5 Important Elements of a Short Story
A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction, as
you know, is prose writing about imagined events
and characters. Prose writing differs from poetry
in that it does not depend on verses, meters or
rhymes for its organization and presentation.
Novels are another example of fictional prose
and are much longer than short stories. Some
short stories, however, can be quite long. If a a
short story is a long one, say fifty to one hundred
pages, we call it a novella.
American literature contains some of the world's
best examples of the short story. Readers
around the world enjoy the finely crafted stories
of American writers such as O. Henry, Stephen
Crane, Jack London, Mark Twain and Edgar
Allen Poe.
What makes these authors such remarkable
short story writers? They are true masters at
combining the five key elements that go into
every great short story: character, setting,
conflict, plot andtheme.
The ELLSA web-site uses one of these five key
elements as the focus of each of the five on-line
lessons in the Classics of American Literature
section. In each lesson, you will explore a single
American short story from the USIA Ladder
Series and discover how the author uses a
certain element.
The definitions on the right are repeated on the
first page of each short story lesson.
map of ELLSA: American Literary Classics
top of page
contents: American Literary Classics
March 22, 2004
myth
A character is a person, or
sometimes even an animal, who
takes part in the action of a short
story or other literary work.
see The Green Door by O. Henry
The setting of a short story is the time
and place in which it happens.
Authors often use descriptions of
landscape, scenery, buildings,
seasons or weather to provide a
strong sense of setting.
see The Last Leaf by O. Henry
A plot is a series of events and
character actions that relate to the
central conflict.
see The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
The conflict is a struggle between two
people or things in a short story. The
main character is usually on one side
of the central conflict.
On the other side, the main character
may struggle against another
important character, against the
forces of nature, against society, or
even against something inside
himself or herself (feelings, emotions,
illness).
see To Build a Fire by Jack London
The theme is the central idea or belief
in a short story.
see The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
 [mith]
Spell Syllables
 Synonyms
 Examples
 Word Origin
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

noun
1.

a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being orhero or event, with or
without a determinable basis of fact or anatural explanation, especially one that is conc
erned with deities ordemigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of natu
re.

2.

stories or matter of this kind:

realm of myth.

3.

any invented story, idea, or concept:

His account of the event is pure myth.

4.

an imaginary or fictitious thing or person.

5.

an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a socialinstitution.

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Origin of mythExpand
Late Latin

Greek

1820-1830

1820-30; < Late Latin mȳthos < Greek mŷthos story, word

Related formsExpand

countermyth, noun
Can be confusedExpand

fable, legend, myth (see synonym study at legend )

SynonymsExpand
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

1. See legend. 3. fiction, fantasy, talltale.

myth.
1.

mythological.

2.

mythology.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
Cite This Source

Examples from the Web for mythExpand

Contemporary Examples
 In the 70s, this myth kept openly gay people out of teaching positions.

Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic Samantha Allen January 8,
2015

 And they all travel affordably, busting the myth that travel is only for thee
lite.

‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement Charlise Ferguson January 3, 2015

 Hangover Rx: “The old ‘hair of the dog’ is pretty much just a myth,” says
White.

5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many DailyBurn December 18, 2014

 Catherine Lemay is impressed by neither the myth nor the reality whensh
e arrives in Montana in the summer of 1956.

The Golden West Up for Grabs: ‘Painted Horses’ Is the Next Great Western Novel Wendy
Smith November 27, 2014

 The reality of life in the West is harder and more complicated than themyt
h.

The Golden West Up for Grabs: ‘Painted Horses’ Is the Next Great Western Novel Wendy
Smith November 27, 2014

Historical Examples
 All this seemed very plausible and interesting, but it is undoubtedly amyt
h.

English Villages P. H. Ditchfield

 Then Ralph whispered, "We know it was only a myth, don't we?"

Classic Myths Mary Catherine Judd

 That makes me think, Charlie, of a myth there is about the first anemone
s.

