Language Strategies

Question 1

active and passive voice

Answer 1

provides subjective or objective tone

active: they released the report
passive: the report was released

Question 2

adjectives

Answer 2

describing words or phrases

‘A stirring speech’
‘Her perplexing approach’

Question 3

alliteration and assonance

Answer 3

repetition of initial consonant sounds (alliteration) and vowel sounds (assonance)

‘Sydney’s slippery slide’ (alliteration)
‘The elite meet-and-greet’ (assonance)

Question 4

appeals

Answer 4

attempt to persuade through emotional manipulation; targeting of particular interests or concerns

‘long-range weapons don’t discriminate; we are all a target’ (appeal to a sense of insecurity)
‘Sadly, Aboriginal health and education are responsibilities we have still to address’ (appeal to a sense of social justice)

Question 5

attack

Answer 5

means of criticizing or opposing an individual or idea

‘Her comments are little more than adolescent gibberish’ (mudslinging, ridicule)
‘Teachers must be help accountable for these appalling literacy levels’ (scapegoating)

Question 6

bias

Answer 6

overt preference or sympathy for a particular point of view

Question 7

cliche

Answer 7

overused or ‘hackneyed’ phrase or opinion that shows a lack of original thought

Question 8

colourful language

Answer 8

vulgar or rude language; particularly unusual or distinctive expressions

Question 9

connotation

Answer 9

positive/negative implications, pejorative phrases; ‘loaded’ language that evokes an idea or feeling, either positive or negative

Question 10

design, structure

Answer 10

the appearance and layout of a text, including colour, font selection and page presentation

Question 11

evidence

Answer 11

material used in support of an argument:

• facts and statistics
• expert testimony
• research findings
• anecdotal evidence

Question 12

formal, informal languange

Answer 12

formal: more elaborate, precise, sophisticated; adhering to Standard Australian English
informal: colloquial, everyday or slang terms

Question 13

generalisation

Answer 13

broad statements inferred from specific cases

Question 14

gesture

Answer 14

use of the body and face to communicate meaning and positive or negative sentiments

Question 15

humour

Answer 15

the quality of being amusing, through the use of puns, irony, sarcasm, satire, wit, ect.

Question 16

hyperbole, exaggeration

Answer 16

exaggeration or overstatement used to imply something is better, worse, more/less important, ect.

Question 17

imagery, figurative language

Answer 17

use of images and metaphorical (non-literal) language to illustrate points and make comparisons: similies, metaphors, etc.

Question 18

inclusive and exclusive language

Answer 18

use of personal pronouns (I, you, we, they, our, etc.) to either involve (inclusive) or distinguish/alienate (exclusive)

Question 19

irony

Answer 19

humour found in contradictory situations, often highlighted through the use of sarcasm

Question 20

logic

Answer 20

reason; the use of justifiable and valid arguments to sway an audience

Question 21

nouns

Answer 21

naming words or phrases

Question 22

repetition

Answer 22

reuse of words or phrase for effect

Question 23

rhetorical question

Answer 23

question that does not require an answer

Question 24

sarcasm

Answer 24

use of irony to mock or to show concept, by implying the opposite of what is actually said

Question 25

satire

Answer 25

use of either exaggeration or caricature to expose, criticise or ridicule

Question 26

sensationalism

Answer 26

use of provocation language and images, and exaggeration

Question 27

sound and sound effects

Answer 27

use of music, effects and other audio to enhance a multimodal text

Question 28

verbs

Answer 28

‘doing’ words or phrases

Question 29

vocabulary choice

Answer 29

careful selection of particular words - nouns, verbs and adjectives - with a positive or negative connotations