What to include in a an analytical commentary for an informal written text

NB: Word Limit- 600-700 for the exam

SOCIAL PURPOSE AND REGISTER OF THE TEXT, CONTEXTUAL FACTORS AFFECTING/ SURROUNDING THE TEXT -100 words approximately

1. Introductory Statement

  • Name of text and text type e.g. letter to the editor, blog, advertisement etc.
  • Register- Where does it fit on the formality continuum?
  • Audience- primary (who is the intended audience?) and secondary (who will this reach?)
  • Social Purpose- what is this designed to do? Entertain? Persuade? Inform?

STYLISTIC FEATURES OF THE TEXT -300-350 words approximately

2. Syntax (syntactic patterning)

  • Ellipsis
  • Incomplete utterances
  • Sentence types
  • Sentence structure (can be left out if no space)

3. Lexis (lexical choice)

  • Use of slang – this is inclusive language to encourage intimacy and to support in- group membership
  • Use of colloquial language
  • Use of jargon-this is inclusive language to support in- group membership
  • Use of neologisms – to promote linguistic innovation, age-specific neologisms
  • Morphological patterning- affixation, blends, reductions, acronyms, abbreviations, diminutives, compounding, contractions
  • Semantic fields
  • Word classes
  • Euphemism, dysphemism, idioms

DISCOURSE FEATURES OF THE TEXT -300-350 words approximately

These features can be used to maintain positive face needs and encourage intimacy, solidarity and equality.

4. Discourse features

  • Cohesion
  • Coherence

Tips for writing a commentary

*Don’t discuss what is not there, only what is there.

*Don’t have a big discussion of a feature that only occurs once. You are trying to get an overall picture of the register, context and audience.

*The key skill is to analyse the features, not just provide description and examples. Explain why the features are being used.

*Analyse the entire text

*Try to link the discourse and stylistic features to the register and purpose of the text

*Quality rather than quantity will earn a better mark

Think of the analysis like a Monet painting. Up close you can easily see the individual paint strokes, but it is difficult to see the big picture. In order to appreciate the linguistic or aesthetic masterpiece, you need to look at it as a whole (see the next page for the images).

Monet n. Like Monet's paintings...Looks good from afar - but far from good up close.

Example. "See that girl over there - she's a right Monet"

See Urban Dictionary for greater clarity

Monet (up close)

Monet (from far away)