Look at the press articles listed below. They all fall into the sub-category of Human Interest stories. Look at one or more and analyse the typical features of this genre, focusing on :
-
layout
-
content
- style
- other linguistic features
4. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2382221/Like-women-divorcee-Tessa-given-romance- But-utterly-heartwarming-story-proves-youre-old-love-again.html
Suggested Answer
Layout
1) Headline in large, bold font to catch the reader’s attention (1-4)
2) Text divided into short paragraphs, rarely of more than 2 sentences (1-4) to reduce the time the reader needs to concentrate without a pause.
3) Text illustrated by photos of the protagonist(s) to help the reader feel they “know” them and identify with them (1-4)
Content
1) The articles all focus on one or more people who are in an situation which provokes interest and/or an emotional reaction in the reader. (1-4)
2) Typically they start with a single sentence paragraph aimed at piquing the reader’s curiosity. Examples: Justin Clark is a man who will have to do a lot of queuing up outside his own bathroom for at least the next 18 years. (3) ; A trip to the bank for a cancer patient wearing a protective mask ended with him being surrounded by six police officers and detained after a teller mistook him for a bank robber known as the "Surgical Mask Bandit." (1); Golf is a difficult game for anyone, but try playing it from a wheelchair with one arm and no feeling from your chest down.(2)
Style
1) Use of apposition – typical of journalistic style. Examples: Justin, a lorry driver, and Christine, a nurse, (3); His brother Martin Gribble (2); Dad, a widower of 15 years (4)
2) Although a written text, the articles contain various elements of spoken language even outside the sections of direct speech, which give an informal, chatty feel to the text and help the reader to feel they “know” and can identify with the protagonists:
These elements of conversational style are created by:
a) contractions. Examples: and he’s engaged... (2); I'm sure he had no idea just how much I'd miss him. (4)
b) punctuation: Use of dashes rather than full stops to make it sound as if ideas are being added in real time rather than planned into sentences. Example: ... but he does a really good job - better than some people with two hands. (2)
c) colloquial and idiomatic expressions. Examples: What on earth could be more frightening than that (4); Logistically it's a nightmare (3); His brother Martin Gribble is often there to lend a hand (2)
d) The use of co-ordinating conjunctions to start sentences (and often paragraphs). Examples: But then she and Justin have waited a long time (3); And he was right. (5)
Other Linguistic Features
Various features
give a “here and now” quality to the text, which makes it easier for the reader
to visualise and feel involved
with the interview,
the situation and the protagonists :
1. Use of present tense verbs to describe what the protagonists do during the interview. Examples: Gently Christine picks her up (2); As Richard and I chink glasses, we talk about... (4)
2. Use of direct speech (typical of all sorts of narrative text types – also eg novels). Examples: "This is so embarrassing -- you have all these people at the bank watching," Jaramillo told the TV station. (1); "Just that feeling of being upright and swinging the golf club which I used to love," he said. (2); ‘People have quoted odds of two million to one and even 70 million to one, but it’s simply not quantifiable as it’s never happened before,’ says Justin. (3)
3. Use of -ing clauses to give a vivid descriptive feel to the narrative. Examples: ...echoing from upstairs (3); He entered the bank wearing a San Francisco Giants baseball cap (1); Sitting in the garden as the sun gradually sets... (4)
