the prime suspects

The Prime Suspects

Study focus for Textual Analysis

NAB

Understanding

Own words questions are a given. They are a straight forward way to check your understanding.

Remember Context is also a big possibility.

But you should also be able to use context skills to work out any word that you don’t know.

Try These1) “Johnny was constantly picked on by

Frank.”Q. Why doesn’t Johnny like Frank.

2) “There had been civil unrest in the country for a long time. Revolt was imminent.”

Q. What problems did he country have?

Contrast

It’s a favourite!

It may be contrast in people, objects or emotions.

Contrast“The great hall was vast and lavish. Marble floors met with marble pillars over which hung heavy red-velvet curtains. Colin placed his small, worn leather suitcase on the cold ground and straightened his drab tweed jacket.”

Objects “The shining golden box was carved

with busy designs and encrusted with jewels. It had obviously been lovingly polished every day. However, upon opening the lid one was faced with a baron, scabby lining; the threads were frayed on the black material. Nothing had been there in some time.”

Emotion“The children of the slum were overjoyed with their gift. The played joyously with the football as the reporter looked on from the sidelines. She was elated, but also overcome with guilt.”

AMBIVELANCE

Word Choice and Impressions Sometimes we are asked to analyse the

characters in a text by looking at what they say, or the words used to describe them.

E.g Kind-hearted Serious Bossy/Pompous/

Condescending Sympathetic Easy-going

Looking at Dialogue

“Sit yourself down George, you made the tea last time!”

“George, aren’t you a little too old to do housework?”

Word ChoiceConnotations and Denotations-a-go-go!

Identify what the word refers to; is it an attitude, a personality, movement? Etc

What associations do you have with the word?

Use the success criteria to answer.

Example “Robert was striding down the street to

work – the promotion was inevitable.”

Word: “Striding” (Denotation: Walking) Connotations: taking long confident steps. Robert is self-assured, confident and proud

(because he knows he is doing well at work)

Try: “As he stood outside Miss McGlinchey’s

door, the boy was quaking in his boots.”

“She was swift and sprightly.”

“As he passed yet another charity fund collector, it was clear that he was a miserly man.”

“He sped off to catch the killer, not knowing that someone was lumbering behind him.”

Continuing the Idea This is generally where the writer

starts off with a fairly simple or straightforward statement and continues the idea or theme through explanation or example.

Examples “She was a clumsy girl; she was like a bear

trying to peel a banana, always dropping things and fidgeting.”

“The war between the peoples had raged on for a long time. Decades had passed and guns had become just another accessory, they bodies on the roadside were only so much more rubbish.”

Tone – ‘Why so Serious?’ Remember: tone shows attitude.

Is the attitude positive or negative?

Persuasive, humorous,formal, argumentativeetc.

Spotting Them Argumentative – it’s probably going to involve anger and

exclamation marks. Does the writer feel passionate about the subject?

Humour – sometimes tricky to spot. Look for absurd images or ideas, sarcasm or good old fashion ‘taking the rip’.

Persuasive – Often uses rhetorical questions. Is the writer trying to get you to think the way they do or to agree with them? Do they want you to take action?

Formal – do they sound like they’re at a board meeting? Formal language will be very proper. It won’t address the reader in a conversational manner and no slang will be used.

Sentence Structure Revise your punctuation stuff.

Pay particular attention to repetition, colons, semi-colons, rhetorical questions and exclamation marks.