Classic Myths Mary Catherine Judd

 The story should follow, if possible, a tale or lesson on the subject of the
myth.

Classic Myths Mary Catherine Judd

 My mother's kind god was a myth and a joke, with no power here one wa
yor the other.

The Harbor Ernest Poole

 British Dictionary definitions for mythExpand

myth
/mɪθ/
noun
1.

a. a story about superhuman beings of an earlier age taken bypreliterate society to be a tr

ue account, usually of how naturalphenomena, social customs, etc, came into existence
b. another word for mythology (sense 1), mythology (sense 3)

2.
a person or thing whose existence is fictional or unproven

3.

(in modern literature) a theme or character type embodying an idea:Hemingway's myth

of the male hero

4.

(philosophy) (esp in the writings of Plato) an allegory or parable

Word Origin

C19: via Late Latin from Greek muthos fable, word

myth.
abbreviation
1.

mythological

2.

mythology

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition

© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source

Word Origin and History for mythExpand

n.
1830, from French Mythe (1818) and directly from Modern Latin mythus, from Greek m
ythos "speech, thought, story, myth, anything delivered byword of mouth," of unknown
origin.

Myths are "stories about divine beings, generally arranged in acoherent system; they ar
e revered as true and sacred; they areendorsed by rulers and priests; and closely linke
d to religion. Oncethis link is broken, and the actors in the story are not regarded asgod
s but as human heroes, giants or fairies, it is no longer a mythbut a folktale. Where the
central actor is divine but the story is trivial... the result is religious legend, not myth."
[J. Simpson & S. Roud,"Dictionary of English Folklore," Oxford, 2000, p.254]

General sense of "untrue story, rumor" is from 1840.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Cite This Source

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Difficulty index for myth
Most English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for myth

12

11
Scrabble Words With Friends

Related Words
  legend
 mythical
 mythify
 Ajax
 ideology
 mytho-

Nearby words for myth

 mystifying
 mystifyingly
 mystique
 mysuru
 mytacism

 myth
 myth-making
 myth.
 mythic
 mythical
 mythically
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Nouns
GRAMMARLY ·

 Grammar Tips
 Grammar

A noun is a word that names something: either a person, place, or thing. In a

sentence, nouns can play the role of subject, direct object, indirect object,
subject complement, object complement, appositive, or adjective.
Types of Nouns
Nouns form a large proportion of English vocabulary and they come in a wide
variety of types. Nouns can name a person:

Albert Einstein

the president

my mother

a girl

Nouns can also name a place:

Mount Vesuvius

Disneyland

my bedroom

Nouns can also name things, although sometimes they might be intangible
things, such as concepts, activities, or processes. Some might even be
hypothetical or imaginary things.

shoe

faucet

freedom

The Elder Wand

basketball

Proper Nouns vs. Common Nouns

One important distinction to be made is whether a noun is a proper noun or a

common noun. A proper noun is a specific name of a person, place, or thing,
and is always capitalized.

Does Tina have much homework to do this evening?

Tina is the name of a specific person.

I would like to visit Old Faithful.

Old Faithful is the specific name of a geological phenomenon.

The opposite of a proper noun is a common noun, sometimes known as a

generic noun. A common noun is the generic name of an item in a class or
group and is not capitalized unless appearing at the beginning of a sentence
or in a title.
The girl crossed the river.

Girl is a common noun; we do not learn the identity of the girl by reading this
sentence, though we know the action she takes. River is also a common noun
in this sentence.

Types of Common Nouns

Common or generic nouns can be broken down into three subtypes: concrete
nouns, abstract nouns, and collective nouns. A concrete noun is something
that is perceived by the senses; something that is physical or real.

I heard the doorbell.

My keyboard is sticky.

Doorbell and keyboard are real things that can be sensed.

Conversely, an abstract noun is something that cannot be perceived by the

senses.

We can’t imagine the courage it took to do that.

