Look at some of the following websites and find as many genre features of these game instructions as you can. You should consider features of layout, content, organisation and language. At least four features should be related to language.
1. Snap : https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/snap-childrens-card-game-rules-411143
2. What’s the time Mr Wolf? https://childhood101.com/games-for-kids-how-to-play-whats-the-time-mr-wolf/
3. Simon Says : http://www.helpmykidlearn.ie/activities/3-4/detail/simon-says
4. Snakes and Ladders : https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/crafts/snakes-and-ladders
Now scroll down and compare your points with the suggested answer.
Suggested
Answer
Layout, Content and
Organisation
1. The text is
illustrated to make it look more attractive, usually by a picture of the game, sometimes being played either by children or children and adults who look as if they
are enjoying themselves. Examples: all texts
2. The instructions
start with a brief description of the game and information on the number of
participants, equipment etc needed. Examples: all texts
3. The procedural
steps of the game are divided into paragraphed points, possibly numbered (3) or with
bullet points (4) containing only one to three sentences. This allows the reader to
focus on and understand the instructions for each step one at a time, without
“getting lost” in a mass of text.
Linguistic
features
1. Lexis: a) Participants in the game are usually referred to by their roles, usually generically as players unless a more specific role is allotted Examples: 1 - The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them as evenly as possible to all of the players. / 2 - The other players stand side by side in a line, facing Mr Wolf’s back.
b) Generic reference is also used to add variety.
Examples: 1- When someone turns
over a card that…/ 3 - Play until one person is left.
2. Verb forms: Steps of the procedure
described using either…
a) the imperative. Examples: 2 - Take it in turns to roll the dice. Move your counter forward… 3 - Get your child or
children to stand facing you.
b) the simple present active or passive, 3rd person singular
or plural. Examples: 1 - If two players call "Snap!" at the same time, the
two piles are placed in the center of the table / 2 - The other players stand side by side... / 3 - If someone puts
up their right hand, then they are out of the game.
3. Sentence construction: There is
frequent use of dependent clauses starting with the subordinate conjunction if or the correlative conjunction If…then… used to explain the possible
variations and eventualities in the games. Examples: 1 - If two players call "Snap!" at the same time, the
two piles are placed in the center of the table / 3 - If someone puts
up their right hand, then they are out of the game. / 4 - If your counter lands on the head of a snake, you must...
4. Use of genderless pronouns: With the
exception of (2) genderless pronouns and determiners are used to refer to the
participants, including the singular use of they/their.
Examples: 1- This ensures that the player does not see the card before their opponents / 3 - If
someone puts up their right hand, then they are out of the game. / 4 - Each player puts their counter on...
5. Use of you/your to address the reader directly, usually in the comments on the game but
sometimes (eg 4 and 5) also in the procedural steps : 1 - If you find that your games
of Snap tend to have a lot of ties… / 3 - You can find ways to catch them out. / 4 - If your
counter lands at the bottom of a ladder, you can move up to the top of
the ladder.
6. Lexis : As games are generally kinaesthetic to some degree, and all of these are, there are a high proportion of dynamic verbs describing movement. Examples: 2 - with Mr Wolf chasing them… / 3 - Take it in turns to roll the dice.
These are often
in the form of phrasal verbs, where the verb describes the movement and the
adverb the direction of the movement. Examples: 1 - When someone turns over a card… / 2 - ...all of the players must turn around… / 3 - If someone puts up their right hand...
7. Lexical items/chunks in the field of game playing. Examples : 1- The winner is the player who wins all the cards.. / 4- Take it in turns
to roll the dice / 4 - The first player to get to the space that says "home" is the winner.
