Non-Fiction Terms for Constructed Response and Essay Analysis students will be expected to know, recognize and apply these concepts and terms to analyse an unseen essay.
Style: The way a writer puts words on the page. The way he/she uses punctuation, grammar, diction, sentence structure, etc.
Formal: The write uses proper grammar and follows the rules of writing. There are no short cuts (contractions, slang, etc) Informal: The write uses a more relaxed grammar. Sentence structures may vary as well as the creative use of grammar and punctuation. This writing can be more conversational.
Colloquuial language or slang which is the use of a more informal language to establish a conversational, informal tone that the author uses to draw readers in. It also adds dramatic flair and a distinct voice to writing which makes it memorable and engaging.
Subjective: The author s personal feelings and biases are strongly evident. Objective: The writer just presents the information without bias or personal opinion. Strongly relies on facts and logic. Introspective: Often seen in personal essays or narratives. This is a process by which the writer looks inward and discusses what he/she has learned from an experience.
Tone: How the author feels about his/her subject matter. This is often identified by the author s use of diction (word choice).
Reminiscence: Often seen in personal essays or narratives. This is a process by which the writer looks back over the past, recalling another time, place or incident and discusses what happened. Often associated with positive connotations.
Coherence -The logical flow of ideas in a piece of writing from sentence to sentence and from paragraph to paragraph. The ideas are ordered so that they are easy to follow
The following techniques can help to achieve coherence in a piece of writing: 1. Use of transitions (words, phrases and sentences) 2. Pronoun/antecedent references 3. Repetition of key words and ideas from one sentence to another (consecutive sentences) 4. Use of parallel structure (creates a sense of rhythm and flow an anticipation or expectation of what comes next.)
Unity - Unity refers to the creation of a focus on a single topic or theme. When a piece of writing is unified, a sense of oneness of idea is created.
The following techniques can help to achieve unity in a piece of writing: 1. Closing by Return 2. Purposeful repetition of key words, ideas, images etc.(throughout the essay- you must supply at least three references from beginning/middle ending of the essay) 3. Use of topic sentences in each paragraph which refer to the thesis. Each paragraph contains detail and examples which support the topic sentence - hence the thesis.
Emphasis -Emphasis suggests the placement of the most important ideas in key positions in the essay. It refers to the stress, force or importance the writer gives a word, sentence, thought, or idea. When a writer uses an emphatic device he/she is assigning value and weight to the words, sentences, thoughts, and paragraphs.
The following are some emphatic devices used by writers: 1. Use of purposeful repetition 2. Sentence structure (Brevity, Fragments, Rhetorical question...) 3. Use of Punctuation 4. Use of Font 5. Use of parallel structure 6. Sentence Placement 7. Unusual Expression (figures of speech) or particularly effective diction