essay formats

Question 1

advertisements, brochures, leaflets

commercial literature

Answer 1

1. purpose: Every ad is made for a specific purpose: to promote a product via. persuasive / emotive means:

• Increase sales
• Maintain brand identity
• Introduce new products
• Convey social messages

2. slogan: Designed to be memorable and hold your attention.
3. target audience: Brands or companies who experience success do so because they understand their target audience. An example of brands catering to their target audience in advertisements is the use of stereotyping – that is, marketing a product made for women with pink and floral tones and one made for men with blue and rugged tones.
4. persuasdive strategies:

pathos- an appeal to emotion

• Attempt to evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
• Sometimes it is a positive emotion such as happiness: an image of people enjoying themselves whilst drinking coke.
• Sometimes a negative emotion such as pain: an image of someone experiencing pain after buying the wrong mattress.
• Or emotions such as fear and guilt: an image of a starving person to persuade you to donate money.

logos- an appeal to logic

• Evidence and statistics.
• The facts about the idea, such as ‘smoking kills’.

ethos- an appeal to credibility/character
* Will try to convince the viewer that the company is credible/reliable.
* Celebrity endorsements / expert opinions.

Question 2

Editorials, Speeches

Persuasive texts

Answer 2

Direct Approach: State opinion then argument

Indirect approach: Discuss / argue then state opinion

Question 3

Editorial

persuasive text

Answer 3

1. Types of editorials (purpose):

• Explain or interpret: Editors often use these editorials to explain the way the newspaper covered a sensitive or controversial subject. School newspapers may explain new school rules or a particular student-body effort like a food drive.
• Criticize: These editorials constructively criticize actions, decisions or situations while providing solutions to the problem identified. Immediate purpose is to get readers to see the problem, not the solution.
• Persuade: Editorials of persuasion aim to immediately see the solution, not the problem. From the first paragraph, readers will be encouraged to take a specific, positive action. Political endorsements are good examples of editorials of persuasion.
• Praise: These editorials commend people and organizations for something done well. They are not as common as the other three.

2. Characteristics of editorials:
   * The opinions of the writer, delivered in a professional manner.
   * An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues
   * Primary topic/topics
   * Intended audience
   * Facts and statistics
   * Arguments to support the thesis
   * Ideology/point of view of the writer
   * Develop logical and ethical arguments; avoid purely emotional rhetoric.
   * Collect evidence, examples, and support for the view you are promoting.
   * Alternative solutions to the problem or issue being criticized.

Question 4

Speech

persuasive text

Answer 4

1. Characteristics of a speech:
   * Structure: Introduction, body, conclusion
   * Engaging, emotive language
   * Rhetorical devices: Seek to make an argument more compelling than it otherwise would’ve been.
   * Always link back to the main idea. Clarity.
   * Informal touch, it should be presented in a personal way.
   * Support arguments: Facts/statistics, anecdotes, humor.
   * Consider the audience: expectations, interest, and nature of the audience.

Question 5

News Stories

news

Answer 5

There are 5 key characteristics in any news story:

• Accurate: Factual accuracy – every name, date, and quote must be precise and an accurate representation of the true facts.
• Balance: A fair perspective – must paint a whole picture of the event or idea that is the topic of the news story, including both arguments and counter-arguments.
• Objectivity: Impartial recount – the story cannot be recounted as the writer would’ve liked to have seen it or how the viewers would like to hear about it. People form their opinions based on information in news stories so it is important the writer remains as objective as possible.
• Concise: Clear – The meaning should be organized, distilled and absolutely plain.
• Current: The information a news story offers may only be relevant for a short period of time as events transpire. The information offered should always be the latest news on the topic.

Question 6

Articles

news

Answer 6

1. Popular Articles:
   * Written by publications’ staff of journalists.
   * Written for the general public.
   * Shorter, simpler, easier to understand.
   * An example is magazines.
2. Scholarly Articles:
   * Written by an authority or expert in the field.
   * Reviewed by a board of experts or “peer reviewers.”
   * Longer, report scientific findings.
   * Charts and graphs displaying research findings are included.
   * Source material is cited.

