Edexcel iGCSE English Language A: Text Analysis Terms for Media Non-fiction

What does GAP stand for?

Genre - what are you writing?

Audience - Who are you writing for?

Purpose - why are you writing it?

What does CLIFFS DEEP stand for?

Conversation
Layout
I and we
Figures/statistics
Fact distortion
Selective
Dialogue
Exaggeration
Emotive
Persuasive and personal

Technique: Conversational tone
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader: engage the reader
addresses the reader personally to make it seem more personal
make it feel that whatever the writing is about affects you directly
chatty, informal tone

Technique: Layout
Effect on reader:
Examples:

Effect on reader: Headline or title draw you in, get attention
makes it easy to find information
Quick sense of what it is all about (from headings/bold etc)
Examples: bullet points, sub headings, pictures, bold and italic text, larger font sizes (headline/title)

Techniques: I and we
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader:
First person, addresses the reader personally
assumes the reader shares the view of the writer
Issue affects us directly

Techniques:Figures/Statistics
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader:
Makes writing seem factual
Readers tend not to question the truth of the figures but believe them implicitly
Makes the writing appear scientific

Technique: Fact distortion (presenting opinion as fact)
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader:
present the writing from their own view point or bias
makes opinions seem like facts
influence the reader to believe the writers point of view

Technique: Selective (about facts they include)
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader: to control the impression the reader has about something
to get the reader to believe or agree with the writers point of view
to present a certain view of events

Technique:Dialogue (using quotes)
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader: to support one side of the story
to give a personal opinion
Quoting experts gives credence/belivability to their viewpoint
Can bring someone's feelings vividly to life

Technique:Exaggeration
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader: Providing facts but exaggerating facts to sway reader to a certain viewpoint

Technique:Emotive language
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader: illicit particular emotional response (anger, cancer, sympathy etc_
Newspapers often use emotive language (in headlines) to grab readers attention

Technique:Persuasive and personal
Effect on reader:

Effect on reader: to get the reader to agree with their viewpoint or to present a certain viewpoint
Humour or irony can be use to poke fun at some one or to make them out to be wrong