National 5
Reading for Understanding,
Analysis and Evaluation
(close reading)
In order to analyse a piece of writing
successfully, you must consider four key
questions:
•
•
•
•
Why has the author written the piece?
What is the writer saying?
How is he or she saying it?
How effective is the piece?
Purpose
Why has the author written the piece?
Writing has many purposes, e.g.:
• To give information
• To entertain
• To record/share experiences
• To express feelings
• To complain/disagree with something
• To explain something
• To promote a product or service
• To analyse/comment on a topic
• To present a balanced view of two sides of an
argument
Register
• A writer will use a register that is appropriate to
his or her purpose.
• The word ‘register’ describes a form of language
used in particular circumstances.
• Sentence structures and word choice make up a
register.
• E.g. A piece of writing containing many Scottish
words would be appropriate for a Scottish
newspaper, but would be unlikely to appear in a
paper read throughout the UK.
• Depending on the purpose of the text, the
register might comprise formal academic
language.
• E.g. Legal language, medical terminology.
• For other purposes, informal and slang words
might be used.
Slang
• colloquial expression that is unacceptable in
formal language.
• E.g. ‘loads of stuff’ instead of ‘many things’.
• Slang is often particular to a an age group or
period of time.
Tone
• One important aspect of register is tone.
• Tone refers to the manner in which a piece is
written, and the attitude of the writer that
this reveals.
• The tone can be personal or impersonal.
If the tone is personal:
• The writer’s personality and personal
experiences may come over strongly.
• The word ‘I’ is likely to appear frequently.
• The writer’s thoughts and feelings will be
expressed.
• For example:
4 Main Street
Anytown
10th July
Dear Julie,
How’re you? I just have to tell
you about my holiday! What a
disaster! I though it’d never
end!
If the tone is impersonal:
• The writer will not reveal anything about the
writer.
• The writing is likely to concentrate on facts
and information.
• Ideas will be expressed without revealing the
writer’s own feelings.
• For example:
The Ming dynasty of China was
established in 1368 by Chu Yuan
Chang. It lasted until 1644 when
it was superseded by the rule of
the Manchus.
• You must consider if the writer is being
serious, or is subtly commenting on the
subject by using humour or irony. Look for
techniques such as:
– the juxtaposition (placing side by side) of
formal and informal expression
– the use of sound effects such as alliteration.
Humour
• funny quality: the quality or content of
something such as a story, performance, or
joke that elicits amusement and laughter
• ability to see something as funny: the ability
to see that something is funny, or the
enjoyment of things that are funny
• funny things as genre: writings and other
material created to make people laugh
Irony
• saying the opposite of what you really mean for
humorous effect or mockery;
• a twist of fate in events, such as an unexpected
coincidence.
E.g.:
• The name of Britain’s biggest dog is ‘Tiny’.
• If someone steps into a puddle and you make fun
of them and then, next thing you know, YOU step
in one.
Tone bank
• If a question asks you to focus on tone, you
could select one or more of the adjectives
from the list below to describe the tone.
angry questioning persuasive ironic
serious sarcastic humorous pleading
mock-serious disappointed playful
frightened resentful thoughtful shocked
tongue-in-cheek
Tone exercise
• In groups of two or three, select a tone from
the tone bank.
• Without telling anyone what it is, say: “You ate
the last piece of chocolate cake.”
• The others in the group should guess which
tone you are using.
Readership
Readership
• Closely tied in with the writers’ aims is the
readership they have in mind.
• Most of the pieces you will be given to analyse
will have been written for the non-specialist,
general adult reader.
• However, writing might also be directed at:
– small children
– teenagers
– members of a profession or people with expert
knowledge
– people with special interest in a topic.
• Writers adopt different styles and registers
according to the readership they are aiming
for, but will occasionally move into a different
one to achieve a particular effect.
• For example, a writer might adopt a childish
register to achieve a humorous or mocking
effect.
A universal aim
• Writers all have one universal aim – to be
read! All writers aim to attract and hold their
readers’ attention, and you will be asked to
analyse the tricks of the trade they use to
achieve this.
For practice
• The following pieces of writing are written in
different registers to fulfil different purposes.
For each one explain:
• a) the purpose of the piece
• b) the intended readership
• c) two or more features of the register used.
1
• This Last Will and Testament is made by me,
William James McDonald of 20 Park Road,
Glasgow, G46 2PW. I revoke all previous wills
and codicils. I appoint as executors and
trustees of my will Peter William McDonald
and Jennifer Rachel McDonald, both of 20
Park Road, Glasgow, G46 2PW.
2
• Irish Sea: Southwesterly backing easterly 4 or
5, occasionally 6 later in south. Slight or
moderate. Rain or showers. Good,
occasionally poor.
• Shannon: South 5 or 6, becoming cyclonic the
northwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough
later. Rain then squally showers. Good,
occasionally poor.
3
• The little pig built a house of sticks. Just after
the house was finished, along came a wolf. He
knocked at the door of the little pig’s house
and said, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me come in.’
The pig answered, ‘No, no, by the hair of my
chinny chin chin, I’ll not let you in.’ Then the
wolf said, ‘Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll
blow your house down.’ So he huffed and he
puffed and he blew the house down and he
ate up the little pig.
4
• My w/e wz CWOT Had 2 stay @ hm coz my bro
n 3 aaah kdz wr dwn frm Ldn. LOL. Dd U C d
nu Bond flm? Hurd its gr8.
5
• Researchers in Germany have moved one step
closer to closing the ‘quantum metrology
triangle’, by fabricating a proof-of-principle
circuit that links two quantum electrical
devices in series, for the first time. A closed
triangle – something scientists have been
chasing for more that 20 years – would finally
allow standardised units of voltage, current
and resistance to be defined solely in terms of
fundamental constants of nature.
Multipurpose writing
• Many pieces of writing have more than one
purpose. For example, war reporters in
newspapers usually write impersonally and
aim only to give information.
• However, travel writers often choose a
personal, humorous style, and aim to amuse
their readers as much as to inform.
• Writers of textbooks must instruct readers on
a subject, but most try to present the material
in an entertaining way.
• However, their main purpose is to give
information, while entertaining the reader is a
secondary purpose.
• One of your tasks will be to identify the
writer’s various purposes and rank them in
this way.