Style and Language

In literature, the term style refers to—

• a writer's tone

• a writer's use of figurative language

• the unique way in which a writer uses language

• the extent to which a writer relies on imagery

Which of the following best describes the style of this passage?

The dolphin glided up next to me at the dock, looking at me sideways. I eased my hand along her smooth back, which felt like a firm, wet inner tube. She took one last look at me and disappeared into the cool, blue water.

• complex and ornate

• technical and academic

• conversational and exaggerated

• simple and descriptive

What stylistic element is used in this sentence?

Last May, I saw a dragonfly as colorful as a rainbow.

• personification

• irony

• metaphor

• simile

Which of the following best describes the style of this passage?

Janice's dog Gus was about the size of a horse but nowhere near as graceful as one. Gus loped around the backyard, kicking up mud and dirt and barking joyfully at everything that moved, whether a rustling leaf or a panicked squirrel. He used to knock down unwary salespeople and lick them clean into tomorrow. He had infinite faith that everyone loved him with the same devotion that he lavished on any creature he laid eyes on.

• exaggerated and humorous

• technical and academic

Read this passage from George MacDonald's Phantastes. Which of the following best describes the stylistic elements at work?

"I sat up in the boat. Gigantic forest trees were about me; through which, like a silver snake, twisted and twined the great river. The little waves, when I moved in the boat, heaved and fell with a splash as of molten silver, breaking the image of the moon into a thousand morsels, fusing again into one, as the ripples of laughter die into the still face of joy. The sleeping woods, in undefined massiveness; the water that flowed in its sleep; and, above all, the enchantress moon, which had cast them all, with her pale eye, into the charmed slumber, sank into my soul, and I felt as if I had died in a dream, and should never more awake."

• complex sentence structures; vivid imagery

• informal diction; contractions and slang

• casual tone; simple, direct language

• complex sentence structures; irony

You are writing a research paper about the future of careers; which style should you use?

• Ornate

• Plain

• Conversational

Which style is usually used in an ad about soft drinks (Coca Cola, Pepsi, etc.)?

• Ornate

• Conversational

• Plain

Which of the following uses a formal style?

• Though she had many appointments over the course of the day, Tia contemplated spending time with acquaintances.

• Tia thought she'd go hang out with her friends.

Which of the following texts uses more imagery (sensory vivids)?

• You don’t get a complete sense of Chanel’s “reality” show from the front-on pictures in this gallery, but the audience was facing sideways-on, viewing the models, with their piled-up curly hair, their cropped tweed wide-leg pantsuits, and their extraordinarily wide, yet flatly squared-off shoulders in profile. To watch them striding past the atelier craftspeople as they carried on sewing and embroidering turned out to be the best angle on the collection, as it was all down to the silhouette of those shoulders, the cool proportions of the kitten-heeled, ankle-hugging black suede boots under the cropped wide pants, and the low-swooping belled skirt shapes of the duchesse satin dresses that came later.

• Price charts often have blank spaces known as gaps, which represent times when no shares were traded within a particular price range. Normally this occurs between the close of the market on one day and the next day's open. There are two primary kinds of gaps - up gaps and down gaps.

  For an up gap to form, the low price after the market closes must be higher than the high price of the previous day. Up gaps are generally considered bullish.

  A down gap is just the opposite of an up gap; the high price after the market closes must be lower than the low price of the previous day. Down gaps are usually considered bearish.

What style is used in this character portrayal?

Mr Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develope. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.

(Source: Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen)

• Ornate

• Plain

• Conversational