Features of all Genres
Plan carefully Use adventurous vocabulary Join your handwriting Organise your writing in paragraphs Include connectives/conjunctions Choose words for their effect Use correct English Use capital letters and full stops Include complex punctuation - commas, semi-colons, colons Vary the structure and length of your sentences Use subordinate clauses Express your ideas fluently Be aware of your audience Develop your own style Edit your work carefully Enjoy your writing!
Writing genres Myths
Plot based on a long and dangerous journey. Incredible events. Superhuman characters with unusual powers. They are longer than traditional stories.
Legends
Hero’s life. Chronological episodes. Journey stories. Sequential stories. Life stories and community histories.
Fables
Short. Few characters. Often animals as characters. Beginning – complication – resolution. One of the characters learns an important lesson.
Fairy Tales
Vague setting: unspecified place and time. Recount in chronological order – simple plot. Main character: hero – heroine. Dreams are fulfilled with the help of magic. Good/happy ending. Morality: good vs. bad, good is rewarded and evil is punished. Often a girl as protagonist.
Historical Fiction
Story about something that happened in the past. Historical setting. May be an adventure or a mystery. Fictional account of real events. Fictional details to what really happened.
Play script
Set the scene at the beginning. Names on the left of the page. Colon after the name. New line for each speaker. No speech marks. Stage directions in brackets. Tell the story through the characters’ speech.
Giving Information
Autobiography First person
Biography Third person
Summary
Magazine articles
Book Report
Include your name. When and where you were born. Where you live. Your family. Your hobbies or favourite things. Your education.
Include the person’s name. When and where he/she was born. Where he/she lives. His/her family. His/her hobbies or favourite things. His/her education. His/her achievements. Date of death (optional).
Include main points. Do away with details. Reproduce facts and ideas. Use your own words. Keep within the word limit. Write a well-structured continuous paragraph.
Headline Author Introduction – Set the scene and summarise the main points of the article: who, what, when, where. Body – Provide more detail about the event. Answer questions how and why. Quotes – (like an eye-witness or an expert). Use speech marks. Photograph and caption – and a sentence explaining the photograph
Include title of the book. Mention the author. Describe the setting. Mention the characters. Describe what happened in the story. Give your thought.
Informal Letters
Informal style Date Begin: Dear …/Hi/Hello Ask questions/exclamation marks/brackets Write about personal information End in a friendly way
Formal Letters
Formal language Begin: Dear Sir or Madam/Dear Mr. or Ms … End: Yours Faithfully/Yours Sincerely Make the purpose of your letter very clear in the first paragraph. Be persuasive.
Recount
Past Tense First Person Chronological order of events. Personal viewpoint. Paragraphs to separate events. Specific names and places. Scene setting – place visited
Fact or Fiction
Stories
Beginning – Middle – End A title A setting Characters Plot Theme Climax Resolution Point of view