Courage is an abstract noun. Courage can’t be seen, heard, or sensed in any

other way, but we know it exists.

A collective noun denotes a group or collection of people or things.

That pack of lies is disgraceful.

Pack of lies as used here is a collective noun. Collective nouns take a singular
verb as if they are one entity – in this case, the singular verb is.

A pride of lions roamed the savanna.

Pride of lions is also a collective noun.

Nouns as Subjects

Every sentence must have a subject, and that subject will always be a noun.
The subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that is doing or being
the verb in that sentence.

Maria is happy.

Maria is the subject of this sentence and the corresponding verb is a form of
to be (is).

Nouns as Objects
Nouns can also be objects of a verb in a sentence. An object can be either a
direct object (a noun that receives the action performed by the subject) or an
indirect object (a noun that is the recipient of a direct object).

Give the books to her.

Books is a direct object (what is being given) and her is the indirect object
(who the books are being given to).

Nouns as Subject and Object Complements

Another type of noun use is called a subject complement. In this example, the
noun teacher is used as a subject complement.

Mary is a teacher.

Subject complements normally follow linking verbs like to be, become, or

seem. A teacher is what Mary is.

A related usage of nouns is called an object complement.

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Husband and wife are nouns used as object complements in this sentence.
Verbs that denote making, naming, or creating are often followed by object
complements.

Appositive Nouns and Nouns as Modifiers

An appositive noun is a noun which immediately follows another noun in order

to further define or identify it.

My brother, Michael, is six years old.

Michael is an appositive here, further identifying the subject of the sentence,

my brother.

Sometimes, nouns can be used adjectivally as well.

He is a speed demon.

Speed is a normally a noun, but here it is acting as an adjective to modify

demon.

Plural Nouns
Plural nouns, unlike collective nouns, require plural verbs. Many English plural
nouns can be formed by adding -s or -es to the singular form, although there
are many exceptions.

cat—cats
These two cats are both black.

Note the plural verb are.

tax—taxes

house—houses

Countable Nouns vs. Uncountable Nouns

Countable nouns are nouns which can be counted, even if the number might
be extraordinarily high (like counting all the people in the world). Countable
nouns can be used with a/an, the, some, any, a few, and many.

Here is a cat.

Cat is singular and—obviously—countable.

Here are a few cats.

Here are some cats.

Uncountable nouns are nouns that come in a state or quantity which is

impossible to count; liquids are uncountable, as are things that act like liquids
(sand, air). They are always considered to be singular, and can be used with
some, any, a little, and much.

An I.Q. test measures intelligence.

Intelligence is an uncountable noun.

Students don’t seem to have much homework these days.

This example refers to an unspecified, unquantifiable amount of homework, so

homework is an uncountable noun.

Possessive Nouns
Possessive nouns are nouns which possess something; i.e., they have
something. You can identify a possessive noun by the apostrophe; most
nouns show the possessive with an apostrophe and an s.

The cat’s toy was missing.

The cat possesses the toy, and we denote this by use of -’s at the end of cat.

When a singular noun ends in the letter s or z, the same format often applies.
This is a matter of style, however, and some style guides suggest leaving off
the extra s.

I have been invited to the boss’s house for dinner.

Mrs. Sanchez’s coat is still hanging on the back of her chair.

Plural nouns ending in s take only an apostrophe to form a possessive.

My nieces’ prom dresses were exquisite.

Verb: Definition and Examples

4Save

It is in primary school that students are formally given their first glimpse into the field of
grammar. At this educational level, the different parts of speech such
as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and
verbs are all introduced.
Since you have learned these word types at your mother’s knee, it is understandable if you
need a little review to refresh your knowledge of basic grammar. This article will focus on
answering the question, “What is a verb?” and discuss its kinds and tenses.

