Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Language and literature for Baccalaureate

Journalistic Genres: Story, Report, and Interview

The News Story: Depth and Development

The story is a news piece that develops a sense of spaciousness and depth. Its objective is to complement other sources of information, such as:

• Direct evidence
• Statements by key figures
• New data
• Detailed descriptions of the environment
• Information graphics

Sometimes, the story includes other texts, separated from the main content using typographic resources, which supplement the report.

Structure of the News Story

Its structure is basically like the news: entry and body. However, two elements feature prominently:

1. The first paragraph, which must prove attractive to the reader.
2. The last paragraph, which should close the text suggestively.

The extension is highly variable,...

Nowadays, most people share the view that cosmetic surgery is not only about appearance, but also there are people who do it for health reasons. Cosmetic surgery is a big step, and first, you have to know its pros and cons.

Pros of Cosmetic Surgery

To begin with, plastic surgery makes it possible to recover the lives of some people who have suffered burns, traumas, or accidents. As well, it helps improve the self-esteem of those who suffer from physical complexes.

Cons of Cosmetic Surgery

On the other hand, cosmetic surgery has disadvantages like the addiction it causes when people see that they can change their appearance effortlessly, and they begin to change their face and body completely. Another disadvantage is cosmetic surgery carried out...

Discrimination is crucial to questioning the American Dream. The play focuses on the segregationist laws still legal in the Southern States. One difficulty the Youngers face is moving to a white neighborhood. This is reflected when Mrs. Johnson warns them about dangerous situations, stating people like them were previously “bombed out of the place.” The family challenges these laws by keeping the house. A key moment is when Mrs. Johnson calls the Youngers a proud family. This situation shows not only the difficulties the family faces but also Mama’s impossibility to make her dream come true. She remarks that she bought the house because it was cheaper. In a conversation with Ruth, she mentions that owning a big house was her greatest...

Timeliness

The speed at which an event is reported.

Currency

A story that is repeated by different types of media.

Proximity

Local news.

Prominence

Celebrity, famous people, places, or things.

Consequence

An event that has a significant impact, such as a hurricane.

Impact

The changes that occur as a result of a consequence.

Rarity/Novelty

Unusual stories.

Suspense

Mystery or suspense, where the outcome of the story is unknown.

Human Interest

Stories about human experiences, families, etc.

Progress

Exclusive stories with a connection to business, such as the discovery of a cure for cancer.

Conflict

People on opposite sides of an issue.

Controversy

When something unfair is happening.

Visual Potential

Stories generated by pictures.

Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How

The...

• Abandon vessel (abandonar el barco): To evacuate a vessel's crew and passengers following a distress.
• Adrift (a la deriva): Floating, not controlled, without a clearly determinable direction.
• Assembly station: A place on deck, in mess rooms, etc., assigned to crew and passengers where they have to meet according to the muster list when the corresponding alarm is released or announcement made.
• Backing (of wind): When a wind blows round anticlockwise (opposite of veering).
• Beach (to) (varar): To run a vessel upon a beach to prevent its sinking in deep water.
• Berth (amarradero): A sea room to be kept for safety around a vessel, rock, platform, etc., or the place assigned to a vessel when anchored or lying alongside a pier, etc.
• Blast: A sound signal

Prepositions: Definition, Characteristics, and Usage

According to their morphology, semantics, and syntax, prepositions exhibit specific characteristics:

Morphology of Prepositions

• Prepositions are invariable units, similar to adverbs. They do not support gender or number morphemes.
• Expressions formed by an adverb and a preposition, or a noun and a preposition, are often called prepositional phrases.

Semantics of Prepositions

• Prepositions are considered "empty words" because they inherently lack meaning on their own.
• In conjunction with other elements, they acquire various semantic values, providing context and relationships.

Syntax of Prepositions

• Prepositions do not play an independent relational syntactic role.
• They function as linking words or phrases,

1. The Text and Its Properties
Maximum unit of linguistic communication. It is characterized by its intentionality, reflecting a conscious effort by the issuer, including its text that sends a complete message that will be recognized by the issuer.
Features:
- Adaptation to the specific communicative situation in which to perform communication.
- Consistency in terms of contents, i.e., one-way and complete.
- Cohesion in their way. The issuer shall ensure the proper reception of the message using the necessary language procedures for the text to be correct and orderly.
2. Coherence
Consistency: A property that ensures the unity of the text from a semantic point of view. A text can be synthesized in one main idea that summarizes the overall content....

The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and his Fortunes and Adversities (better known as Lazarillo de Tormes) is a Spanish novel, written anonymously in first person and epistolary style (as one long letter). The earliest known edition dates from 1554. It is an autobiographical account of the life of a child, Lázaro de Tormes, in the sixteenth century, from his birth and miserable childhood to his marriage in adulthood.

A Picaresque Novel

It is considered the forerunner of the picaresque novel, with elements such as realism, first-person narrative, a structure roaming between multiple masters, and moralizing and pessimistic ideology.

Social Commentary

Lazarillo de Tormes is an outline of the ironic, ruthless society of the time. It shows its vices and...

Understanding the Communicative Act

The communicative act is a deliberate and complex process between a speaker (transmitter) and a listener (receiver). It involves establishing contact within a context of a communicative purpose, determined by space-time coordinates.

The Theme

The theme is the central idea within the text, the assumed topic of conversation.

The Intent

The intent is the purpose that gives rise to the communicative act. Purposes are many and varied, including informing, influencing, regulating social life, and congratulating someone. They are classified as subjective or objective. The speaker's distance or participation determines the degree of subjectivity or objectivity.

The Channel

The channel is the medium for transmitting the...

Modality in Textual Analysis

Understanding Modals

Modality reveals the sender's presence in a text. This presence is conveyed through various linguistic elements known as modals. Modals imbue texts with subjectivity, a characteristic often found in argumentative discourse.

Key Modal Elements

• Sentence Modality and Communicative Function
• Evaluative Lexicon
• Figures of Speech
• Punctuation
• Theming

1. Sentence Modality and Communicative Function

Sentence and communication patterns reflect the sender's attitude toward the statement and their intended effect on the recipient. These patterns include:

• Affirmative or Negative
• Question (?)
• Exclamation (!)
• Doubtful (e.g., Maybe)
• Desire (e.g., Hopefully)
• Imperative

2. Evaluative Lexicon

• Evaluative Adjectives: Adjectives with