Who tells it, and how it's written: Two questions unlock almost any literary extract for the HL oral.
The two questions
- ¿Quién narra? Who is telling the story: the narrative voice / point of view.
- ¿Cómo está escrito? How it's written: the tone, register and devices.
- The plot tells you what happens; voice and style tell you how the author makes you feel it.
- la voz narrativa
- the narrative voice — who is telling the story
- el punto de vista
- the point of view (first/third person, what they can see)
- el/la narrador(a)
- the narrator (the voice inside the work — not the author)
- el estilo
- the style — the author's characteristic way of writing
- el tono
- the tone — the attitude/feeling the writing gives off (sad, ironic, tender…)
- el registro
- the register — formal, informal, poetic, colloquial language
- el recurso literario
- the literary device (metaphor, simile, image…)
- el lenguaje figurado
- figurative (non-literal) language
Voice + style work together: Think of the work as a voice speaking in a particular style. The voice decides whose eyes you see through; the style — tone, register and devices — decides what the words make you feel. In the oral, comment on both.
La voz / el punto de vista
- ¿quién narra? — 1ª o 3ª persona
- ¿cuánto sabe el narrador?
El tono y el registro
- el tono — triste, irónico, tierno…
- el registro — formal, coloquial, poético
Los recursos
- metáfora, símil, imagen
- símbolo, personificación
Why this matters: When your teacher asks ¿cómo describirías el estilo del autor?, a strong answer names the voice (who narrates), the tone, and one device — with a short quotation. This micro gives you the vocabulary to do exactly that.
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First step: spot the pronouns: To find the narrative voice, look at the pronouns and verb endings. This one check answers ¿quién narra? almost every time.
The pronoun check
- A yo / me / mi voice is first person.
- A él / ella / Clara voice is third person.
| Tipo de narrador (Spanish) | How to spot it / what it can see |
|---|---|
| narrador en primera persona (yo) | Uses yo, me, mi; a character tells their own story — sees only what they know. |
| narrador en tercera persona (él/ella) | Uses él, ella, su; an outside voice tells the story of others. |
| narrador omnisciente | Third person that knows everything, including characters' thoughts and feelings. |
| narrador testigo | A character who watches the events but isn't the main one (a witness). |
Omniscient = lo sabe todo: An omniscient narrator (narrador omnisciente) can enter any character's mind: Lucía sonreía, pero por dentro tenía miedo. If the narrator tells you a character's hidden feelings, the voice is omniscient.
Primera persona (yo)
- **Aquella tarde *bajé* a la playa *sin* decir nada.**
- Solo sé lo que sabe el narrador.
- Más íntimo, más subjetivo.
Tercera persona (él/ella)
- **Aquella tarde *bajó* a la playa *sin* decir nada.**
- Puede saber más que un personaje (omnisciente).
- Más distante, más panorámico.
Name the voice precisely: Don't just say third person. Say narrador en tercera persona omnisciente or narrador en primera persona — the precise label shows you understand point of view.
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The five devices you'll actually use: You don't need a long list. These five cover almost everything an oral asks about. Learn the Spanish name, the rule, and a tiny example for each.
- la metáfora
- metaphor — calls one thing another directly: el tiempo es un ladrón (time is a thief)
- el símil / la comparación
- simile — compares with como: fiel como un perro (faithful as a dog)
- la imagen / las imágenes
- imagery — vivid sensory detail (sight, sound, smell): olía a café y a lluvia
- el símbolo / el simbolismo
- symbol/symbolism — an object that stands for an idea: el mar = la libertad / el tiempo
- la personificación
- personification — gives human traits to a thing: el mar respiraba (the sea breathed)
Metáfora vs símil — the one rule: A símil uses como (or parecía): fiel como un perro. A metáfora drops the como and says it is the thing: el tiempo es un ladrón. If you see como, it's a simile; if not, it's a metaphor.
Extracto — La orilla (1/2): El mar respiraba despacio aquella tarde, como un animal viejo que ya no tiene prisa por nada. Lucía caminaba por la orilla con los zapatos en la mano y la cabeza llena de cosas que no quería pensar.
Extracto — La orilla (2/2)
Las olas le lamían los pies y volvían a marcharse, fieles como perros. El cielo, gris y pesado, parecía una manta a punto de caer sobre el pueblo. Hoy también, se dijo, el día se irá sin pedirme permiso.
- respirar
- to breathe
- la orilla
- the shore
- lamer
- to lick
- fiel
- faithful / loyal
- la manta
- the blanket
- pesado/a
- heavy
IB-style task — identificar los recursos del extracto
Qué recursos hay, paso a paso
- Personificación. El mar respiraba despacio… como un animal viejo gives the sea a human/animal action — it breathes. The sea is made to feel alive and tired.
- Símil. como un animal viejo and fieles como perros use como — these are similes: the sea is like an old animal, the waves like faithful dogs.
- Imagen / metáfora. El cielo… parecía una manta a punto de caer sobre el pueblo is a vivid image (a metaphor of the sky as a heavy blanket) that creates a feeling of pressure and gloom — it matches Lucía's mood.
- El tono. All these devices build a tono melancólico (a melancholy, weary tone): a tired sea, a heavy sky, a day that leaves sin pedirme permiso. Naming the tone ties the devices together.
Device-spotting technique: Use the same move as for close reading: name the device → quote it → say its effect. «Es una personificación — «el mar respiraba» — que hace que el mar parezca vivo y cansado.» Name, quote, effect.
Add voice & style to your extract sheet: When you prepare an extract for the oral, record its voice and style alongside theme and character. Three quick notes turn a description into analysis.
What to note about voice & style — 4 steps
1
La voz narrativa
1ª or 3ª person? Omniscient? narrador en tercera persona omnisciente.
2
El tono y el registro
One adjective for the feeling + the register. tono melancólico, registro poético.
3
Un recurso con su cita
Name ONE device you can quote. «personificación: «el mar respiraba»».
4
El efecto
What the device/voice does to the reader. hace que el paisaje refleje el estado de ánimo de Lucía.
Voz → Tono → Recurso → Efecto
| Para decir en el oral | Ejemplo de frase |
|---|---|
| nombrar la voz | La obra está narrada en tercera persona omnisciente. |
| nombrar el tono | El tono es melancólico y reflexivo. |
| nombrar un recurso + cita | «El autor usa la personificación: «el mar respiraba».» |
| explicar el efecto | Esto hace que el paisaje refleje los sentimientos del personaje. |
One sentence per element, in Spanish: Keep the notes as ready-made Spanish sentences you can speak: voz, tono, un recurso, efecto. Four short sentences are enough to discuss the style of any extract confidently.
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Name devices precisely, comment on effect: Marks are lost when students mix up the devices, confuse narrator with author, or name a device without saying what it does. Compare the habits that work with the ones that don't.
Haz esto (do)
- Distingue símil (con **como**) de metáfora (sin **como**).
- Di **el narrador**, no **el autor**, para la voz.
- Nombra el recurso, cítalo y explica su efecto.
- Da el tono con un adjetivo: **tono irónico**.
Evita esto (avoid)
- Llamar **metáfora** a todo recurso figurado.
- Decir **el autor narra en primera persona**.
- Nombrar un recurso sin decir qué hace.
- Confundir el tono (sentimiento) con el tema (idea).
Símil ≠ metáfora; narrador ≠ autor: Two classic slips: (1) if it has como, it's a símil, not a metaphor; (2) the yo of a first-person novel is the narrador, never el autor. Get these two right and your style comments instantly sound expert.