Text Types Revision

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

Text types revision:

Diary entry

context, audience, purpose 

* the overall context may be assumed to be the writer's own life - but the question will probably set some particular situation around which the entry should be invented e.g. 'you have had an argument with a good friend'. (In exams, whether or not the "writer's own life" is the student's real one, or is completely invented, does not matter at all - it merely has to be credible.)

context, audience, purpose 

* the question of 'audience' is the key distinction perceived by IB between 'diary' and 'journal' - a diary is assumed to be essentially private i.e. written for the author's eyes only; whereas a journal may be written for possibly public reading (e.g. a scientist's journal of experiments and data-collection).

context, audience, purpose 

* the purpose will generally be to 'record' some experiences of personal significance - but what sorts of experiences are required will be indicated in the question. One way of stating the distinction between the two text types is that a diary is anecdotal (dealing with intimate personal feelings) while a journal is intellectual (dealing with personal reactions to more public concepts and arguments).

register and tone 

* will use a generally informal register

* the tone will be personal, frank and open
    - e.g. emotions may be described clearly and with feeling

conventions

* will use first person narration

* will have a closing statement to round off the entry

* will avoid self-evident explanatory phrases or sentences, e.g. will use “I saw Alicia”, not “I saw Alicia, my best friend”

* will include the date and/or day

Appropriate?

A Diary (private) / Journal will be appropriate if the task requires you to express your personal thoughts and feelings: to reflect on some situation of your life. This sort of writing is essentially private - normally, you don't expect to publish what you write and make your thoughts public. So, the audience is yourself, and the purpose is to clarify your own thoughts.

Not to be confused with...

... 'email' or 'blog' ... An 'email' is not private, but is usually restricted to the person to whom you are writing. You want to share your personal thoughts and feelings, perhaps about something that has just happened to you, but only through a private conversation limited to a friend. A 'blog' is essentially a very public sort of journal - you intend to present some of your personal ideas in a lively entertaining way to a general, undefined audience. You want to entertain, and hook your (unknown) audience by your interesting, even provocative, opinions and experiences.

Basic Format:

- Heading : a diary entry will use a date; or dates, if multiple entries ('Dear Diary' is unbelievable!)

- Conclusion : there is nothing conventional to end a diary entry (possibly something along the lines of "more tomorrow"?)

- Lucid paragraphing : While one can think of real examples of diaries which ignore basic paragraphing, students writing an exam script should be expected to show that they understand that sensible paragraphing aids clarity.

Approach:

- Address : being essentially private, diaries have no convention of address, but the best examples give a sense of the writer conversing with himself / herself ("As usual, I'm thinking of..."; "Why do I always...")

- Register : informality enriched with sophistication - since diaries are personal, some informality can be expected in register and rhetoric, but higher marks will go to exam scripts which combine colloquialism with dashes of complex phrasing and effects.

Approach:

- Organisation - What should govern the effective organisation of a diary?

- even if a diary is a (more) private reflection, an exam script can still be expected to show a clear and organised flow of ideas. This may include :

•  control of narration – the diary is usually set to address a narrative of some sort, so effective explanation and control of the events is expected
  
• narration plus comment – what distinguishes the diary from other forms of narrative is that the diarist reflects on the events and draws personal conclusions.

Text types revision:

Blog

context, audience, purpose 

* the context will usually be set out in the question e.g. the issue which is to inspire the blog entry

context, audience, purpose 

* the audience may be assumed to be people interested in the subject matter OR (youngish?) internet-interested people

context, audience, purpose 

* the generic purpose of blogs is to interest / entertain / amuse / be provocative & stimulating - in general, NOT solemn

register and tone 

* will use a semi-formal to informal register

* the usual tone will be personal - chatty, direct and unpretentious

conventions

* will include first person statement and/or narration

* will seek to engage the reader, eg through direct address, a lively and interesting style etc

* will use 'typical blog techniques' e.g. a provocative closing statement, leading to an invitation to comment / response

* will have an interesting, catchy title for the entry

Appropriate?

A blog will be appropriate if the task requires you to present a set of your personal ideas in a lively entertaining way to a general, undefined audience. You don't know who might find your blog on the internet, but you want them to be hooked by your interesting, even provocative, opinions and experiences.

Not to be confused with...

'article' or 'opinion column' or 'essay' ... an 'article' is intended to present detailed and interesting information about a defined subject to a general audience; and the information should be explained in a clear, fair and reasonably objective way (the journalist has a 'duty to inform'). An 'opinion column' will usually be focused on one particular issue, which should be explained convincingly and your final opinion argued reasonably, even if it is a very subjective point of view. An 'essay' is supposed to be a methodical and objective review of arguments, based on solid factual evidence, and reaching a logical conclusion (which is not the same as just a quick opinion).

In addition, both 'opinion column' and 'essay' are likely to have more defined audiences - 'opinion column' = the audience of the publication in which it appears; 'essay' = thoughtful, educated people, rather than just anybody.

Basic Format:

- Heading : a Blog will have a title (perhaps quirky, witty) - there will be a title for the blog as a whole, but also (more significantly) a title for the individual entry

- Conclusion : a Blog will usually end with a request for comment / responses from the readers ; Diary - nothing conventional (possibly something along the lines of "more tomorrow"?)

