Annotation Acronyms

Annotating is an important skill to employ if you want to read critically.  Successful critical readers read with a pencil in their hand, making notes in the text as they read.  Instead of reading passively, they create an active relationship with what they are reading by "talking back" to the text in its margins.  The following acronyms may help you better remember different elements of the craft of writing to consider while annotating a text.

 

T.A.P.S. - General literary analysis

Topic: What is the topic of the text?

Audience: To whom is the message directed?

Purpose: What is the writer’s goal?

Speaker: What can be inferred about the speaker’s attitude toward the topic or the audience?

 

D.I.T.S. – The elements of tone

Diction refers to a writer's (or speaker's) word choice; besides the dictionary definition of a word (its denotation) a word can have an emotional charge or association that creates a secondary meaning (its connotation) "The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."  ~ Mark Twain

Imagery refers to mental pictures or sensations that a writer evokes in a reader.  Look carefully at the pictures that a writer creates; note his/her descriptive details in the setting such as: colors, objects, weather, seasons, use of light or darkness, look at any symbols and what feelings they may suggest.

Theme refers to the author’s message or to the overarching idea that the text leads the reader to consider.  Think about the author's message; what attitude comes through in his/her main point?

Style refers to the writer’s use of language; is it formal, informal, technical?  What details did the writer choose to include or omit?  Examine the various elements of characterization; assess what messages the writer is sending through his characters’ actions, reactions, thoughts, speech, physical description or other character’s comments. What feelings are created by the writer’s plot? What feelings are created by the conflict and how it is solved or resolved?

 

D.I.D.L.S. – A mnemonic for literary analysis

Diction: the denotative and connotative meanings of words

• different words for the same thing often suggest different attitudes (e.g., happy vs. content)

• denotative vs. connotative (e.g., dead vs. passed away)

• concrete vs. abstract (e.g., able to perceive with 5 senses, tangible, vs. an idea or concept that exists in one’s

  mind, intangible)

• cacophonous vs. euphonious (e.g., harsh sounding, e.g., raucous, croak or pleasant sounding, e.g. languid, murmur)

Images: Vivid appeals to understanding through the five senses

Details: Facts that are included or those that are omitted

Language: The overall use of language such as formal, clinical, informal, slang, syntactical structure

Sentence Structure: How the author’s use of sentence structure affects the reader

 

S.M.E.L.L. – Evaluating argumentation and persuasion (with rhetorical appeals)

Sender/receiver relationship: Who is the speaker? Who is the audience? What is the tone directed from one to the other?

Message: What is the content and/or claim?

Evidence: What kind of evidence is given and to what extent?

Logic: What is the quality of the reasoning? What types of appeals are being used?

Language: What stylistic and rhetorical devices are being employed?

 

S.O.A.P.S.Tone - Analyzing point-of-view

Speaker: Is there someone identified as the speaker? Can you make some assumptions about this person?  From what social class does the author come?  What political bias can be inferred?  What gender?

Occasion: What may have prompted the author to write this piece? What event led to its publication or development?

Audience: Does the speaker identify an audience? What assumptions can you make about the audience?  Is it a mixed in terms of: race, politics, gender, social class, religion, etc.?  Who was the document created for?  Does the speaker use language that is specific for a unique audience?  Does the speaker evoke: Nation? Liberty? God? History? Hell? Does the speaker allude to any particular time in history such as: Ancient Times? Industrial Revolution? World Wars? Vietnam?

Purpose: What is the speaker’s purpose? In what ways does the author convey this message?  What seems to be the emotional state of the speaker?  How is the speaker trying to spark a reaction in the audience?  What words or phrases show the speaker’s tone?  How is this document supposed to make you feel?

Subject: What is the subject of the piece?  How do you know this?  How has the subject been selected andpresented by the author?

Tone: What is the author’s attitude toward the subject?  How is the writer’s attitude revealed?

 

D.U.C.A.T.S. – The “6 gold pieces” of writer’s voice

Diction refers to a writer's word choice with the following considerations:

• denotation / connotation of a word

• degree of difficulty or complexity of a word

• level of formality of a word

• tone of a word (the emotional charge a word carries)

• the above will often create a subtext for the text

Unity refers to the idea that all of the ideas in a written piece are relevant and appropriate to the focus.  Some considerations:

• each claim (assertion, topic sentence) supports the thesis

• each piece of evidence is important and relevant to the focus of the paragraph or the piece of writing as a whole

• occasionally, a writer may choose to purposely violate the element of unity for a specific effect (some humorists / satirists will sometimes consciously do this)

• it is important to consider what has been omitted from a piece and examine the writer's intent in doing so

Coherence refers to the organization and logic of a piece of writing; some considerations include:

• precision and clarity in a thesis and supportive arguments

• the arguments ordered in the most effective way for the writer's intent

• the sentences and paragraphs "flow smoothly" for the reader; there should not be any abrupt leaps or gaps in the presentation of the ideas or story (unless the writer makes a conscious choice for a specific and appropriate effect)

Audience refers to the writer's awareness of who will be reading his or her piece of writing; some considerations are:

• Who are the targeted readers?

