Dramatic Techniques

noun a break or pause in a line of poetry, usually occurring in the middle of a verse

• The poet used a caesura to create a pause in the middle of the line.
• I stumbled over the caesura in the poem because I wasn't sure where to pause.
• I totally missed that caesura in the song lyrics because I was too busy dancing.
• The sudden silence in the conversation acted like a caesura, emphasizing the tension in the room.

noun a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result

• The irony of the situation is that the man who never wanted children ended up being the best father.
• It's ironic how the weather forecast said it would be sunny all day, but it's been raining non-stop.
• The irony of the whole thing is that she said she hated drama, but she's always in the middle of it.
• The irony of life is that sometimes the people who claim to care the most are the ones who hurt you the most.

noun Sotto voce is also a noun referring to speaking in a quiet voice or whisper.

adverb Sotto voce is an adverb that means in a quiet voice or whisper.

• She whispered sotto voce to her colleague during the meeting.
• He muttered sotto voce about the boring presentation.
• They gossiped sotto voce about the new employee.
• The wind whispered sotto voce through the trees.

verb to address someone or something in an exclamatory or emotional manner, often using an apostrophe

• The professor would often apostrophize certain literary works during his lectures.
• She likes to apostrophize old movies when she watches them with her friends.
• I don't know why he always apostrophizes everything he talks about.
• The artist's paintings seem to apostrophize the beauty of nature.