- Lucid paragraphing : While one can think of real examples of blogs which ignore basic paragraphing, students writing an exam script should be expected to show that they understand that sensible paragraphing aids clarity.

Approach:

 - address : blogs set out to have regular readers, so are likely to have touches of direct address ("As you regular readers know ...")

- register : informality enriched with sophistication - if both text types are personal, some informality can be expected in register and rhetoric, but higher marks will go to exam scripts which combine colloquialism with dashes of complex phrasing and effects.

Approach:

- organisation - What should govern the effective organisation of a blog?

-> if a blog is a 'public statement', ideas can be expected to be organised to show some evident + consistent purpose

• since blogs very often present an opinion or an argument, the ideas should be (reasonably) methodically organised
• where the opinion is based on an anecdote or experience, this should be narrated clearly

 

Approach:

- style - the three aspects described above all add up to the notion that a good blog should have a recognisable and expressive personal style. Put another way, this means a recognisable and engaging 'voice' 

Text types revision:

Speech

context, audience, purpose 

* the context will describe a situation in which a particular type of message is to be communicated orally - this situation will not only specify the type of audience, but also the expected behaviour of the audience (e.g. whether the audience expects simply to be informed, or to be challenged, or required to make a choice...etc). The subject matter, and how it is best presented, will also be influenced by this general context

context, audience, purpose 

* the audience can generally be assumed to be reasonably educated and informed, and capable of understanding sophisticated language (unless some particular audience is specified in the task)

context, audience, purpose 

* the purpose of the text will be some mixture of 'inform' and 'persuade' (with perhaps a good dash of 'amuse & entertain' for rhetorical purposes!)

register and tone 

* will use a semi-formal to informal register

* will have an appropriately serious tone

conventions

* will address the audience and keep contact with them throughout (eg use         of “we” and “you” etc)

* will set out to catch the audience’s attention at the beginning, and leave a        clear impression at the end

* will include elements of speech rhetoric eg rhetorical questions, repetition       etc.

Appropriate?

A Speech / Presentation will be appropriate if the task requires you to present your ideas personally, on a public occasion. The task will usually make clear the context and the audience (for example, talking about a major change in your school, to an audience of fellow students). It will be appropriate to make a speech if you are required to interest, or motivate, or inspire your audience, by using vivid rhetoric and direct interaction with the audience. 

Not to be confused with...

''opinion column' or 'proposal' or 'brochure / leaflet' 

* an 'opinion column' is usually focused on one particular issue, which is explained convincingly and the final opinion argued reasonably - and because an opinion column is read, it is more appropriate for quiet reflection, rather than the dramatic persuasion expected in a speech.
* a 'proposal' is intended to present some kind of project formally, based on facts and figures, for serious discussion with a particular audience. 

* a 'brochure / leaflet' may be used to present your ideas, but rather if you want the ideas to reach a wider group of people than could attend a speech

Basic Format:

- 'address' established : direct address to audience at the beginning

- 'address' maintained : use of the pronouns 'you' and 'we' to maintain direct      links with the audience ? … and/or, how consistently?

- clear opening / introduction : statement of purpose

- appropriate closing / conclusion : summary of case / point

Approach:

> 'MAP' Does the student aid the audience's understanding by giving an early summary, or 'map', of what is going to be said?

Approach:

> 'MAP' Does the student aid the audience's understanding by giving an early summary, or 'map', of what is going to be said?

> lucid development: How clearly does the script present ideas in order to explain, and/or impress? This will be based on sensible paragraphing, but the paragraphs should be emphasised and supported by 'oral paragraphing' i.e. cohesive phrases which will convey structure in speech. 

Approach:

> 'MAP' Does the student aid the audience's understanding by giving an early summary, or 'map', of what is going to be said?

> lucid development: How clearly does the script present ideas in order to explain, and/or impress? This will be based on sensible paragraphing, but the paragraphs should be emphasised and supported by 'oral paragraphing' i.e. cohesive phrases which will convey structure in speech. 

> cohesive devices: How clear is the use of sequence markers to guide the audience? 

Sequence Markers

Approach:

> opening & closing: How forcefully does the script catch the audience's attention at the beginning, and leave a clear impression at the end?

Approach:

> opening & closing: How forcefully does the script catch the audience's attention at the beginning, and leave a clear impression at the end?

> rhetoric: To what extent, and how effectively, are common rhetorical techniques used? Such as – rhetorical question … references … metaphorical tropes … irony … exaggeration (understatement?) ... etc etc

Rhetoric

First of all, remember ‘ethos, pathos and logos’? They are needed in speeches too, if you can’t remember what they were, look it up. 

Furthermore, you should be able to use some other rhetoric too:

- Tricolon: ‘rule of three’. Three parallel words, clauses or phrases which come in quick                        succession, without any interruption. Eg. “I came, I saw, I conquered”

- Anaphora: ‘repetition’. “If there’s a child…., If there’s a senior citizen, If there’s….”

- Antithesis: showing contrast. “There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America,                 there’s the United States of America.”

Obama at Tucson

The power of language

There are moments when language changes life - when the course of events is changed by choosing the right words at the right moment.

It would appear that such a moment happened on Wednesday 12 January 2011 in Tucson, Arizona, when President Barack Obama gave a speech to commemorate the victims of a massacre outside a local supermarket the previous Saturday.

                                                                                                                                       (hand-out)