Topic sentence: set up the paragraph by identifying the view and the most important key strategy/author’s tone.- Pinpoint as accurately and concisely as possible the author’s main points throughout.
- To ensure a balance between summary and analysis, ensure that you refer to the purpose or implications of the author’s language choices near the beginning of your paragraph and weave throughout. Do not leave it to the end.
- Group together two or more interrelated techniques/strategies with a common purpose to avoid repetition.
- If you are writing two paragraphs (on the same article) try to ensure a different focus; i.e. perhaps focus on a different technique, depiction or impact to avoid repetition.
- Analyse the connections between strategies. How do they strengthen or reinforce each other? eg. “Capitalising on his vast personal experience, this author is able to sharpen the attack on the [….]”
- Where appropriate use signposts throughout the paragraph as you move from the “big picture”/general to the specific. “Specifically, the author [….]”, “Accordingly, the author [….]”
- Avoid comments such as the author “states”; the author “claims”; the author “asserts”. These verbs place the emphasis on summary rather than analysis and do not adequately capture the author’s attitude. Rather use wide-branching sentences that place a focus on analysis. For example, the author’s poignant explanation of her extensive suffering enables her to discredit the government’s planned reduction in funds for the Avocare Community Hospital.
- Subtext: Find at least one or two phrases to unpack, and you may wish to signpost your intentions: “the purpose is two-fold”; “the emotive / metaphoric phrase carries connotations such as [….]”
- Use wide-branching (complex) sentences to convey “purpose”.
See The Language of Persuasion: an essay-writing guide (2015)
Use wide-branching (complex) sentences to convey “purpose”:
- The (emotive/ colloquial) reference to [….] is clearly designed to [….] / implies that [….] captures the author’s point that [….]
- The depiction of [….] as [….] makes it difficult for us to retain support for [….]
- The suggestion that [….] predisposes readers / the public to support [….]
- The comment that [….] encourages readers to recognise
- The author discredits [….] because [….]
- The author’s inclusive focus on [….] reinforces the point that [….] / implies that [….] highlights/ accentuates [….]
- Repetitive (parallel phrases) stress the view that [….]
- According to this editor, [….]
- The implication that [….] is bound to elicit / provoke thoughts/ feelings of [….]
- Readers would infer from the suggestion [….] that [….]
English Works (www.englishworks.com.au)
