Zoe Pearson
English cheat sheet
Difficult/useful questions for exams and some tips in the areas of language, visual literacy
and comprehension.
Language
Sentence Structure
1. Impact of starting sentence with subordinating conjunction ‘as’
By beginning the sentence with the subordinating conjunction, the emphasis is placed on the
subordinate clause, highlighting the fact that. If started with main clause…
2. Use of pronouns
It is more personal. Noun would be more distant and formal, somewhat alienating
Absence of pronoun: presents .. as extremely objective and neutral-there is no human
element which could influence… It is meant to appear safe and reliable.
3. Account for use of passive[no subject]
There is no agent/no one is held responsible for…the action
When the agent is omitted it allows one to avoid appearing to blame someone. That is, you
can say an action was performed without mentioning who performed it. Passive
constructions can be used to avoid responsibility. That is, you can say that a decision was
made without admitting that you made the decision
4. passive/active- which is more effective
Passive more effective as it foregrounds ‘you’ and ensures that..realise..
The use of the active voice{in scenario} strengths the argument being presented in the
advertisement because it foregrounds the threats to.. Therefore highlighting. If it made.. The
subject
The active voice forces one to name a perpetrator, allowing the target
audience to identify and condemn the perpetrator and therefore the
crime itself, angering the audience and creating a desire to act.
OR
The passive voice foregrounds the victims of the crime. This allows the
target audience to focus on the elephants (and their number) who are
being killed, creating sympathy and a desire to act.
5. Repetition of and at start of sentence
Creates less formal register and enhances the conversational style fo the text
English cheat sheet
Difficult/useful questions for exams and some tips in the areas of language, visual literacy
and comprehension.
Language
Sentence Structure
1. Impact of starting sentence with subordinating conjunction ‘as’
By beginning the sentence with the subordinating conjunction, the emphasis is placed on the
subordinate clause, highlighting the fact that. If started with main clause…
2. Use of pronouns
It is more personal. Noun would be more distant and formal, somewhat alienating
Absence of pronoun: presents .. as extremely objective and neutral-there is no human
element which could influence… It is meant to appear safe and reliable.
3. Account for use of passive[no subject]
There is no agent/no one is held responsible for…the action
When the agent is omitted it allows one to avoid appearing to blame someone. That is, you
can say an action was performed without mentioning who performed it. Passive
constructions can be used to avoid responsibility. That is, you can say that a decision was
made without admitting that you made the decision
4. passive/active- which is more effective
Passive more effective as it foregrounds ‘you’ and ensures that..realise..
The use of the active voice{in scenario} strengths the argument being presented in the
advertisement because it foregrounds the threats to.. Therefore highlighting. If it made.. The
subject
The active voice forces one to name a perpetrator, allowing the target
audience to identify and condemn the perpetrator and therefore the
crime itself, angering the audience and creating a desire to act.
OR
The passive voice foregrounds the victims of the crime. This allows the
target audience to focus on the elephants (and their number) who are
being killed, creating sympathy and a desire to act.
5. Repetition of and at start of sentence
Creates less formal register and enhances the conversational style fo the text
