EL P2 Language for Impact Lecture

Language for Impact Man, your words hit hard…That’s what impact means, right?

Learning Objectives 01Demonstrate understanding of how a writer’s style can impact how meaning is represented in a text

Let’s be real●Language for Impact questions are hard.●Students normally lose marks at this question. Why?●Two reasons: Don’t know how to answer the question + Don’t understand the language used in the question

Quick recap to Fairfield again… ●Many students merely explained what the contrast is, but not how the writer created the contrast. ●A lot of answers stating “Sheldon was fearful in the first sentence but brave in the second sentence”●Model answer: First sentence: Long, descriptive sentence focusing on extreme fearSecond sentence: Abrupt, shorter, exclaimed sentence focusing on bravery

MOE English Language Syllabus 2020●There could be an infinite amount of possibilities about what the question is testing –how do we know what to identify? ●MOE will not test you beyond what is stated above- but even then, the list is non-exhaustive. Reading and Viewing Skills (MOE, 2020, p. 45)

Before we watch…●What is the purpose of the text creator/speaker? (For a speech, why is the speaker saying all this?)●Imagine yourself watching this. How would you feel? (Use your five senses)●What is impactful about the text? (Find something in the text that really brings out its meaning)●Why is this impactful? (What effect does it create?)

Let’s take a look at one example

Some questions to guide our discussions●What is the purpose of the text creator/speaker? (For a speech, why is the speaker saying all this?)●Imagine yourself watching this. How would you feel? (Use your five senses)●What is impactful about the text? (Find something in the text that really brings out its meaning)●Why is this impactful? (What effect does it create?)

Choice of Words example ●Text creator creates a contrast between the two portions of the video using various devices●One way centres around the repetition of the word Why – used in differing tones.●“Why can’t I be like everyone else” vs. “Why can’t we change the way we power the world?”

Let’s break the text down a bit more ●Another contrast – the motif of “failure” represented in different ways. ●Do you notice where the line is drawn? ●In a video, there are also other considerations (lighting, music) –not relevant for GCE O Levels