Close Reading

Close Reading

1. Context question

   • Clearly state the meaning of the word
   • Use quotes to show this
   • Explain

2. Connotations

   • What a word suggests

3. Sentence Structure

   • Inversion
     • Alters the emphasis in a sentence
   • Repitition
   • List and Climax
     • Emphasis
     • Placing items in ascending order
       • Most important is at the end (climax)
   • Anti-Climax
   • Antithesis
     • When ideas are arranged to create balance and contrast

4. Link questions

   • 'The sentence provides a link between paragraph one and two...'
   • '...refers back to the topic of para 1 which discusses...'
   • '...then introduces the topic of the next para which is about...'
   • Understanding question
   • How? What? Show?

5. Imagery

   • Imaginative language to make comparisons with other things
     • Similie
     • Metaphor
     • Personification

6. Literal Language

   • Using an expression which is true and real

7. Other Terms

   • Juxtaposition
     • Placing two sentences side by side to highlight the contrast between them
   • Euphemism
     • Making unwelcome truths less harsh
   • Alliteration
     • Language
     • Repeated use of the same letter or sound