What is a Verb?
A verb can be considered as one of the most important parts of a sentence. You probably
already know that a sentence must be composed of a subject and a predicate, so what
makes a verb so important? Well, the verb is the main component of a predicate. Without it,
there won’t be a sentence, just a bunch of words with an incomplete thought. Simply
defined, the verb is a part of speech which is used to demonstrate an action or a state of
being.
What are the Different Kinds of Verbs?
Your primary school teachers must have defined verb as an “action word.” That is right,
however, verbs are more than just words that express an action done physically like:

run, jump, dance, write, kick, etc.

In reality, verbs may also refer to an action done mentally such as:

think, ponder, guess, imagine, wonder, etc.

1. Normal Verbs and Non-Continuous Verbs

The first type of verb used to express physical action is called a Normal Verb, while the
second one, which refers to an action you can’t see someone do, is called a Non-
Continuous Verb.
Sample Sentences:
 Jesse Pinkman laughed hysterically.
 The verb in this sentence is laughed and the subject who does the action is Jessie
Pinkman.
 Aegon Targaryen and his sisters conquered the Seven Kingdoms.
 The verb is conquered, while the subject in this sentence is Aegon Targaryen and his
sisters.
 Darth Vader thought of an evil plan to get rid of Darth Sidious.
 Thought is the mental action word done by the subject Darth Vader in the sentence
above.
 I wonder what will happen on the next episode.
  The pronoun, I, is the subject in the last sentence and the verb is wonder.
2. Linking Verb

Aside from the Normal Verbs and Non-Continuous Verbs, there is another type which is
called the Linking Verb.

As the name suggests, a linking verb is a kind of verb that links a subject to the
complement. A complement is the part of a sentence which modifies or provides more
information about the subject. Examples of linking verbs are:

am, is, was, are, were, has been, might have been, become, etc.
The words listed above are just some of the “true linking verbs.” They are called that way
because they have no other functions but to serve as linking verbs. However, just like some
people, certain verbs also have dual personalities. Take a look at the two sentences below:

 Irine tasted the exotic food.

 The exotic food tasted great!
In the first sentence, you can easily say that the italicized word is an action word done by
Irine. However, in the second sentence, the same word has a different function. It serves as
a linking verb that connects exotic food with the word, great.
What are Multi-Part Verbs?
Do not assume that verbs are limited to a single word. Sometimes, they come in two to four
words. The basic formula for verbs with multiple parts is:

The auxiliary verbs, also called “helping verbs,” allow you to write in various verb tenses
and voices when combined with a base or main verb.

Take a look at the examples below:

 I was given a two-week notice by the sales agent.

 The sentence above is written in the passive voice. Was is the auxiliary verb
and given is the main verb.
 It must have been raining very hard.
 The main verb is raining and the auxiliary verbs are must have been.
What are the Different Forms of Verbs?
In order to be able to construct a grammatically correct sentence, it is very important that
you know how to write in the proper verb tense. The three basic forms of verbs
are past, present, and future. The first one obviously refers to an action that was already
done, the second is for present action, and the third is for an action that will be done.
Examples:

Past Present Future

aimed aim/s will aim

counted count/s will count

 marched march/es will march

picked pick/s will pick

walked walk/s will walk

You will notice that:

1. The present form is just the basic form of the verb (add –s or –es for a singular subject)
 Example: He marches; Soldiers march
2. The past tense is the basic form plus –ed.
 *Note: The past tense of a verb pertaining to a singular subject and a plural subject is
the same.
 Example: She walked; They walked
3. The future tense is the word will plus the basic form of the verb.
 *Note: The future tense of a verb pertaining to a singular subject and a plural subject is
the same.
 Example: Andrea will count; The teachers will count
Although most verbs follow these rules, there are still some exceptions. Take a look at the
examples below:

Past Present Future

drove drive/s will drive

read read/s will read

felt feel/s will feel

taught teach/es will teach

thought think/s will think

The verbs presented in the table above are called irregular verbs. There are actually no
specific rules on how to form this kind of verb. But don’t worry because you can easily find a
complete list on the internet.