• How well informed are they on the subject? What does the writer want the reader to learn as a result of this piece?

• What first impression is created for the reader and how does the author's voice shape this first impression?

• How interested and attentive are they likely to be? Will they resist any of the ideas?

• What is the relationship between the writer and the reader? Employee to supervisor? Citizen to citizen? Expert to novice? Scholar to scholar? Student to teacher?  Student to student?

• How much time will the reader be willing to spend reading?

• How sophisticated are the readers in regard to vocabulary and syntax?

Tone refers to a writer's ability to create an attitude toward the subject matter of a piece of writing; the tools a writer uses to create tone:

• Diction, Figurative language, Characterization, Plot, Theme

Syntax refers to the arrangement--the ordering, grouping, and placement--of words within a phrase, clause, or sentence. Some considerations:

• Type of sentence

• Length of sentence

• Subtle shifts or abrupt changes in sentence length or patterns

• Punctuation use

• Use of repetition

• Language patterns / rhythm / cadence

• How all of the above factors contribute to narrative pace

• The use of active and/or passive voice

 

S.O.L.L.I.D.D.D. - Analyzing rhetorical elements and author’s style

Syntax: Sentence structure

Organization: The structure of sections within a passage and as a whole

Literary Devices: Metaphor, simile, personification, irony (situational, verbal and dramatic), hyperbole, allusion, alliteration, etc.

Levels of Discourse: Cultural levels of language act, with attendant traits (does the narrator’s voice represent a particular social, political, or cultural viewpoint or perspective?)

Imagery: Deliberate appeal to the audience’s five senses

Diction: Word choice and its denotative and connotative significance

Detail: Descriptive items selected for inclusion

Dialogue: Spoken exchange selected for inclusion

 

You should, of course, always, at the very least, make the following annotations as you read:

1.) Mark the Thesis and Main Points of the Piece

The thesis is the main idea or claim of the text, and relates to the author's purpose for writing. Sometimes the thesis is not explicitly stated, but is implied in the text, but you should still be able to paraphrase an overall idea the author is interested in exploring in the text. The thesis can be thought of as a promise the writer makes to the reader that the rest of the essay attempts to fulfill.

The main points are the major subtopics, or sub-ideas the author wants to explore. Main points make up the body of the text, and are often signaled by major divisions in the structure of the text.

Marking the thesis and main points will help you understand the overall idea of the text, and the way the author has chosen to develop her or his thesis through the main points s/he has chosen.

 

2.) Mark Key Terms and Unfamiliar Words

While you are annotating the text you are reading, be sure to circle unfamiliar words and, if time allows, look them up.  Making meaning of some discussions in texts depends on your understanding of pivotal words.  You should also annotate key terms that keep popping up in your reading.  The fact that the author uses key terms to signal important and/or recurring ideas means that you should have a firm grasp of what they mean.

 

3.) Underline Important Ideas and Memorable Images

You will want to underline important ideas and memorable images so that you can go back to the piece and find them easily.     Marking these will also help you relate to the author's position in the piece more readily.  Writers may try to signal important ideas with the use of descriptive language or images, and where you find these stylistic devices, there may be a key concept the writer is trying to convey.

 

4.) Write Your Questions and/or Comments in the Margins of the Piece

Writing your own questions and responses to the text in its margins may be the most important aspect of annotating.  "Talking back" to the text is an important meaning-making activity for critical readers.  Think about what thoughts and feelings the text creates in you.  Do you agree or disagree with what the author is saying?  Are you confused by a certain section of the text?  Write your reactions to the reading in the margins of the text itself so you can refer to it again easily.  This will not only make your reading more active and memorable, but it may be material you can use in your own writing later on.

 

5.) Write any Personal Experience Related to the Piece

One way to make a meaningful connection to a text is to connect the ideas in the text to your own personal experience.  Where can you identify with what the author is saying?  Where do you differ in terms of personal experience?  Identifying personally with the piece will enable you to get more out of your reading because it will b

 

6.) Mark Confusing Parts of the Piece, or Sections that Warrant a Reread

Be sure to mark confusing parts of the piece you are reading, or sections that warrant a reread.  It is tempting to glide over confusing parts of a text, probably because they cause frustration in us as readers.  But it is important to go back to confusing sections to try to understand as much as you can about them.  Annotating these sections may also remind you to bring up the confusing section in class or to your instructor.

 

7.) Underline the Sources, if any, the Author has Used

Good critical readers are always aware of the sources an author uses in her or his text.  You should mark sources in the text and ask yourself the following questions:

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