Questions to guide your reading
You will be asked to develop your own opinions on the subject of the text and justify these with appropriate evidence.
Your teacher will give you reading activities which you can carry out on your own, in pairs or in larger groups.
Your main focus should be to understand the themes/viewpoints of the extract and then to identify and analyse the writer’s craft.
Here are some questions which may guide your reading of any extract:
- What is the extract about?
- Where is the extract set?
- What is the genreA category or type of something, for example 'fiction' and 'non-fiction' are two examples of different genres of books. Fictional books can be divided into many genres - for example mystery, comedy, fantasy or horror. of the extract and is it significant?
- How does the extract start?
- What is the structure of the extract? Are there any links between sections?
- How does the extract engage the reader?
- How is character developed in the extract?
- What is the tone and mood of the extract?
- What narrative style is used? Is there an authorial voiceThe voice of the controlling presence behind the plot and characters of a story. The authorial voice could be a fiction created by the author, rather than truly representing their views.?
- What linguistic devices Ways in which an author plays with language in order to influence the reader – for example by using rhyming words, clichés and metaphors. are used in the extract and why?
- Are there any descriptive sections? How effective are they and why are they included?
- What style of language and form is adopted by the writer?
- How does the author use punctuation? What is the effect?
- How does the extract end? What is the significance of ending the extract at this point?
