Date: 30/01/25 Topic: Writing
WALT: explore Article Writing
AN ARTICLE
An article is a piece of writing (usually around 800-
2000 words) about a particular topic. Sometimes an
article will offer a balanced view of a subject. At other
times an article might be biased towards a person or
political standpoint.
An article might also be flavoured by the writer’s
style. Depending on the purpose of your article, you
might use very direct informative language or more
poetic language to create a sense of the subject
matter.
Here are some typical subjects covered by article
writers:
• travel
• sport
• history
• hobbies/home/craft
• music
• celebrities/famous figures (eg an article about an
actor’s life and career)
Structure
The basic structure of an article for a newspaper,
magazine or website, is usually in three parts:
• opening – engaging the reader, or outlining the
main point of the article
• middle – a series of paragraphs that go into more
detail
• end – a concluding paragraph that draws the points
together
Language
The language of an article depends upon the purpose and audience. The
language of the article will fit the content and the intended readers. For
example, an article about a recent film release would include language
that deals with actors, scripts and performance and is likely to include the
writer’s opinions of the film.
Articles usually have a catchy, memorable headline. This helps to grab the
reader’s 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. Literary techniques such as
metaphor and simile make your writing more interesting and engaging.
Persuasive devices, such as rule of three, rhetorical questions and
hyperbole can encourage the reader to agree with your point of view.
DISCUSSION OF SAMPLE ARTICLE
The headline grabs the reader's interest and introduces the
article. The writer uses Parallelism by using two imperative or
command phrases 'Eat well' followed by 'live longer'. Alliteration
is also used with the repetition of 'l'.
The rhetorical question in the opening paragraph encourages
the reader to engage with the topic. The subheadings direct the
reader through the text, and act as mini headlines. The writer
uses colloquial sayings such as ‘a little bit of what we fancy’ and
‘shift the stodge’ to create a lively, conversational tone.
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.
Task
'Libraries are relics from the past. Everything
we need to know these days can be found
online. Library buildings could be put to better
use as community spaces.‘
Write an article for a broadsheet
newspaper in which you explain your
point of view on this statement.