Final Thoughts
Verbs are very easy to spot. What can be challenging is deciding which correct verb tense
to use. However, this can be easily solved by reading a lot and practicing your writing skills.
 Other people might find grammar a trivial thing, but the truth is that a considerable amount
of knowledge in proper grammar can take you a long way.

Pronouns
What is a Pronoun?
In grammar, a pronoun is defined as a word or phrase that may be substituted for a noun or noun
phrase, which once replaced, is known as the pronoun’s antecedent. How is this possible? In a
nutshell, it’s because pronouns can do everything that nouns can do. A pronoun can act as a
subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, and more.
Without pronouns, we’d have to keep on repeating nouns, and that would make our speech and
writing repetitive, not to mention cumbersome. Most pronouns are very short words. Examples
include:

 He
 She
 They
 It
 We
 Who
As mentioned, pronouns are usually used to replace nouns, however they can also stand in for
certain adverbs, adjectives, and other pronouns. Anytime you want to talk about a person, animal,
place or thing, you can use pronouns to make your speech or writing flow better.

Types of Pronouns
Pronouns can be divided into numerous categories including:

 Indefinite pronouns – those referring to one or more unspecified objects, beings, or places
 Personal pronouns – those associated with a certain person, thing, or group; all except you have
distinct forms that indicate singular or plural number
 Reflexive pronouns – those preceded by the adverb, adjective, pronoun, or noun to which they refer,
and ending in –self or –selves
 Demonstrative pronouns – those used to point to something specific within a sentence
 Possessive pronouns – those designating possession or ownership
 Relative pronouns – those which refer to nouns mentioned previously, acting to introduce an
adjective (relative) clause
 Interrogative pronouns – those which introduce a question
 Reciprocal pronouns – those expressing mutual actions or relationship; i.e. one another
 Intensive pronouns – those ending in –self or –selves and that serve to emphasize their antecedents

Pronoun Rules
There are a few important rules for using pronouns. As you read through these rules and the
examples in the next section, notice how the pronoun rules are followed. Soon you’ll see that
pronouns are easy to work with.
 Subject pronouns may be used to begin sentences. For example: We did a great job.
 Subject pronouns may also be used to rename the subject. For example: It was she who decided we
should go to Hawaii.
 Indefinite pronouns don’t have antecedents. They are capable of standing on their own. For
example: No one likes the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.
 Object pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions. These
include: you, me, him, her, us, them, and it. For example: David talked to her about the mistake.
 Possessive pronouns show ownership. They do not need apostrophes. For example: The cat
washed its whiskers.

Examples of Pronouns
In the following examples, the pronouns are italicized.

1. We are going on vacation.

2. Don’t tell me that you can’t go with us.
3. Anybody who says it won’t be fun has no clue what they are talking about.
4. These are terribly steep stairs.
5. We ran into each other at the mall.
6. I’m not sure which is worse: rain or snow.
7. It is one of the nicest Italian restaurants in town.
8. Richard stared at himself in the mirror.
9. The laundry isn’t going to do itself.
10. Someone spilled orange juice all over the countertop!

Pronoun Exercises
The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how pronouns work. Choose
the best answer to complete each sentence.

1. This is __________ speaking.

A. John
B. He
C. He john
D. Am
2. Greg is as smart as __________ is.
A. I
B. me
C. she
D. we
3. The dog chewed on __________ favorite toy.
A. it’s
B. it is
 C. its’
D. its
4. It could have been __________ .
A. Jerry
B. anyone
C. better
D. more difficult
5. Terry is taller than __________ am.
A. I
B. me
C. she
D. we
Answers

1. B. This is he speaking.
2. C. Greg is as smart as she is.
3. D. The dog chewed on its favorite toy.
4. B. It could have been anyone.
5. A. Terry is taller than I am.

List of Pronouns
As you read through this list of pronouns, remember that each one of these pronouns is a word that
can be used to take the place of a noun. Think about ways to use the pronouns on this list in
sentences, as this will increase your understanding.

