1. Narrator, I - narrator, storyteller
2. The mode of storytelling
3. Narrative (narration)
4. The writer’s message
5. The leading theme
6. A twist in the plot, time-shift, a flashback, dues ex machine
7. A hero (heroine), protagonist, antagonist, personage (flat, round, eponymous, major, minor), secondary character, foil
8. The setting of the novel
9. To begin with ...
10. For one thing ..., for another ...
11. On the one hand ..., on the other hand
12. The thing (matter, fact, point) is ...
13. I’d like to point out that ...
14. I’d like to call (your) attention to the fact that ...
15. I mean to say ...
16. On the whole ...
17. At the beginning of the story (in the beginning) the author describes (depicts, introduces, characterizes, sympathizes with, gives a summary of, gives his (an) account of, portrays, narrates)
18. The story (the author) begins with a (the) description of (the introduction of, the analysis of)
19. The story opens with ...
20. The scene is laid (set) in ...
21. The author passes on to ... (gives a detailed analysis (description, etc.) of ...
22. In conclusion the author ...
23. The author concludes with ...
24. The story ends with ...
25. To finish with, the author describes ...
26. The author draws the conclusion
27. To like
28. To admire
29. To enjoy
30. To worship
31. To dislike
32. To hate
33. To abhor
34. To resent
35. To examine
36. To trace
37. To reveal
38. To depict
39. To ridicule
40. To deride
41. To justify
42. To criticise
43. To enumerate
44. To generalize
45. To narrate
46. To condemn
47. To emphasize, to underline, to stress
48. To use, to employ, to make (an ample) use of
49. To resort to
50. To assert
51. To imply
52. To compare
53. To contrast
54. To permeate
55. To intertwine
56. To italicize
57. To expose
58. To comment on
59. To alternate with
60. To run through
61. To comment on
62. To bring out
63. To lay bare
64. To abound in
65. To through (shed) light on
66. To suggest that
67. To draw the reader’s attention to
68. To make an effect
69. To result in
70. To touch on
71. To deal with
72. To treat of (The story treats of …)
73. To focus on
74. To account for
75. To centre round
76. To give an account of
77. To aim at
78. To portray (portrayal)
79. To laugh at
80. To mock at
81. To refer to
82. To allude to
83. To comment on
84. To model on
85. To echo smth
86. To side with
87. To react to
88. To point out
89. To tell a story of.
90. To make critical remarks on smth
91. To oppose smth to smth
92. To support smb’s point of view
93. To sympathize with
94. To convince (the reader); to laugh at; to mock at; to deride; to ridicule
95. To create the effect
96. To raise (pose) a question, (problem, issue)
97. To resolve a problem
98. To convey smth
99. To appeal to smb
100. To sympathize with smb
101. To approve (disapprove) of
102. To share smb’s views
103. To share one’s views with smb
104. To be carried away
105. To be a page – turner
106. To be an avid reader
107. To be appalled by smth
108. To read between the lines
109. To enhance the readers’ understanding (impression)
110. To open (close, conclude with)
111. To digress (to make a digression)
112. To draw on one’s own experience
113. To experiment with chronology
114. To leave a reader in suspense
115. At the outset of the story
116. To summarize the plot
117. To infer, to make an inference
118. The paragraph that follows serves as a general introduction
119. To draw the character in a mildly ironical way
120. The humour of the situation is enhanced
121. The attack is primarily aimed at
122. The stylistic device most prominent in the extract
123. It is achieved by purely syntactical means
124. The dialogue is vivid, dynamic, full of humour and fun
125. The central idea of the above passage is
126. Stylistically this is expressed in (by)
127. The humorous effect is enhanced by the contrast between
128. The language of the scene (story) is rich in
129. It is interesting to note that
130. In the chosen part the portrayal is achieved by means of
131. The scene gives the reader an idea of
132. The atmosphere of ... is created by
133. Towards the end of the passage
134. The choice of words conveys
135. The antithesis is sustained by
136. Towards the end of the extract the irony becomes especially subtle and one has to read between the lines
137. The climax comes when
138. To impress this contrast upon the reader
139. A device greatly favoured by
140. The monotony of ... is broken up by
141. This is clearly meant to create a picture for the reader to see
142. The extract under consideration naturally falls into ... parts
143. The true-to-life portrait of
144. The story is told in simple, homely colloquial English
145. The vocabulary matches the subject
146. This is achieved both syntactically in the short, even abrupt sentences and lexically in the abundance of the emotional words and expressions
147. A significant metaphor plays an important part in portraying
148. The inner monologue is a very fine piece of characterization
149. The author makes ample use of the dialogue as an efficient means to let his characters speak for themselves without the author’s interference
150. The climax of the passage is ...
151. His vocabulary is as simple as his syntax
152. It is very rich in words and phrases
153. The similes are introduced to render ...
154. The language is artificial, bookish, rich in terms
155. The style is deliberately dry and dispassionate
156. The story is told by
157. Each paragraph forms a complete unit
158. Rich and vivid epithets
159. The epithets are combined with metaphors
160. The choice of words is remarkable for their sonorous quality
161. The alliterations are mainly based on the l- and r-sounds
162. The features make the passage particularly musical
163. The emotional colouring is made definite by words naming or expressing emotions
164. There is an allusion to
165. The method of description is mostly direct
166. The simplicity of the language harmonizes well with the simple feelings of common people
167. They also have some symbolic value
168. The author resorts to simple direct (indirect) characterization
169. The effect is further enhanced
170. The description is focussed on
171. The main part of the selection is devoted to
172. The writer has a sharp eye for detail
173. The main personage is convincing
174. The effect is achieved primarily by the very obvious contrast between
175. Emotional, appraising epithets
176. The reiteration of the epithet
177. The emotional colouring of … depends
178. The text (style, vocabulary) abounds in ...
179. The idea (thought) that runs through (permeates) the entire story (extract)
180. The author implies (means to say) that
181. The idea is explicitly (implicitly) rendered (stated, conveyed)