Opinon vs evidence

It is important to note the difference between an observation (evidence) and a conclusion (opinion).

An observation is what can be directly seen or read from the source material (original text).
For example:

The man stormed into the store and shouted at the clerk.

A conclusion is the inference made based on the observation made.
For example:

The man must be angry at the clerk.
The man is angry.
The man is a bad-tempered person.

There are many possible conclusions that can be made. Some are more likely than others, and some are completely illogical. For example, an illogical conclusion based on the above observation would be "The man should not be allowed to keep a pet." While it is possible to eventually link this conclusion to the observation, it takes too many steps.

E.g. The man shouted at the clerk --> He has a bad temper. --> People with bad tempers often abuse animals. --> He should not be allowed to keep a pet.

Narrative Elements

A narrative text is a fictional account of a sequence of events. It contains elements like plot, setting, character and theme which are used to develop a story.

Plot:

Orientation - who, what, why, how, when?

Complication - What is the first problem that arises?

Climax - Tension is the highest here. The main character must do something to resolve the problem.

Resolution - What happens after the main character tries to solve the problem.

Setting:

Physical - Where is it happening? E.g. In the classroom.

Chronological - When is it happening?  E.g. In the 1990s.

Characters:

Leading - The plot revolves around them and involves them very closely.

Supporting - These characters help to develop the plot although the plot does not feature them very often.

When a character changes over the course of a story, this is called character development.  Main characters usually have character development.

We can find out more about a character by looking at his or her appearance, speech, actions and interaction with other characters.

Theme:

This is the main idea in a narrative film. It can be very simple - Love. Or very complicated - The ironic pursuit of happiness in a post-apocalyptic society.

You can infer themes from the plot, setting or character's development. Ask yourself - what is the lesson that this story is trying to teach me?

- Learning Activity -


Step 1: Watch the videos:

Express -


Normal Academic -


Step 2: fill in Exercise 1 of the chapter. Express: Page 24, Normal Academic: Page 15

Step 3: Tweet your responses to this question with the hash-tag #el-tpss
"What aspect of the film do you find most interesting? Why?"

Informal Letter

Informal letters, or personal letters, are pieces of writing for people that you are familiar with - like friends or family.

While writing this, you are allowed to be more casual in your language.

For example:

Formal: I would be most pleased if you would give me the pleasure of your company tomorrow evening for a meal.

Informal: If you say yes to dinner, it'll make me so happy!

As with any piece of writing that is to be GRADED, you must still observe proper language and formatting. 

Above is the proper format for an informal letter.

Even though you are writing to someone that is known to you and may easily understand what you're saying, you must remember that as a graded assignment, it will be marked for grammar and style. This means that you must:

1. Write in full sentences (contains: Subject + Verb + Object - e.g. Subject (I) + Verb (went) + Object (the market) = I went to the market.)
2. Check that your tenses are correct. See the earlier post for the correct tense to use. 
3. Make sure that you have written in paragraphs (at least 3!). Each paragraph should contain one main point that you are trying to make.
4. Spelling and use of good vocabulary helps to improve your marks.

As you are writing the letter, be sure to keep in mind your ROLE, the AUDIENCE that you are writing to, the FORMAT you are using, and the TOPIC. Check that what you have written is appropriate for these points.

Remember: you need a RAFT to keep afloat.