What is style?
Style is the way a writer uses language to tell something: the narrator, the length of sentences, the choice of words and the mood. Two writers can tell the same event and make us feel different things.
Narrative style: who is telling?
The narrator is the voice that tells the story.
- First person ("I", "we"): the narrator is a character. It feels close and personal, but we only know what that character knows.
- Third person ("she", "he", "they"): the narrator stands outside. A limited third person follows one character; an all-knowing narrator can see everyone's thoughts.
Ask: whose eyes are we seeing through, and what are we not told?
Rhythm, tone and word choice
Short sentences feel quick, tense or sharp. Long sentences feel calm, flowing or dreamy. Tone is the attitude of the writer: serious, funny, gentle, angry. Plain words feel honest and close; grand words feel formal. Notice the rhythm, read it aloud and say what mood it creates.
Metaphor
A metaphor says one thing is another to make us see it fresh: "The classroom was a beehive." It works inside one sentence. A longer one is an extended metaphor, which keeps the picture going over several lines. (For simile, personification and more, see the lesson on figures of speech.)
Symbolism
A symbol is an object, place, colour or action that stands for a bigger idea. Unlike a one-line metaphor, a symbol returns through the whole text and its meaning grows. A lamp may mean hope, a door a new chance, a bird freedom, a river time passing.
Symbols can have more than one meaning, so give a reason from the text. Say: "The writer repeats the lamp in each chapter and it gets brighter as the girl gains courage, so it suggests hope."
How to write about style (exam steps)
- Name the feature (first person, short sentences, symbol).
- Quote a small piece of the text.
- Explain the effect on the reader.
- Link it to the writer's purpose or theme.
Key formulas and definitions
- Style = narrator + sentence rhythm + word choice + tone
- First person = "I" (narrator is a character). Third person = "he/she/they" (narrator outside)
- Metaphor: A is B (inside one sentence)
- Symbol: object that returns and stands for a bigger idea
- Exam steps: name → quote → effect → purpose
Worked examples
1. "I peeped through the curtain and my heart raced." Which narrator is this and what is the effect?
First person ("I"). We feel the character's fear from inside, so the moment feels close and tense.
2. "The river of traffic never stopped." Metaphor or symbol?
A metaphor: traffic is called a river in one sentence. It would be a symbol only if the river kept returning through the text with a bigger meaning.
3. In a story a cracked clock appears at the start, middle and end, and each time it is more broken. What could it symbolise?
Time running out or a family breaking apart. We justify it by the repetition and the growing damage.
4. Rewrite "He ran. He fell. He cried." as one long sentence and say how the feel changes.
"He ran down the hill until he fell, and then, in the quiet that followed, he cried." The long sentence feels softer and more flowing; the short ones felt sharp and urgent.
Common mistakes
- Saying "I" always means the writer. The first-person narrator can be an invented character.
- Calling every object a symbol. A symbol must return and carry a larger idea.
- Writing only the name of a device ("it is a metaphor") without the effect.
- Giving one fixed meaning to a symbol with no reason from the text.