GCSE English Non-fiction / Media, paper 1 section A

NON-FICTION

Presentational devices

●       Headlines, Titles, Subheadings

o       Break up the text

o       Draw attention to the main points included

o       The headline is usually to the point, sometimes it involves a pun or a joke

o       They can make the text look more manageable and less daunting

o       If the reader only wants to read a specific point, they can look for it by reading the titles and the first paragraph

●       Bold / italics / underline / upper case

o       Used to highlight pieces of text, such as quotations

o       Underlining can make points stand out as well as adding interest to the overall appearance of the text

o       Upper case are usually made to look dramatic or sensational

●       Logos, Slogans

o       Usually in adverts and leaflets

o       Catch the readers’ eye and make them remember the company or product

o       Usually simple so they stick in the customer’s head, so they remember the company or product

●       Boxes

●       Different font sizes, different fonts

o       Add variety but often make the text look cluttered and unorganised

●       Colour

o       Used to obtain an effect, e.g. warm colours (orange, yellow, red) can create a ‘calm’, ‘friendly’ piece of writing

o       Certain colours are linked to certain genders and age groups so can be used to attract a specific audience

o       Can create the mood and tone of a piece of writing

●       Groupings

●       Camera angles

●       White space

●       Speech bubbles, arrows, borders

o       Create a formal or informal tone

o       Add interest and aims at a certain audience

●       Statistics

●       Bullet points

●       Pictures

●       Photos, cartoons, pictures etc. are used to make the writing seems more interesting, and to aid the headline (in newspapers mainly) in catching the readers’ attention

●       What an image shows has a huge impact on the way the reader interprets the text

●       In newspapers and media texts, any pictures have been thought out carefully, to obtain a desired effect (e.g. sadness, sympathy, anger etc.)

●       Diagrams, maps, charts etc. are mostly used to clarify the information in the text and to add weight to the argument

●       These can sometimes look daunting

●       Photos can be facts or opinions – photos can lie.

●       Powerful way of stirring emotions

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