a foil works. Juxtaposition can appear as an element of the story or part of the writing itself.

Example: A wealthy person is having a lavish party that displays tons and tons of wastefulness, and across the street there is a poor family who is struggling to survive.

Quick Clue: If you can see the differences between two things more clearly after they've been thrown together, it's because they were juxtaposed.
Metaphor
Definition: A metaphor is a comparison between two seemingly different things. You are encouraged to notice the resemblance between these objects because one word or phrase is literally replaced by another word or phrase.

Example: The child was a monkey, climbing all over the table and chairs and screaming at the top of his lungs.

Quick Clue: If what's being described is not literally happening but instead makes a judgment on the similarity between the two things, that's a metaphor.
Metonymy
Definition: Metonymy is the act of referring to something by a closely related object rather than by its own name.

Example: Saying that "the White House issued a major decision today" doesn't mean that it grew a mouth and started to speak. It means the President of the United States issued a major decision, and he or she happens to live in the White House.

Quick Clue: If the literal meaning of the sentence sounds slightly off, it's metonymy. Unless it's synecdoche, so be sure to know the difference.
Motif
Definition: A motif is a reoccurring image or idea that has a deeper meaning. As a literary device, it's slightly stronger than a symbol as it occurs more than once, but not quite as big as a theme, although it might contribute to the theme.

Example: Dana goes on a journey through a forest, and she continues to see owls as she travels. Each time she sees one, she is reminded of her grandmother who told her that owls are a sign of good fortune and wisdom.

Quick Clue: If you keep seeing the same object throughout the text and it seems to be important, it's probably a motif.
Onomatopoeia
Definition: Onomatopoeia is use of words that sound like the noises they describe. Example: Words like buzz, boom, crash, creak, sizzle, hiss, and zap.

Quick Clue: If saying the noise's name out loud sounds like the noise itself, it's onomatopoeia.
Parody
Definition: A parody is a text that copies the style of another text but changes certain details in a humorous way in order to draw attention to how absurd they are. The difference between parody and satire is that satire is more critical while parody is usually done just for laughs.

Example: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a book that incorporates zombies in to Jane Austen's world.

Quick Clue: Does the text make you laugh because it's an exaggerated imitation of something else? It's probably a parody.
Pathetic fallacy
Definition: Pathetic fallacy is the attribution of human traits to non-‐humans, especially the weather or other elements within nature. It is a type of personification.

Example: The dark, heavy clouds looked pregnant with rain.

Quick Clue: Is a natural phenomenon being described in a human way? The author is probably using pathetic fallacy. Also, keep in mind that "pathetic" here does not mean sad and pitiful.
Personification
Definition: Personification is describing a plant, animal, or other non-‐human object with human characteristics. The difference between this and anthropomorphism is that personification is just a description. That is, personified objects will never actually get up and start walking around or speaking like anthropomorphic objects will.

Example: The sad, lonely flower hunched over in its pot.

Quick Clue: Is something described as seeming a little bit human but not actually doing the things that humans do? That object is being personified.
Pun
Definition: A pun is a humorous play on words that creates multiple layers of meaning in a sentence.

Example: Did you hear about the psychic dwarf who escaped from prison? They say that there's a small medium at large.

Quick Clue: If it makes you laugh and groan at the same time, it's a pun.
Sarcasm
Definition: Sarcasm is the use of words that mean the opposite of how someone actually feels, usually either to show disdain or to achieve a comedic effect.

Example: I absolutely looove getting stuck in traffic. It's my faaavorite!

Quick Clue: It can be difficult to catch in written form, so don't worry too much, but if it appears that a character is mocking another person, it is probably sarcasm.
Satire
Definition: Satire is the comedic ridicule of someone's flaws or shortcomings in order to draw attention to a specific issue. The difference between satire and parody is that typically, parodies are strictly meant to be funny while satire often attempts to supplement the humour with a call to action to create social change.

