The Report

Goal: To understand how best to structure and present the report.

You are now ready to present your conclusions in an appropriate written format. Structure and organise your information and ideas in your report to include:

• an introduction outlining the focus of your research• A body of accurate information from which relevant conclusions are drawn

linked to your research questions, together with evidence to support the points you make.

• a conclusion• a bibliography• Your report should show the use and control of writing conventions without

intrusive errors. For excellence, the accurate use of writing conventions is required.

• Write at least 500 words in your report. Include a bibliography. Attach to your report the notes you have taken to show the information you have selected from each text.

Possible Structures

• How could you best structure your report

• Either: Intro, 3 Sections, each answering a key question, conclusion, bibliography

• Or Intro, Sections organised around the features you found, conclusion, bibliography (This suits the fact that question 1 & 2 are very closely linked)

• Or???

Sample Introduction

• Research Report: The Language of Automotive Advertising

• The area of language I chose to research concerns automotive advertising. The reason I chose this area is because I was interested to see why the techniques are effective enough to encourage people to shell out $50,000 for a rebadged Daewoo. For my research I chose to focus on the effect the language techniques have and the nature of appeal that is projected

What does it do? How effective is it?

Sample Introduction Two

My research objective was to look at the language of war over the last century, from World War 1 up to the events following September 11 last year. I also wanted to find out about words and terms used in a war context and their impact on English, what effects words can have in a war, and if there are any patterns over the last 100 years in the language of war.

Your turn: Write the introduction to your report, clarify what you did, what you hoped t discover and why you choose this topic. GO!!!!!!!

Exemplar Paragraph• Another important technique for encouraging support of American

involvement in the Vietnam War was the use of positive and negative imagery to describe the opposing forces. President Johnson made frequent use of emotionally loaded language and metaphor to reinforce negative ‑stereotypes of the enemy. Enemy activities were condemned as "savage assaults", "acts of violence", "hostile operations" and "an outrage". American forces, by comparison, were treated with the utmost reverence. President Johnson glorified the American military in his speeches, acclaiming their "great courage and endurance" as they pursued "mankind's noblest cause" in the "struggle for peace". While Americans decimated the country of Vietnam with bombing and toxic defoliation, President Johnson told the nation that the country's "mission is peace", and that they were in Vietnam "to strengthen world order". This stark contrast in the choice of language with clearly positive or negative connotations is an attempt to create absolute divisions between the work of the American military and the actions of their enemies, the Viet Cong. The descriptive and highly emotive language demonstrated above has little to do with truth or fact, and everything to do with manipulating public opinion in support of the Americans.

Structured by techniqueRange of examples showing TREND

Conclusion exploring general significance of this features use for these type of speeches

Analysis of individual and similar examplesIntegrated links to historical context

Another ExampleThe first, and most obvious objective of the President's speeches

was to rally the country around him in support of the war; to achieve this, Bush worked to present an image of an America united by the nobility and the immediacy of their role in Iraq. This effect was achieved through consistent use of inclusive language with positive, uplifting connotations. For example, President Bush began many of his speeches with a reference to "my fellow Americans" or "my fellow citizens". This greeting was designed to be inclusive and encourage the audience to feel that what was being said was of immediate importance and relevance to them. When announcing the start of the war, Bush followed such a greeting with an intensely emotive statement such as "the peace of a troubled world and the hopes of an oppressed people now depend on you". This statement was powerful enough to leave the listener struggling for breath. Making full use of the tradition of chronic hyperbole that seems to come with political power, Bush was intending to inspire the kind of intense patriotism that would send young soldiers to war.

Interplay of features outlined

Range of examples showing TRENDAnalysis of effects of individual features

Analysis of the general significance of the use of this feature for these speeches

Your turn: Write the first paragraph of the body of your report.

Remember your S.E.X.Y paragraphs:

One feature that seems to occur very frequently is … X number of examples were found, from a sample of Y advertisements, suggesting a … Examples found included …… (from text Z), …… from text a; and ….. (from text b). The frequency of this features usage suggests that ….. Additionally, one can deduce …

A S.E.X.Y Outline.

One feature that seems to occur very frequently is … X number of examples were found, from a sample of Y speeches, suggesting a … Examples found included …… (from text Z), where the effect was …… In text Y, one noticeable example was ……. which was used to ….. Text A included the example….. In order to …….. The frequency of this features usage suggests that ….. Additionally, the speakers have used this feature to ….

Analyse the individual effect of each feature

Draw a conclusions about the regularity of the features usage

Exploring Effect: Useful phrases• This suggests/implies/connotes

• This emphasizes/reinforces/strengthens the idea of

• This creates a sense of / image of

• This is memorable/humorous/persuasive because …

• This appeals to the targets audience’s desire for luxury/quality/superiority/to emulate/value for money/for attractiveness.

