Structure

The structure of an article for a newspaper, magazine or website, is usually in three parts:

• introduction – engaging the reader, or outlining the main point of the article to follow
• middle – making clear and interesting points about the topic
• end – a concluding paragraph that draws the points together

If the aim of an article is to persuade the reader, then the opening and closing paragraph will outline the writer’s viewpoint and make it most memorable. Subheadings are sometimes used to signpost the content of each.

Language

The language of an article depends upon the purpose and audience; usually, the vocabulary of the article will fit the topic content, and who it is targeted at. For example, you would expect an article about a recent film release to include the vocabulary of actors, scripts and performance.

A catchy, memorable headline is essential to grab your readers’ attention and entice them to read the whole article.

Articles are usually written in Standard English, but colloquial sayings or phrases might be used to emphasise a point. Persuasive devices, such as rule of three, rhetorical questions and alliteration can be used to encourage the reader to agree with your point of view.

Example

Here’s an extract from an article that tries to persuade the reader to eat a more balanced, healthy diet:

Eat Right: Live Longer

It has been scientifically proven that the less junk food a person consumes, the longer they are likely to live. So why isn’t everyone dumping the junk? Jordan McIntyre investigates.

Fast food equals fat

A staple part of twenty-first century British home-life is the weekly takeaway treat: finger-licking burgers, sticky ribs and crispy chicken wings are, for many, the normal Friday night feast. The average national calorie count in the UK is a whopping 4500 a day, a key factor in the obesity cases that are soaring. Fast food is packed with fat and obesity contributes to a range of health issues - most significantly heart disease and depression. So why aren’t we changing our lifestyles?

Short on time

Families these days are spending less and less time at home during the working week. School commitments, work meetings and extra curricular activities mean that time is short and fewer people are prepared to put in the effort to prepare fresh, healthy meals.

And when time is tight, it seems we are even more willing to compromise our waistlines for a little bit of what we fancy – fast fatty food.

Eat yourself healthy

However, Georgia Thomas of the University of Food says, ‘I am convinced that it is possible to live a busy lifestyle AND prepare healthy, satisfying meals. It seems that people have simply got out of the habit of cooking. We are busy people; how do we reward ourselves? You guessed it - food.’ Britain clearly needs to shift the stodge, and fast.

The article uses a short, bold headline using alliteration to get the reader’s interest and present the topic of the article. The rhetorical question in the opening paragraph encourages the reader to challenge the topic. The subheadings direct the reader through the text, and act as mini headlines, drawing the reader’s attention. The writer uses hyperbole, and colloquial sayings to produce a lively, interesting article. This style of language is used throughout with phrases such as ‘little bit of what we fancy’ and ‘shift the stodge’ adding a conversational tone to the whole piece.

The final paragraph uses quotations from an expert to add credibility to the argument. You would expect the article to go on to explore how we can eat healthily and to conclude with an explanation of how easy it is to do this.

Structure

A report is highly factual and informs the reader rather than trying to make them feel or react in a particular way.

A report typically uses subheadings, to organise the text. There might also be statistics, graphs or evidence to support the text. Bullet points could be used to highlight key information to the reader.

Language

The language in a report is objective. It states facts rather than attempting to manipulate the reader’s emotions.

The purpose is usually to provide the reader with relevant information in an ordered way. Therefore, the vocabulary should be Standard Englishand straightforward, presenting the topic precisely.

Here’s a report about the catering services at a school. Notice the use of subheadings to focus each area of the reporter’s findings.

Report: Little Gotham Catering Services

Overview

The report found that most areas of the catering facilities were adequate or exceeding expectations for their purpose. Inspections were carried out at each stage of the service process, including a customer satisfaction survey. The report includes strengths of the service provided, and recommended areas of improvement.

Preparation and hygiene standards

All staff followed a strict hygiene policy prior to handling any food. Raw and cooked foods are prepared in separate areas of the kitchen, using the regulation stated chopping boards and equipment for the food in question. Prepared food is checked rigorously for expiry dates and additional marks or signs of the food being at an inedible stage.

Quality control and nutritional value

All dishes present on the menu are checked both at ingredient quantity stages, and also at tasting for salt content and temperature. Food is circulated every eight minutes, with any food out on the service floor for a period that exceeded eight minutes being disposed of immediately.

On more than one occasion, food was not checked for content before service; for example, meat/vegetable ratio in the winter stew, or custard measurement for dessert dishes.

Service and customer satisfaction

Service is both efficient and polite. All staff are available to respond to customer needs and queries. During the survey, many customers made personal reference to particular members of staff - this shows that staff have built up rapport over a long period of time.

The only area of concern was that the condiment and cutlery drawer was not replenished on regular occasions to meet customer demand.

Summary of findings

Overall, the catering service is clearly a business that has high expectations of its staff, and consistently uses strict policy and guidelines regarding food preparation and hygiene to ensure that customers received a high quality of service.

The only points of recommendation that the report would like to put forward are:

• more rigorous quality control of portion sizes
• ensure staff responsibilities during service are clear so that customer demand (eg for condiments) is met

The writer has used subheadings to highlight the areas of focus within the report. The writer also uses signposting sentences at the beginning of each paragraph. Notice in the structure of the third paragraph - negative areas are mentioned only after the positive findings have been included. The report ends with a clear summary of the report findings, and a bullet-pointed list of general recommendations to end.

Tips for perfect letter writing

Structure

A letter has a conventional structure with addresses at the top, an opening address using ‘Dear …’ and ending with a standard salutation such as ‘Yours sincerely’ (if you know the reader’s name) or ‘Yours faithfully’ (if you have started your letter ‘Dear Sir/Madam’). In a formal letter, the opening paragraph should outline the overall aim of the letter and the conclusion should summarise the main points. Each paragraph should link to the purpose.

Language

The language used will depend on the audience of the letter; if you are trying to persuade the recipient of a particular idea, then your language may be positive and upbeat in tone. If the letter is being used to make a complaint, the language is more likely to be formal, with emotive language to describe the experience or service.

Example

Here is an example of a job application letter. The writer’s overall purpose is to persuade the reader of their suitability for the role.

Dear Mr Hopkins,

I am writing in response to the recent advertisement for the position of sales assistant that has become available in your shop. I would like to be considered for the position.

I am currently working in a local coffee shop, where I am responsible for the service and distribution of food and drink to customers. I am a key holder for the premises, and my daily duties include taking orders, dealing with customer queries and managing the till takings at the end of the working day. I work as part of a small team to ensure that the needs of the customers are met.

Before working in the coffee shop, I spent several years working as a sales assistant in a bookshop. In this role, I gained extensive experience of organisation, stocktaking and meeting specific requests for customer orders. In this full-time role, I developed interpersonal skills and confidence within customer service.

In addition to this I can offer competent skills with Microsoft Office software and I am currently completing an evening course in accounting. I have included details of my GCSE qualifications in my attached CV.

Thank for you taking the time to read my application; I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Marisa Ahmed

The opening paragraph outlines the purpose of the letter to the recipient. The writer then explains their previous experience in sales and refers to their qualifications to show that they are suitable. The closing paragraph refers back to the overall purpose, and assumes that the writer expects to hear from the recipient - this shows confidence.