Example: Saturday Night Live is full of skits that satirize political figures. The cast of the show dresses up as people such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and then mocks their speech patterns and mannerisms in a way that is lightly critical.

Quick Clue: If it makes you laugh but also makes you question what exactly is being made fun of and why, it's satire.
Simile
Definition: A simile is a comparison between two seemingly unlike things that uses words such as "like," "as," or "than."

Example: She was as welcome as a fart in an elevator.

Quick Clue: If you see two different things being compared and the words "like" or "as" between them, it's probably a simile.
Stream of consciousness
Definition: Authors use a stream of consciousness style of writing to mimic the way we think inside our own heads. This technique often ignores normal punctuation and grammatical structure.

Example: Okay, while I'm at the store I need to pick up milk, birthday candles, and...ugh, what else? Oh yeah, flowers! I hope Lynette likes roses. Did I make our dinner reservation yet? I should call to confirm. Ah, here are the candles!

Quick Clue: Are the character's thoughts jumping from place to place in a rapid way that doesn't totally make complete sense? If so, the author is using stream of consciousness.
Symbol
Definition: A symbol is an object in a text that has a deeper meaning beyond what it actually is. There are some classic symbols like certain flowers, colours, foods, and the weather, but authors often create symbols that are specific to individual stories.

Example: Water is often linked to things like purity, cleansing, and rebirth.

Quick Clue: Many stories have multiple symbolic items throughout, but don't drive yourself crazy trying to look for them. Sometimes a blue kettle is just blue because the author felt like it. For the most part, symbolism will be fairly obvious in the majority of texts.
Tone
Definition: Tone is the way that the author or a character shows his or her opinion towards a subject. Tone can be positive or negative, but it can also be many other things such as nostalgic, light-‐hearted, satirical, or reverent.

Example: The tone in a news article should be neutral because a journalist would not want to sway the readers' opinions.

Quick Clue: The language that is used should give you a clue about how the author or speaker feels.
Truncated sentence
Definition: Truncated sentences are a shortcut that authors use when the rest of a sentence's meaning can be implied.

Example: If you say, "I like cats more than Jeremy," you're most likely implying that you like cats more than Jeremy likes cats. Not that you dislike Jeremy, the poor guy.

Quick Clue: If you could add a few words on to the end to make it slightly clearer, it's probably a truncated sentence.
Verse
Definition: Verse is a form of writing in which the structure of the text is just as important as the text itself. Those who write verse will pay attention to things like rhyme scheme and meter, while those who write in prose will not.

Example:

This is an example of verse.

I suppose that it could be worse, But these lines are a nice little clue,

Of what verse should look like to you!

Quick Clue: If it's written in anything besides paragraphs, it's probably verse.
Zeugma
Definition: Zeugma is when the writer uses a word that has multiple meanings for different phrases in the same sentence.

Example: Gina lost her wallet and her mind. "Lost her wallet" literally means that she misplaced it, but "lost her mind" is a figure of speech that means she went crazy.

Quick Clue: Did you need to pause for a second to make sure you read it correctly because the phrases didn't quite flow? The author might have used zeugma.
Want the FULL LIST of over 140+ Literary Techniques? Get it here .

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English Literary Techniques List: 29 Language Devices to Analyse Any Written Text | Tutornova

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Many of the English literary techniques in this category will often be found across different written mediums. From allegory to zeugma, here's a comprehensive list of 29 literary techniques to analyse any written text. You're welcome! Allegory Definition: An allegory is a text that...

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What's the definition of comedy? Banana. - Addison Anderson

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View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-s-the-definition-of-comedy-banana-addison-anderson What makes us giggle and guffaw? The inability to define comedy is its very appeal; it is defined by its defiance of definition. Addison Anderson riffs on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and Aristotle to elucidate how a definition draws borders while comedy breaks them down.

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Reading poetry helps lyric writing.

Write anything.
Stories, poems, book reports, etc.