Sample Section of Report

Emotive word use is a prominent feature in car advertisements. They are meant to express that the product will fill a void in your life, even if you are unaware that such a thing existed. In the advertisement for the new BMW three series it talks of the car having ‘unrivalled agility’. The effect produced is one of finesse and power, as well as one of safety. By buying this car these feelings will be transferred onto you. The finesse and agility no longer belong to the car, they belong to you, providing the owner with a sense of superiority over other road users. In advertisements for the new Mercedes B-class, it talks of the car having the ‘flexibility’ needed for an ‘active lifestyle’. This targets buyers who wish to lead an active life by implying that the flexibility needed for this lifestyle is only attainable by buying a one hundred thousand dollar wagon. Another prominent example of emotive words is found in ads for the new Mazda 6. It talks of ‘European luxury’ giving the implication that the car looks and feels more expensive than it actually is. The connotations surrounding the word ‘European’ are sophisticated and fashionable. An appeal is made to the need for some to feel important and wealthy, even when the degree of importance and wealth they are looking for is unattainable. After all, it is only ‘Japanese’ not ‘European luxury’ that the buyer is actually getting.

Look at how the student introduced the effects created by the features he found

Notice the detail: how much individual words and phrases are unpacked

Conclusions – needed for achieved!

• Jargon• Jargon is used to explain the

technical nature and features of a vehicle, appealing to what people want in a car, or to make the technology of the car seem more advanced than it actually is. A prime example of the latter is found in advertisements for Subaru All Wheel Drive. The text below the image of a car promotes the ‘Symmetrical All Wheel Drive’.

Looks at sources separately. Does not integrate information / conclusions from more than one source to construct new understandings. (needed for excellence: “qualitative judgements ... with close links to questions.”)

What conclusion is made here?

Notice the generalised comment on the effect of jargon in the context of car advertising

Language of Fast Food Advertising

Exclamations were commonly used as a means of emphasising the message and stressing particular sentences in a colloquial way, ‘New pork riblet is a taste sensation!’ from a Subway campaign. Another widely used technique was pre-modification, making the food sound appealing and increasing the power of the message. ‘The new boneless pork barbeque riblet sub is …’ All of the adjectives build up to make the riblet sound really appealing.Every fast-food organisation had its slogan. It brands the product making it memorable to consumers, often incorporating colloquialism:‘Burger King – it just tastes better’,‘I’m lovin’ it’,‘Subway eat fresh’.

Presents accurate information. Limited conclusions.

What conclusions can you find here?

How can this be improved to merit? Look for common properties and trends – link information. See next slide

From achieved to merit

Exclamations were commonly used as a means of emphasising the message and stressing particular sentences in a colloquial way, ‘New pork riblet is a taste sensation!’ from a Subway campaign. Another widely used technique was pre-modification, making the food sound appealing and increasing the power of the message. ‘The new boneless pork barbeque riblet sub is …’ All of the adjectives build up to make the riblet sound really appealing.

Every fast-food organisation had its slogan. It brands the product making it memorable to consumers, often incorporating colloquialism:

‘Burger King – it just tastes better’,‘I’m lovin’ it’,‘Subway eat fresh’.The frequency of exclamations, and the ‘chatty’ tone of the slogans all lead to a strong

colloquial tone. From this, one can conclude, that the advertisers are trying to create a sense of fast food as an informal, everyday product, designed to appeal to a very broad market. Perhaps the thinking behind this is to make the consumption of fast food an everyday occasion, rather than something special, to be reserved for special occasions. In short, everyday language for everyday food.

Notice how trends are analysedNotice the concluding connectiveNotice the speculative tone

DescriptorAchievement Propose research questions that expand

understandings of a topic.Select relevant information from a range of referenced sources.Present well-supported conclusions in an appropriate written format.

Merit Propose research questions that expand understandings of a topic.Select relevant information from a range of referenced sources.Present, in an appropriate written format, well-supported conclusions that include judgements that are convincing and well organised.

Excellence Propose research questions that expand understandings of a topic.Select relevant information from a range of referenced sources.Present, in an appropriate written format, well-supported conclusions that consistently develop perceptive and integrated judgements.

How do I conclude? Useful phrases

The significance of this trend is…This data/trend allows one to concludeThis proves that …This last example is particularly effective because …The key factors here are …It is clear that …Thus, one can see …Perhaps the advertisers are trying to …

Report Writing Continued

Starter: More exemplars. Follow the link and read through the exemplars http://www.tki.org.nz/r/ncea/eng2_8A6_1may07.doc (Save it to favourites so you can return to it as

you write your essay)

Progress – Keep working on your report – remember to explore effect, remember to conclude

• The significance of this trend is…• This data/trend allows one to conclude• This proves that …• This last example is particularly effective because …• The key factors here are …• It is clear that …• Thus, one can see …• Perhaps the advertisers are trying to …• This suggests/implies/connotes• This emphasizes/reinforces/strengthens the idea of• This creates a sense of / image of • This is memorable/humorous/persuasive because …• This appeals to the targets audience’s desire for luxury/quality/superiority/to emulate/value for

money/for attractiveness.

Write up Continued

• Goal: To write using S.E.X.Y paragraphs to analyse the effects created by the use of language features, with a high degree of technical accuracy

• Starter – correct the errors (Handout in planner)

• Drafting Continued

• Go!

For Advertisements

Company Name (Date Published ) Title of Advertisement Place of publication

Alka Seltser Hangover is Dangerous. http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/alka_seltzer_kitten.(2008)

For Magazine Articles: Author/s > Date of Publication > Title (Italicised) > In >Title of Magazine (Underlined) > Date of Magazine