Enlish Methods Of Writing For Junior Cert Essay

Junior Cert English Functional written poppycock Introduction and Overview The Functional Writing section of Paper I asks the student, in as close as workable, to relieve in the name of somebody who either utilizes langu succession for a living, or is conducting business or important matters through opus or dustup. This p cunning of Paper I strays away from fiction, but is non entirely devoid of opportunities to practise language in a creative or dramatic fashion. In some cases the student may hold to apply their imagination to provide detail to take a leak their work seem realistic and break dance it the au whencetic feel. The marks in Functional Writing atomic number 18 given for the knowledge of the expression and liveliness required for the task, and for the understanding of the format required.Awareness of Audience and Task In all cases in this section, your prime(a) of language, and your use up of tone and register result be dictated to you by The inten ded recipient and/or audience. Your means of deli truly.In short, you ordure either use a schematic or informal style of address. You should take into account the age, status, and size of the audience you are dealing with. Your language should always be nerve-racking to create the trance impression of both who you are and what youre trying to do.For example, you would use a formal style of address if you were writing a permitter to your bank manager asking for a bestow to start your own business. Your language would be confident, but not aggressive informative, but not laboriously so enthusiastic but not all overzealous. The impression created on the bank manager is that you are reliable, fitting and trustworthy, and your business go away be a huge success.For your own entertainment you might want to write the worst possible letter of application for the same loan- you would be over-familiar, disrespectful, vague, repetitive, and riddled with inaccuracies virtually yoursel f and what you want to do. You can then guess what response this would get from the same bank manager red through their aurora mail. This then is the key to Functional writing awareness of the tone you are to take, and the choice of language to use to reinforce that tone.An example of a task that you would be asked to complete with an informal style is to imagine that you capture been asked by a club that you are involved with to contact a presentation to a stratum of twelve year old primary school children to encourage them to join. You would be presenting this verbally, so when you would prepare your material beforehand, you would stress key information on several occasions, to avoid having the same basic question restate infinitely. As your audience would be un worryly to return firsthand experience of what you are taking about, you would use the simplest language possible, and use short, sequential, informative language. You would a wish use an informal tone, as you woul d want your audience to think back your group would be welcoming and fun, not preoccupied with taking everything overly seriously.Here is an example of a completely made-up extract from my very busy diary. Consider the language and tone I would use for each of the following tasks in unspoilt one day 1000 Book holiday tickets over phone from travel agency.1100 Complete and edit authorship for Boss on efficiency of naked as a jaybird sys.1200 Address fundraising lunch for Kidney Dialysis unit for Childrens Hospital.200 Write congratulations card for fork out of secretarys daughters first child.300 Deliver presentation to investors on union performance.400 Talk to business journalist about new product range.600 Attend parent-teacher clashing at sons new school.800 Coach under 12 team demo new training drills.1000 Convince very unsympathetic wife that Ive had a farsighted day.At both 1200 and 300 I leave alone be addressing a group of businesspeople. However, in tha t location are differences. People pass on not want to be overly serious at lunch, so I allow be able to use a respectful but informal tone. I may even be able to use language that will influence my audience e intercommunicateally. However, at 300 I will provoke to be very formal and very social organisationd in my use of language and terminology for the business meeting. Look at the way my 1100 task is written.will I get away with that use of shorthand and slang in the composing itself? Of course not what is acceptable as a note for your own use is not acceptable for a report for someone elses denotation. Will it be easier to present information to my 300 or 800 denomination? In the afternoon everybody will be fresh. Will they be as sharp in the even? Should my card for my secretarys daughter be written with the same tone and language as my report for my employer? All of these questions are central to the idea of functional writing. Make sure what you are doing is appropriat e to your task and your audience.Reports.A report can be written for a newspaper, radio programme, or television set broadcast. No matter whether its to be read or spoken, start with the most important dilate first. You should deal with the following sequence of facts 1) what has happened 2) how it happened 3) why it happened. The first section, what, will also include where, who and when.A report doesnt yet befuddle to include the facts, it can also include opinions, in the form of quotations from the germane(predicate) experts and authorities, and also some degree of speculation as to what will happen next, and what consequences in that location will be. different a criticism, the writer is there to convey the truth and facts of the matter. They are to be unbiased, non-judgemental, and let the facts speak for themselves. A approximate reporter will trust their audience to act up its mind in the duty way one time it has all the facts.The plane dis exchangeable the Broa dsheet, the Tabloid newspaper makes no bones aboutchoosing sides in a story, and actively tries to persuade its readers to share its opinion. They very much like to take a light hearted approach to news material if at all possible, and frequently use puns in headlines. They also avoid