Annotation
Macro + Micro
Read the passage twice.
First time, read for overall meaning and impressions. The second time, read more carefully.
Mark ideas, new vocabulary, etc. Begin to annotate. Use a pen, pencil, post-it notes, or a
highlighter
*Write questions that you might have for later discussion in class.
*Comment on the actions or development of characters.
*Comment on things that intrigue, impress, surprise, disturb, etc.
*Note how the author uses language. Use the literary devices sheet.
Suggested methods for marking a text:
*Colour code your annotations by using different colour post-its, highlighters, or pens
*Brackets: If several lines seem important, just draw a line down the margin and underline /
highlight only the key phrases.
*Marginal Notes: Use the space in the margins to make comments, define words, ask questions,
*Use circles, boxes, triangles, squiggly lines, stars, etc.
Situation: What is this passage about? Is it about a decision a character takes, a revelation
he/she comes to, or an event and what that reveals? Or does it reveal a person’s circumstances
and character?
Themes: Are there any central theme(s) running through the passage? What are the main
themes of the passage and how do they tie in with the images?
Characters: Is there a central character? What do we learn about him/her? How do we learn
this: -through others’ comments, through description, through interior monologue, through
dialogue or something else? Is there anything significant about his/her relationships? What other
characters are involved? What do we learn about them?
Setting: Where does the passage take place? Does this affect the meaning of the passage? Is the
passage narrated chronologically, or does it look forwards or backwards at any point? In either
case, why is this done? What does it achieve? Is time of significance?
Structure: How is the passage structured? Does it fall into several sections, or is it one
unbroken piece of writing? What effect does its structure have? Why is it structured that way?
(eg: different stages of a journey? a progression of thought? something else?)
Syntax: Is there anything unusual about punctuation, sentence length and complexity?
Description/language/imagery: What part does description play? Does it provide setting,
add to atmosphere, tell us about the characters, or what? How are diction or images used, and
what effect do they create? What symbols are used, and to what effect? Comment on the adverbs
(tone), adjectives (detail) and verbs (energy) where appropriate.
Mood / atmosphere + tone: What mood/atmosphere is created in this passage? How does the
writer do this, and what effect does that have on the reader? What tone does the writer use in this
passage?