4v reviews
Review writing - final tips & tricks
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Review writing - final tips & tricks
To-do list!
Common mistakes & missed opportunities
Rhetorical questions
Addressing your target audience
Clarity
Requirements
General tips
Common mistakes - rhetorical questions
Rhetorical question: A question to which no answer is expected, often used for rhetorical effect -> used to make a point!
Effective:
Have you ever seen a painting that is so beautiful that crowds of people stand around it just to see it?
Not effective:
Have you ever been to a museum where a movie was filmed?
Easy to answer yes or no to
Very matter-of-fact
Effective rhetorical question or not?
Have you ever been to a museum with old portraits?
Effective
Not effective
Effective rhetorical question or not?
Have you ever visited the old antique house of the queen and king?
Effective
Not effective
Effective rhetorical question or not?
Have you ever been forced to a boring museum with your parents and not been willing to go?
Effective
Not effective
Common mistakes - rhetorical questions
Don't make it a direct question: avoid phrases like "Have you ever been to", "Have you ever read" etc. -> these are easy to answer
Rhetorical questions do not need an answer - they are used to make a point
Instead of "Have you ever visited this", use "Have you ever dreamt of visiting a place as beautiful as this".
Be convincing and creative - rhetorical questions are used for persuasion and emphasis, so use convincing language!
Instead of "Have you ever wanted to go to a really cool place?", use "Have you ever wanted to visit a beautiful museum with incredible, once-in-a-lifetime pieces of art?"
Be dramatic: the more dramatic, the more it pulls the reader in!
Common mistakes - addressing the target audience
Lots of points lost on this!
Specify your target audience in your introduction
"If you are someone who enjoys [this] and [this], then this is the book for you!"
Address the reader throughout
Avoid using "People might enjoy this because..." - instead, use "You will love this because..."
Use phrases such as "Isn't that incredible!" to be even more convincing and make the reader think about just how incredible it really is!
Which example addresses the target audience more effectively?
A. The thing that is special is that you can also play games and be active while you learn. [...] How amazing is that, especially for teenagers!
B. What people would like about the museum is that it is outside and that is nice with good weather.
Answer A
Answer B
Common mistakes - clarity
Also lots of points lost on clarity: what exactly are you reviewing?
In the case of the museum: where is it? What kind of museum is it (art, natural history, science etc.)? What can you expect to see there?
In the case of the book: what is it about? Who wrote it? What genre is it?
In the case of the summer activity: where does it take place? What can you do there?
This does not have to be long, but it does need to be clear to your audience exactly what you are reviewing!
Requirements
Things that are often forgotten:
Specifying your target audience and addressing the reader throughout
You need two positives and two negatives + explanation/examples!
Make sure you also include the extra requirement (e.g. for the museum you needed to include a fun fact)
Please use paragraph breaks for readability (part of your grade for organization!)
Use varied language (adjectives, adverbs, linking words) and more advanced grammatical structures
Add a final recommendation to your conclusion to end the review convincingly!
Tips for the writing test
Tomorrow, 10-6!
You can use a dictionary: bring your own!
Take some time before you start writing your review to plan what exactly you are writing: what is your general opinion? Which arguments (pros and cons) are you using? Who is your target audience?
If you find yourself losing points in the organization and language sections, take some time before the exam to look up synonyms for words you find yourself using a lot.
Any questions? (Only fill in actual questions please!)