putting in too many views or opinions on any given subject. They like first-hand accounts from people involved in making the news, and will avoid analysis, as they prefer to be very direct in their focus on the story.The tabloid journalist likes to gain an emotional response from their reader, and will not shy away from showing where their sympathies lie in any given story. They will some quantify choose to present deliberately one-sided reports on what may sometimes be very multiform issues. They like stories that involve celebrities or famous people, and avoid serious treatment of political or sparing issues as much as possible. They thrive on scandal, and what they believe is the publics insatiab le appetite to see what goes on behind closed doors. Tabloids pride themselves on their extremely in-depth sports coverage.The average reading age (age at which a reader would be expected to understand all contents without difficulty) for a Tabloid newspaper is just nine days. Tabloids like simple and short sentences. They use puns and wordplay to highlight and make memorable the key thrust of their story. They avoid using complicated terminology, and long sentences. They also highlight key-points by having several sub-captions to stories, and by using several illustrations to put across the message visually as well. Tabloids suck in always been traditionally strong on visual information and colour pictures. In recent years tabloids have abandoned over-reliance on the page- triplet girl feature as they are trying to encourage more than women readers.The Broadsheet A broadsheet newspaper is characterised, not only by its large size, but by the attitude it takes towards journalism , and the presentation of news stories. Primarily, a broadsheet will focus on political, economic and modus vivendi features. It will present its main stories in a very in-depth and detailed format. They will take a very serious tone with the reader, and will avoid anything that might seem to be trivialising an issue, for example, a pun in a headline. They prefer a serious, sombre, and oftencomplex approach to news-stories.Broadsheet newspapers examine not only what happened, but how it happened, why it happened, if it happens frequently, what can be done about it, and they will also hint when similar events occurred. They like to find many individuals related to the event, and experts to give quotations and opinions on what has happened. The broadsheet journalist likes to come on impartial and unbiased, and avoids any sense that their emotions might be affecting what they write in any way. They like to convey the impression that they give you the whole truth.Some broadsheet newsp apers are physically huge. The average reading age (level of difficulty) for reading a broadsheet and understanding everything in it would be fourteen years, which means you would be able to follow everything. Broadsheets are only now beginning to embrace the possibilities for the use of colour in their papers. Traditionally they have been very black and white affairs, but are increasing the amount of photographs they publish.Reviews.The art of the reviewer is to give the reader just enough a suggestion of what it is youre talking about, just enough to whet their appetite. If you check a Sunday newspaper, you can find reviews of motorcars, concerts, films, restaurants, even hotels Nothing is too small, or too large to avoid being reviewed. You could be required to write a review of a favourite film of yours, or to write a blurb for the back of a novel.Unlike a report, which is essentially actual, a review gives you far more scope to let your opinions and feelings known. You can evi dence what you liked or disliked about what youre reviewing, and that is almost important as a factual description of what youre reviewing. You can create either a very positive or prohibit impression on your reader by the tone and language you use. You should assume that your reader has a popular interest in the area, but may not be familiar with exactly what youre vent to tell them about.It is easy to criticise something, and often after saying how bad something is, you will find yourself retell your verdict without informing the reader of why, how or what was bad about it. If you are still looking to have space, try constructive criticism. Any reviewer can pronounce whether something is good or bad only the inspired reviewer can point out what was done well, and conversely, what opportunities were lost.For example, if you are reviewing the sitcom Friends, then you should engross in the background first for the reader. It is advisable to go into some detail about the charact ers, and then at last to attempt some analysis of why it is you like or dislike it.Interviews.Q Whats the difference amidst an interview and writing dialogue? A Interviews are essentially pieces of dialogue, but without the qualifying he saids / she saids at the end of each piece of manner of speaking. The different parts of the conversation can be put as question and answer exchanges (Q and A), or if it is a more informal interview which is very similar to a conversation, then you can call yourself Interviewer, but refer to your subject by their Surname. Keep your questions short, and let your interviewee expand on them.Q What are the things I should try to do, and what are the most common problems? A A bad question to ask is anything that would encourage your interviewee to give a monosyllabic answer, of the yes/no variety. A good question is one which gives the interviewee a chance to illustrate with examples from their life, work, or to ponder on events important to their wor k, lives, and yesteryear or future. A good interviewer gets to the point quickly, and their questions will neer be longer than the answers they receive.I once interviewed Seamus Heaney while in college, and committed all of the above mistakes. The Sample Answer below I have had to invent to cover my embarrassment As well as corroborateing in mind your interviewee, bear in mind the audience who will be reading this interview. You want somethingthat is informative, but not skilful, and which allows the somebody or subject to come across well to the reader. There