We

Me

Us

You

She

He

Her

Him

They
Them

It

That

Which

Who

Whom

Whose

Whichever

Whoever

Whomever

This

These

That

Those

Anybody

Anyone

Anything

Each

Either

Everyone

Everybody

Everything

Nobody

Neither

No one
Nothing

Somebody

One

Someone

Something

Few

Many

Both

Several

Any

All

Some

Most

None

Myself

Yourself

Ourselves

Yourselves

Herself

Himself

Themselves

Itself

Who

What

Which
Whose

Whom

Register in Language
Imagine that you're going to be introduced to a very important person who you have never met.
Maybe it is the Queen of England. When you meet her, would you say: 'Hey, dude! What's up?'
Probably not. You would say something more formal such as 'It is an honor to meet you, Your
Highness.' On the other hand, you wouldn't call your best friend 'His Royal Highness.' Instead you
would be fine using the informal address, 'dude.'
In every situation you encounter, you use speech appropriate to the person to whom you are
speaking and his or her context. The language you use when talking to your friends is not the same
language you would use when meeting someone as important as the Queen. This difference in
language formality is called register.

Categories of Registers
There are formal and informal registers in spoken and written language. Formal registers can
include everything from an academic essay to wedding vows. The academic essay is formal
because it includes polished speech, complex sentences, and precise vocabulary. The wedding
vows are an example of extremely formal language that must be said the same way each time as
part of a ritual.
There are also varieties of informal registers. Informal language occurs between people who know
each other well and who speak without trying to be 'proper'. Sometimes this includes speaking in
slang and other times it's simply a more casual delivery. For example, you might say, 'Could you
bring us more coffee, please?' to a waiter at a fancy restaurant, but at your favorite hangout you
might say, 'Can I get a little more coffee here?' when you've reached the bottom of your cup.

Register & Literature

Register is often used to create a unique tone or style in a literary work. Literary language does not
have to be formal. In fact, it can use formal and informal registers at any time. Sometimes, it uses
both.

Register & Fiction

In the case of fiction, register informs the style of narration. It is also important in dialogue between
characters. A narrator can take a distanced stance and sound very formal and objective. However,
when a character speaks, his or her register can depend on what defines him or her, such as
gender, social class, or cultural background. Let's look at an example from the second chapter of
Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities:
The Dover mail was in its usual genial position that the guard suspected the passengers, the
passengers suspected one another and the guard, they all suspected everybody else, and the
coachman was sure of nothing but the horses; as to which cattle he could with a clear conscience
have taken his oath on the two Testaments that they were not fit for the journey.
'Wo-ho!' said the coachman. 'So, then! One more pull and you're at the top and be damned to you,
for I have had trouble enough to get you to it!--Joe!'
'Halloa!' the guard replied.
In this passage, the first paragraph objectively sets the scene for the dialogue between the
coachman and the guard and uses a formal literary tone. When the coachman speaks to the guard,
though, he uses a casual form of speech, including mild swearing. The coachman's informal register
and use of vulgar language implies that he does not have a high position in society.

colloquial (style)
 Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms
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 J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951) is narrated in a colloquial style. (Fine Art
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by Richard Nordquist

Updated October 31, 2016

DEFINITION

The term colloquial refers to a style of writing that conveys the effect of informal
spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English. Noun: colloquialism.
Also called a conversational style.

A colloquial style is commonly used, for example, in dialogue, informal emails,

and text messages.

