8/25/10

We can understand a text better by examining: – Tone – Sentence Structure/syntax Scheme = artful syntax; e.g. parallelisms, juxtapositions, antithesis, etc. – Vocabulary/diction Trope = artful diction; e.g. metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc. These make up a writer’s style and help us discover layers of meaning.

1. Which of the important words in the passage (verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs) are general and abstract? Which are specific and concrete? 2. Are the important words formal, informal, colloquial, or slang? 3. Are some words nonliteral or figurative, creating figures of speech, such as metaphors?

1. What is the order of the parts of the sentence? Is it the usual (subject-verb-object), or is it inverted? 2. Which part of speech is more prominent—nouns or verbs? 3. What are the sentences like? Are they periodic (moving toward something important at the end) or cumulative (adding details that support an important idea in the beginning of the sentence)? 4. How does the sentence connect its words, phrases, and clauses?

Annotation = “reading with pen or pencil in hand”; you could also use post it notes. – Identify main ideas, thesis statements – Circle words or phrases you don’t understand or appeal to you – Look for tropes and imagery and detail If you do not know the technical term, describe it. – Ask questions or make comments in margins: as you read, listen to the voice in your head. – Example pp

 Dialectical Journal = double-entry notebook ◦ Uses columns to represent visually the conversation between the text and reader ◦ Note-taking in the left column; note-making (your comments) in the right column ◦ By breaking up into smaller sections helps the reader notice the details  Example pp

 Graphic Organizer ◦ Many different ways to use this process ◦ Divide the text, usually at natural breaking points (paragraphs) ◦ Most ask for a paraphrase or summary; an analysis of the writer’s point: rhetorical strategies or style elements he or she uses; and the effect or function the strategy or style has in the piece.  Example on pp