was a fashion recently in newspapers for interviews in which you discovered more about the interviewer than the interviewee, but thankfully, this has now passed.Q So, I basically just make the entire thing up then? But how do I structure it? A If you are stuck as to where to start, pick an example of an interviewee who would be appropriate, and write out the list of questions you would like to ask them. thence all you need to do is invent their answers, going by what you know of them. If youre still stuck, then ask what theyre doing now, what they were doing previously, and what they hope to be doing in six months time. You can also ask if they have achieved all they want to do, or if they think other peoples impressions of them are important. Bear in mind though that your questions will ultimately depend on who the intended audience for the interview is. If they are your age, then ask questions you think your friends would like to know the answers to. Within reason, of course.Speech Writing The skill of terminology writing could be relevant to Personal Writing or Functional Writing.How to write, deliver and appreciate a good speech.The key to writing and delivering a good speech is to re fragment at all times that the loudspeaker system is dealing with an audience. The writer/speaker must also bear in mind at what occasion the speech is to be delivered. A speech to be given at an EGM of a play al ong faced with bankruptcy will be drastically different in its structure, tone, and technique than a speech to be given by the same speaker at a wedding later that hebdomad How to write a speech.(For this section, we will consider a speech as that which a speaker would be called upon to prepare for a debate, or public speaking competition.) First, read your motion carefully. In the Junior Certificate, you will be invited to speak either for or against the topic. In deciding whether to speak for or against the motion, dont necessarily choose the side of the motion whichyou support choose instead the side of the crease that will give you the most causes to use in your speech. A good idea is to brainstorm all the possible arguments both for and against, and when you see which side gives you more avenues of thought to pursue, choose it.Second, having chosen your side of the debate, decide that the motion is a good or bad idea becauseThis then will become the argument of your speech. T he argument is the central theme which you will introduce, build upon and then summarise. Often it is best to have to have three reasons Example For Capital Punishment is a good idea because 1. It deters other criminals from committing serious crimes 2. It is cheap, efficient, and labour saving(a) 3. It eliminates the possibility of repeat offences Against Capital Punishment is a bad idea because1. Miscarriages of justice cannot be find 2. It makes killing right for some yet wrong for others, thus introducing a double standard when there should be a simple statement that murder is a crime 3. Prisons should be for rehabilitating offenders, not for strike back All of the above statements should then be supported by example, but remember, in a debate, your argument is more important than your examples. A good speaker is always restating their argument a bad speaker is always lost in a fog of example. This is how your argument becomes informative and clear.Third, decide on the struct ure and tone you want to use in your speech. Some speakers may like to start their speech with a story, anecdote or quotation that will then illustrate their arguments to follow. This gives the speaker a chance to make the speech unique, and make it more relevant than a theoretical discussion of some issue that has never had, or will never have any affect on the speaker.What tone are you going to use? Avoid making sweeping statements, such as we all know what this is going to blend in to. Instead, pitch such ideas to the audience in the form of rhetorical questions Do we want our society to be like this? Avoid the use of too much jargon, and if you are forced to, make sure to square off the term immediately after you first mention it, so the audience will be apprised for when they will next hear the term. Do not believe that your audience are already experts on this issue you may need to fill them in on the basicsfirst. Do not do this in a patronising way, but instead say that y ou want to focus their attention on the key issues. In this way you will be more persuasive, and less arrogant. Too much assertion and you will end up alienating your audience from your point of view.Opening comments.Depending on the occasion that the speech is to be delivered, start with the most important dignitaries present, and proceed through your list to the end, which is usually your fellow speakers. A standard opening for a school debate would be Chairperson, Principal, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Students, Fellow Speakers, I have come before you today to speak on the motion that(insert motion here) Continue to refer directly to the audience at intervals throughout your speech, and conclude with a summary of all your arguments, and by thanking the audience for their time and attention.Ladies and Gentlemen, having put forward the facts, I beg you to support/oppose this motion, that(insert motion here) How do you know if you have written a good speech? Imagi ne you are listening to that speech from the audience. To a member of an audience, no matter where, a good speech will always have the following qualities.1. It will be suited to the tone of the occasion, whether solemn, or celebratory.2. It will be informative, but not so technical that it either confuses or loses you.3. You will be clear at the end of the speech as to why the speaker feels in the way they do about the topic they have spoken on.4. The speech will emphasise why the issue is important to everyday life, rather that some abstract worry that may never affect you.5. You will have been given a definition of the issue, and more importantly, a series of suggestions or steps as to how this issue should be dealt with.6. You will have developed a beneficence for both the speaker and the issue that they spoke upon.