Writers' Methods in Non-Fiction Flashcards
All 25 cards in this deck
What counts as a method in Paper 2 Question 4?
Any choice the writer makes to convey their view: language (word choice, imagery), structure (order, shifts, endings), tone, form (letter, diary, article) and techniques such as anecdote or direct address.
What is an anecdote, and what does it do in non-fiction?
A short personal story used to make a point. It makes the writer's view vivid and believable, and invites the reader to share their experience.
What effect do facts and statistics have in non-fiction?
They give the writer authority and make the view seem objective and reasonable. Remember they are still selected to support the writer's perspective.
What does direct address ("you") do in non-fiction?
It speaks to the reader personally, creating closeness or challenge. In a letter it reaches one specific person, which can make the feelings seem unguarded.
What does a rhetorical question do in a writer's argument or account?
It invites the reader to agree by implying the answer is obvious, and can reveal the writer's frustration or disbelief.
What does hyperbole typically do in non-fiction?
Deliberate exaggeration conveys the strength of the writer's feeling, and often adds humour that brings the reader on side.
What do irony and sarcasm do in non-fiction?
By saying the opposite of what they mean, writers show contempt or amusement, and invite the reader to share the joke against the target.
What effect can a list have in non-fiction?
Piling up details creates a sense of excess: the writer can seem overwhelmed, exasperated or delighted. Its rhythm can imitate monotony or excitement.
What does imagery (simile, metaphor, personification) do in non-fiction?
It turns the writer's experience into a picture the reader can feel, making an abstract feeling concrete, e.g. a train described as a bully suggests the writer feels trapped.
How can a text's form be a method?
A private letter or diary can show raw, unguarded feelings to one reader; a published article shapes the view for the public. Commenting on this explains how the perspective reaches us.
Name two structural methods you could comment on in Question 4.
Any two of: a shift from description to reflection; a turning point where the attitude changes; an ending that leaves a final judgement; chronological narration building to a climax. Say what each does to the reader.
In "Forty minutes. Forty minutes for a bus the timetable promised every ten," which methods are used and what is their effect?
Repetition and a minor sentence. The repeated "Forty minutes" lets the reader hear the writer fuming, and the contrast with "every ten" exposes the broken promise.
In "You would think, wouldn't you, that a hotel charging these prices could afford a kettle," which methods are used and what is their effect?
Direct address, a rhetorical aside ("wouldn't you") and sarcasm. Together they pull the reader into sharing the writer's indignation at poor value.
How do you write about a method without "feature spotting"?
Name it, quote a few words, then explain what it makes the reader think or feel about the writer's perspective: "The simile 'like a lively dolphin' makes the chaos almost playful, showing he finds the danger more absurd than frightening."
What is a writer's purpose, and why does it matter when you read non-fiction?
The main job the text is doing: to inform, explain, describe, entertain, argue, persuade or advise. Most texts do more than one. Naming the purpose lets you explain why a method is there: a joke in a travel article entertains, but the same joke in a speech wins the audience round.
In "Bring a waterproof, and leave the hairdryer at home: the bothy has no electricity", what is the purpose, and how can you tell?
To advise. The imperatives ("Bring", "leave") give direct instructions, and the practical reason after the colon shows the writer is helping the reader prepare.
How can you work out who a non-fiction text is written for?
Look at what the writer assumes you know (unexplained technical terms suggest experts), the register (chatty or formal), who is addressed ("you", "parents", "readers of this paper") and the examples chosen. Then explain how the writer adapts to that audience.
A 19th-century letter begins "My dear Jane, you will laugh when I tell you…". Who is the audience, and how does it shape the writing?
One reader the writer knows well. So the writer can be personal, confide feelings, joke, and skip explaining shared references. A newspaper report, by contrast, addresses many strangers and has to explain more.
Why does the audience matter in Paper 2 Question 4?
Sources written for different audiences, such as a private letter and a magazine article for the public, use different methods. Explaining how each writer adapts to their audience is a way of comparing methods, and AQA's indicative content does exactly this.
What is bias in a non-fiction text?
Presenting one side favourably while ignoring or belittling the other. Signs include one-sided evidence, loaded words ("scheme", "so-called") and opponents' views being left out or mocked. Say what the bias reveals about the writer's viewpoint, not just that it's there.
What is a generalisation, and what does it do?
A claim about a whole group based on limited evidence: "Teenagers never read any more." It makes a point feel obviously true and can unite writer and reader against "them", but it oversimplifies. Spotting one helps you show when a writer is being unfair, or deliberately comic.
What is the difference between a fact and an opinion presented as fact?
A fact can be checked: "The pier is 300 metres long." An opinion presented as fact states a view with certainty and no "I think": "The pier is the town's only attraction." It makes the writer sound authoritative and leaves the reader little room to disagree.
What is an analogy, and what does it do in non-fiction?
An extended comparison that explains something unfamiliar or complicated through something familiar: "Cutting the library budget to save money is like selling your shoes to pay the bus fare." It makes an argument easy to grasp, and can make the other side look foolish.
In "Everyone who has ever sat on a delayed train knows the operators simply do not care", which methods are used, and what is their effect?
A generalisation ("Everyone… knows") and an opinion presented as fact ("simply do not care"). Together they make the writer's anger seem shared and obvious, so the claim feels beyond argument even though no evidence is given.
How should you write about bias in Paper 2 Questions 3 and 4?
Don't just call the text "biased". Show how the bias is created (which details are chosen, which words are loaded, what is left out) and what it tells you about the writer's attitude. Bias is a clue to perspective, not a fault to criticise.