USING LANGUAGE TO PERSUADETEXT TYPES REVISION

Text TypesMemorise the features and you won’t go wrong in the SAC or exam

It is important that you accurately identify the type of text and continue to refer to it by the correct type throughout your essay

When you see this star- label your A3 sheets

Most Common Persuasive TextsEditorial

Opinion ArticleLetter to the EditorCartoon PhotographBlogSpeech

‘Other’ TextsNews Report

Feature Article

Key TermsByline: indicates who an article is written by. Often found under the headline or at the end of an article. AAP or AP: Australia Associated Press or Associated Press. This indicates the article was not written by the paper itself, but taken directly from a free news service available to all media outlets to use.

Key TermsPull Quote: a quote that has been repeated in bold, larger text in the middle of an article to draw attention to it

Blog: a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.

Pull Quote

Background information

In the exam and the SAC, you will be given background information on the issue. It is important

that you read it. You do NOT need to analyse this, but it could help to write your introduction or understand

the issue.

EditorialCommonly has the paper’s masthead at the top

No writer’s name is listed

Longer piece of writing

Written by the editor or a senior journalist (or team of journalists)

Offers the newspaper’s official opinion on a current issue

Has a headline

Masthead

Headline

Opinion Piece

Has a headlineA longer piece of writingHas a bylineGenerally written by a senior journalist, a columnist or an expert on the issue not employed by the paper An expert will have their credentials listed

Byline

Headline

Expert’s credentials

A photogra

ph indicates that this

is a regular column

Letter to the EditorWritten by a member of the public about a current issue, or something that has annoyed themMay have a headline, but not always. This has been added by the paper.The writer and their suburb is listed at the end.If the writer is knowledgable on an issue, a credential may also be listed at the end

Writer Suburb

Headline

Letters to the Editor: FYI

The information in the brackets indicates that this letter is in response to an article or piece previously written about in the paper. Sometimes, you won’t be given that article, so you have to make assumptions in regard to what the article was about from the information you have been given

CartoonMakes a satirical (form of comedy) comment on a current issue

Remember to describe what is drawn, as well as discussing any dialogue

Often relate to politics (many are called political cartoons)

Some Australian Cartoonists

Mark KnightRon TandbergMichael LeunigCathy WilcoxJohn SpoonerPaul Zanetti

PhotographsWill accompany an article

May have more than one photo composited together

Discuss the content and point of focus

Look for the little thingseg: it is important to mention that this photo of the West Gate Bridge shows lots of cars on it, signifying how many people could have been killed by a bomb Two photos composited together

Photographs

Look out for the caption, it could contain important information Describe facial expressions of subjectsColour is also very important

Caption

Compare the facial expressions in this

image, what kind of story

do they tell?

Photo alterationsSeveral newspapers were sued over running altered photos of Martin Bryant, the killer from the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996.This act is illegal, newspapers are NOT allowed to photoshop pictures in this manner. SO…. don’t talk about a photo being ‘photoshopped’

FYI

Next Thursday I will run a session (same time, same place) discussing how to analyse photographs and cartoons: what to look for etc.

Blog

Looks like a web pageMay or may not be a journalist writing the pieceCould have pictures included, don’t ignore them!!!

These features indicate that the

piece being analysed is a

blog

Blog

May also have comments at the bottom. Analyse these too, in comparison to the article.

In the 2011 exam, students needed

to analyse a blog, a photograph, a

poster and comments in

response to the blog

Speech or PresentationYou will analyse the transcript of the speech

Will often say it’s a speech in the ‘background info’

Often introduces the speaker underneath the heading

Speaker may use personal pronouns

Speech or Presentation

You may also have to analyse images used in a presentation that accompanies the speech

NewsletterWill generally have a company or organisation logo

May include an issue number

Usually written by people close to the issue or experts

Writer not always listed

NewsletterRemember to analyse everything that you are presented with, including heading, pictures, graphs, as well as the writing!

AdvertisementCombination of text (both heading and smaller) and imagesCompany logo or product name visible

Other TextsNews Reports and Feature Articles are two of the most regular pieces included in newspapers and magazines. These are mostly informational reports. News Reports are not designed to persuade you of anything, journalist must be unbiased on an issue.Sometimes, a Feature Article will be on a current issue, so will contain elements of persuasion.

News ReportWill always have a headline

May have subheading

Will have a byline (or AAP/AP) listing the writer

Regularly accompanied with photographs

Informational only, it won’t try to convince you of anything

Feature Article

Longer piece of writing (often several pages long)May have several sections (eg: a history, different points of view)Often contains subheadings or questionsUses lots of visualsRarely in weekday papers, mostly in pull out sections on the weekend

This is only part of a feature article