See Examples and Observations below. Also see:

 Colloquialization
 Conversation, Conversationalization, and Informalization

 Informal Style
 Levels of Usage
 Lionel Trilling on Mark Twain's Colloquial Prose Style
 Notes on Contractions in English
  "On Familiar Style" by William Hazlitt
 Vernacular
 Voice
 Word Lengthening

Etymology
From the Latin, "conversation"

EXAMPLES AND OBSERVATIONS

 "Many great writers have been extraordinarily awkward in daily exchange,

but the greatest give the impression that their style was nursed by the
closest attention to colloquial speech.”
(Thornton Wilder, interview in Writers at Work: First Series, ed. by
Malcolm Cowley, 1958)
 "I find a conversational tone in writing—as in telephoning—carries further
than shouting."
(James Gibbons Huneker, letter to Emma Eames, 1913)
 Mark Twain's Colloquial Style
- "Out of his knowledge of the actual speech of America Mark Twain forged
a classic prose. . . . [Twain] is the master of the style that escapes the fixity
of the printed page, that sounds in our ears with the immediacy of the
heard voice, the very voice of unpretentious truth."
(Lionel Trilling, The Liberal Imagination, 1950)

- "We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off
sleepiness. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big, still river, laying
on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didn't ever feel like talking
loud, and it warn't often that we laughed—only a little kind of a low
chuckle. We had mighty good weather as a general thing, and nothing ever
happened to us at all—that night, nor the next, nor the next."
(Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884)

 George Orwell's Colloquial Style

- "There is not much to do with [George] Orwell's novels except read them.
Nor is there much to be said about his style. It
was colloquial in diction and sinewy in construction; it aimed
at clarity and unobtrusiveness and achieved both."
(Richard H. Rovere, Introduction to The Orwell Reader, 1961)

- "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
(George Orwell, opening sentence of the novel 1984, 1949)

 Joseph Epstein on the Conversational Style in Essays

"While there is no firmly set, single style for the essayist, styles varying
with each particular essayist, the best general description of essayistic style
was written in 1827 by William Hazlitt in his essay 'Familiar Style.' 'To
write a genuine familiar or truly English style,' Hazlitt wrote, 'is to write as
any one would speak in common conversation who had a thorough
command and choice of words, or who could discourse with ease, force,
and perspicuity, setting aside all pedantic and oratorical flourishes.' The
 style of the essayist is that of an extremely intelligent, highly
commonsensical person talking, without stammer and with
impressive coherence, to himself or herself and to anyone else who cares to
eavesdrop. This self-reflexivity, this notion of talking to oneself, has always
seemed to me to mark the essay off from the lecture. The lecturer is always
teaching; so, too, frequently is the critic. If the essayist does so, it is usually
only indirectly."
(Joseph Epstein, Introduction. The Best American Essays 1993. Ticknor &
Fields, 1993)
 The Downside of Breeziness
- "Breeziness has become for many the literary mode of first resort, a
ready-to-wear means to seeming fresh and authentic. The style is catchy,
and catching, like any other fashion. Writers should be cautious with this
or any other stylized jauntiness—especially young writers, to whom
the tone tends to come easily. The colloquial writer seeks intimacy, but
the discerning reader, resisting that friendly hand on the shoulder, that
winning grin, is apt to back away."
(Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd, Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction.
Random House, 2013)

- "Writing in a conversational style does not mean 'write like you talk.'
To do that would be bad writing—wordy, repetitive, disorganized. A
conversational style is a default style, a drafting style, or point of departure
that can serve as a consistent foundation for your writing. It is the style of a
painter doing sketches for a painting, not the painting itself."
(Robert Saba, Composing to Communicate. Cengage, 2017)

 Colloquial Like
"Here’s my latest reminder on the use and misuse of 'like.'

"Using 'like' as a conjunction, to introduce a full clause, is common in

casual conversation. But this colloquial construction grates on the ear of
many sophisticated readers, and we should generally avoid it.

"And yet . . . it’s never hard to find new examples:

At 92, Mr. Harman looks and sounds like he is 72, and he is determined to
keep it that way.

Such an easy fix here, and shorter, too: 'At 92, Mr. Harman looks and
sounds 72.'"
(Philip B. Corbett, "The Trouble With ‘Like.’" The New York Times, Aug.
31, 2010)

Pronunciation: co-LOW-kwee-ul