Draw attention to things you want to focus on.
Don't use too many poetic devices in one song.

Repitition Literary Devices Rhyme

Rhyming Patterns Stress
Songs often use repeating sounds.
Repeat words, phrases, verses or choruses.
Choruses ussually repeat the same way

A section can be built using a single word (often the title)

Words can be repeated to fit the melody (hey hey hey)

Alliteration Repeat the same sound. Ussually consonants (non vowels)
Imagery Words that create images in your mind.
Personification Treat a place, thing or idea like it's human.
Simile A comparison using the word like or as.
Metaphor A comparison: one thing is called something else.
Assonance A rhyme: Same vowel sounds, different consonants. (late, make)
Consonance A combination of pleasing sounds.
Anaphora Words are repeated at the start of lines. (very common)

Imagine you're in the situation.
What do you see, feel, hear, smell, taste?
Apply poetic devices to what you "experience".

Use Consonance whenever possible.
Pick words that sound the same.

Ryhming is like putting a puzzle together.

Types of rhyme:

Perfect rhyme. The same voweland final consonant sounds (car, bar, star, far)
Near rhyme Slant or Imperfect Rhyme (sooth, prove)(love, hug)
Masculine 1 rhyming syllable (love, dove) (understand, command)
Feminine rhyme 2 rhyming syllables (lovin, oven) (improve her, prime mover)
Triple rhyme3 syllables (embraceable, irreplaceable)
Open rhyme Ends in a vowel sound, it can be extended. (fly, sky) (hey, say)
Stopped rhyme Ends on a consonant, it can't be extended. (clock, rock)
Internal rhyme Occurs within the lyric. (She told me she had sold out long ago.)

Work backwards from the rhyme.
This makes it easier.

Rhymes can suggest a storyline.

Read a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary.
Ten minutes a day is enough.

Create dummy lyrics using the rhymes.
Dummy lyrics kill writers block

Try changing pronunciations to make a rhyme work.

Practice rhyming words that are difficult to rhyme.
Find near rhymes for orange.

You can use less rhymes: use more poetic devices.

Each letter represents a line of lyrics.
Same letters are rhymes.

a b a b a b a b very common

a a b a b adds variety, tension and moves the lyric, returning to a relieves the tension

a b a c d e d cchorusa b c b c "Eye of the Tiger"

Near rhyme can fool the ear.
Don't throw out good lines if the rhyme isn't perfect.
Never sacrifice meaning and emotion for a perfect rhyme.

Look at rhyming patterns in your favorite songs.

These rhymes occur within the line, instead of at the end.

The effect is rather subliminal.
It sounds professional.

These can also occur in following lines.

or stressed syllable.
The voice rises in a phrase.

Unaccented or unstressed
The voice lowers in a phrase.

M
Ary HAD a LITTle LAMB 7 syllables, 4 accents
its FLEECE was WHITE as SNOW 6 syllables, 3 accents
and EVEryWHERE that MAry WENT 8 syllables, 4 accents
the LAMB was SURE to GO 6 syllables, 3 accents
Lines 2 and 4 match.
Lines 1 and 3 match.

Line 3 starts on an unnacented syllable
This doesn't affect the flow of the words.

Accents can emphasize key words.

Vary the length of the syllables.
Fast lyrics can be countered with slow lyrics.
This adds contrast

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Songwriting: literary tricks and poetic devices

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Reading poetry helps lyric writing. Write anything. Stories, poems, book reports, etc. Draw attention to things you want to focus on. Don't use too many poetic devices in one song. Repitition Literary Devices Rhyme Rhyming Patterns Stress Songs often use repeating sounds. Repeat words, phrases, verses or choruses.

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 5000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Dororthea Mckellar 'I Love a Sunburnt Country' turned into a song

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Dororthea Mckellar 'I Love a Sunburnt Country' turned into a song

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Poetry in Disguise

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 5000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more