Question 7

Journalist style

news

Answer 7

Angle – The lens through which the writer filters the information they have gathered and focuses it to make it meaningful to viewers or readers (point, theme).

Introduction – first ~two paragraphs (intro, lead).

Quote

Attribution – Where the information in your story comes from, as well as who is being quoted (source’s full name, job title).

Question 8

Investigative Journalism

news

Answer 8

• Systematic, in-depth, and original research.
• The uncovering of matters that are either purposefully concealed or hidden under chaos and confusion in circumstance or information.
• Exposes facts to the public, seeks to hold larger corporations or government entities accountable for corruption.
• Tends to be longer and more complex than a typical hard news story.

• Avoid absolutes: all, none, must, except, every, not, always, just, only, and never.
• Use active verbs.
• Use detailed facts to establish credibility.
• Use interviews to include different perspectives or credible sources of information.

Question 9

Reviews

personal

Answer 9

• Tone is usually formal.
• Tends to be addressed directly to the reader.
• Gives personal opinion with confidence and authority, immediately and passionately.
• Gives evidence to support opinions.
• Refers to other works by the author to offer context and sound knowledgeable.
• Focuses on strengths and weaknesses.
• Draws a conclusion that is useful to the reader.

Question 10

Blogs

personal

Answer 10

• Blogs are written from lots of locations for different purposes and audiences.
• Oftentimes not a specific audience but rather anyone who’s interested.
• Could be a recipe, a review, a diary entry, or purely informational.
• Written in first person and reflects personal ideas / beliefs.
• Language is often informal and chatty.

Question 11

Diary entries

personal

Answer 11

Characteristics of diary entries:
Written in first person.
Events written in the past tense.
Paragraph breaks between events/ideas.
Chronological order.
Includes thoughts and feelings.
Emotive language and descriptions so the reader can live themselves into the writing.

Question 12

Letters

Answer 12

1. Details:
   * Send address
   * Date
   * Return Address
2. Greeting:
   * Dear _____:
   * Ms, Mrs, Mr.
   * Job title: Dear Director ____:
   * Full name: Dear ____:
3. Intro:
   * Introduce self
   * Give a brief overview of the reason for writing.
4. Main body:
   * The following paragraph should expand on your intro and give the details of the main point of the letter.
5. Closing:
   * Should rephrase your intro.
   * Call to action if necessary.
6. Outro:
   * Formal closings: Sincerely, Yours truly.
   * Informal: Cordially, Best regards.
7. Signature:
   * Skip 4 lines then write your full name.
   * Skip another line and write your job title and company name.
   * Add a signature if necessary.
8. Enclosures:
   * If you’re including documents in the letter, list them here.

Question 13

Podcast

Answer 13

1. Sponsor message:
   * Often podcasts will start off with a sponsored message.
   * Introduction
   * Intro jingle
2. Longer introduction
3. Topic 1:
   * Main point
   * Supporting point
   * Supporting data
   * Supporting quote
   * Example
   * Anecdote
   * Conclusion
4. Segue
5. Topic 2…
6. Closing remarks
7. Outro jingle

Question 14

Biographies

Answer 14

• Written about a person, authored by a different individual.
• Biased.
• Shows off the author’s knowledge.
• Authorized / unauthorized.
• Start with a formal introduction.
• Length depends on the audience.
• Written in third person.
• Based on facts and anecdotes.
• Educates the readers on the individual.

Question 15

Autobiographies

Answer 15

• The author writes about themselves.
• May or may not start off with a formal introduction depending on the writer’s approach (informative or entertaining).
• Written in first person.
• Very anecdotal.
• The author reveals their feelings, reactions, values, and goals.

Question 16

travel writing

Answer 16

• Anecdotal writing.
• Aims to inform or expose people to destinations they may not have heard about otherwise, or to excite readers with the purpose of getting them traveling as well.
• Tone will be less formal and more chatty and personal.
• Written in first person.
• Descriptive / contains sensory details, the writer wants the readers to live themselves into the story.
• Will include details and the writer’s unique perspective.
• May include helpful travel tips that the writer picked up when they were at the destination.
• Relatable.