DICTION AND SYNTAX

By: JE-ANN J. MARGAHA

ESCAPE AT BEDTIME
(from A Child’s Garden of Verses)
by: Robert Louis Stevenson
The ights from the parlour and kitchen shone out
Through the blinds and the windows and bars;
And high overhead and all moving about,
⁠There were thousands of millions of stars.
There ne'er were such thousands of leaves on a tree,
Nor of people in church or the Park,
As the crowds of the stars that looked down upon me,
⁠And that glittered and winked in the dark.
ESCAPE AT BEDTIME
(from A Child’s Garden of Verses)
by: Robert Louis Stevenson
The Dog, and the Plough, and the Hunter, and all,
And the star of the sailor, and Mars,
These shone in the sky, and the pail by the wall
Would be half full of water and stars.
They saw me at last, and they chased me with cries,
⁠And they soon had me packed into bed;
But the glory kept shining and bright in my eyes,
And the stars going round in my head.
DICTION
Diction is the style of writing that is determined by the
choice of words used by the writers. Good writing
makes good use of diction. Example, the words are
right and accurate, appropriate to the context n which
they were used, and comprehensive to the intended
audience.
TYPES OF DICTION
Individuals vary their diction depending on different
contexts and settigns. Therefore, we come across
various types of diction.
1.Formal Diction – Formal words are used in formal
situations, such as press conferences and
presentations.
2.Informal Diction – Uses informal words and
conversation, such as writing or talking to friends.
TYPES OF DICTION
3. Colloquial Diction – Uses words common in everyday
speech, which may be different in different regions or
communities. Example. “ain’t and “gonna”
4. Slang Diction – is the use of words that are newly coined, or
even impolite.
Examples: “I prie thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.”
“To my dear and loving husband” by Anne Bradstreet.
TYPES OF DICTION
The use of antiquated words such as “thy” instead of “your”
and “doth” instead of “do” the poem a formal diction this
antiquated words are considered grand, elevated, and
sophisticated language.
“It was the best times, it was the worst times, it was the age of
wisdom it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of
belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of
light. It was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair.”
FUNCTION OF DICTION
In literature, writers choose words to create and convey
a typical mood, tone, and atmosphere to their readers.
A writer’s choice of words, and his selection of graphic
words, not only affect the reader’s attitude, but also
conveys the writer’s feelings toward the literary work.
Moreover, poetry is known for its unique diction, which
separates it from prose. Usually, a poetic diction is
marked by the use of figure of speech, rhyming words,
and other devices.
SYNTAX
Is how the words are arranged in a sentence or line.
The syntax of course, subject verb. However, as
unusual order of words in a sentence including
repetition of words may be used to convey different
tones, moods, themes or emphases of the literary
work.
SYNTAX
Example:
“Go out I cannot, nor can I stay in.
Becalmed mad carpet, breathless, on the road,
To nowhere and the road has petered out.”
“Beyond Decoration” by PH Kavanagh)
SYNTAX
To write the first line of verse in its ordinary oder, we
can say “I cannot go out or stay in” with emphasis on
the door of the action or subject “I”. By reversing the
word order, the author seems to emphasize the word
“cannot”
FUNCTION OF SYNTAX
To convey meaning is one of the main functions of
syntax. In literature , writers utilize syntax and diction
to achieve certain artistic effects, like mood, and tone,
like diction, syntax aims to affect the raders as well as
express the writer’s attitude.
GROUP ACTIVTY
Observe the following examples. Discuss your
observation with regards to the diction and syntax
1. “What light from yonder window breaks?”