Year 10 - English
'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices
Fiction: science fiction writing
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupls read extracts from three science fiction texts and analyse how writers use language for effect. They first look at how writers use sentences and punctuation, before looking at semantic fields, noun phrases and sensory language. Pupils use this to write thier own descriptions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the effects of structural features.
Key Notes
- When we talk about how a text is structured, we mean what does the writer focus our attention on in each part and why.
- Writers make deliberate structural choices to create precise effects.
- Don't comment on word choices or devices – instead consider the effect of shifts in focus or narrative perspective.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Structure: The way a story is put together.
- Structural features: Techniques a writer uses across a paragraph, chapter or story to organise the information.
- Narrative voice: The perspective a story is told from.
- Focus: The area of attention in a story or piece of writing.
- League: A unit of measurement equivalent to three miles.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Analysing language features is enough.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
When we talk about how a text is structured, we mean what does the writer focus our attention on in each part and why. Writers make deliberate structural choices to create precise effects.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Structure'
The way a story is put together.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Analysing language features is enough. Correction: The best analysis - with the richest commentary - will also spend time focusing on structural decisions a writer makes.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'The War of the Worlds': How punctuation and sentence structures create impact Study Guide
- Considering how Verne uses sentences in 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' Study Guide
- Emulating how Verne uses sentences in 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' Study Guide
- Refining descriptions with semantic fields, present participles, and semicolons Study Guide
- Revising key strategies to write effective descriptions Study Guide
- Using punctuation to create specific effects in descriptive writing Study Guide
- Using semantic fields in a piece of creative writing Study Guide
- Using sensory language to write effective descriptions Study Guide
- Using synonyms and expanded noun phrases to craft effective descriptions Study Guide
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