as articles and/ or adjectives (usually factual or classifying adjectives), but might also include a simple embedded clause as a post qualifier modifier e.g. Cows are big, strong animals that give us milk. A female horse is called a mare. Generalised nouns in simple noun groups e.g. cows, brown cows, chickens, a chicken about the topic or entity e.g. A sugar glider is a ‘flying’ possum that can glide between trees. Noun groups mostly include factual describers or adjectives (answering questions such as ‘What is it like?’, ‘What are its qualities?’) which can be intensified e.g. A turtle frog is a very small creature. They can also include classifiers (answering the question ‘What type?’) which cannot be intensified. For example, Koalas have waterproof fur. A common blue-tongue lizard is the best-known lizard in Australia. The term ‘best-known’ could be classed as an opinion adjective but this type of adjective would not usually be used by students beyond level 3/4. Generalised nouns e.g. sugar gliders and nouns/ noun groups of increasing technicality, e.g. nocturnal animal, marsupial, natural predators modification about the topic or entity; varied use of post-modifiers (e.g. prepositional phrases, embedded clauses) e.g. Weeks of heavy rain caused devastating floods in the Northern Territory. Many homes in Victoria were destroyed by bush fires. Earth’s atmosphere, which protects it from dangerous radiation, contains gases that we breathe. The more distant planets from the Sun orbit more slowly. The Sun’s gravity holds the Solar System together. Noun groups mostly include factual describers or adjectives (answering questions such as ‘What is it like?’, ‘What are its qualities?’) which can be intensified e.g. The Sun is the largest and most massive body in the Solar System. They can also include classifiers (answering the question ‘What type?’) which cannot be intensified. For example, Solar eclipses can be seen in various places around the world. Tropical cyclones occur in northern parts of Australia. Generalised nouns e.g. sugar gliders and nouns/ noun groups of increasing technicality, e.g. nocturnal animal, marsupial, natural predators
Evaluative language Little if any evaluation, however instances of opinion might be apparent, e.g. Horses are lovely animals. Evaluative language Little if any evaluation, mostly factual describers or adjectives or classifiers (see noun groups in Expressing ideas). In the sentence e.g. A common blue-tongue lizard is the best-known lizard in Australia. Evaluative language Little if any evaluation, mostly factual describers or adjectives or classifiers (see noun groups in Expressing ideas). Venus is the hottest planet of all. The Milky Way is a vast system of stars, planets and gas. Adjusting force Simple intensifiers e.g. Goats are very hairy animals. Adjusting force Modality can be present to temper claims, e.g., Koalas can be found in most parts of Australia. Force can also be adjusted through vocabulary choices e.g. Millions of koalas live in Australia. Koalas have extremely strong limbs. Adjusting force Modality can be present to temper claims, e.g. Floodwaters can be deep and fast running. Force can also be adjusted through vocabulary choices e.g. devastating floods, sun-baked Mercury, Cyclone Tracy wreaked havoc Victorian Curriculum Links: English Describe some differences between imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, and identify the audience of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts () Understand the use of vocabulary about familiar and new topics and experiment with and begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit audience purpose () Examine how evaluative language can be more or less forceful () Learn extended and technical vocabulary and ways of expressing opinion including modal verbs and adverbs () Understand differences between the language of opinion and feeling and the language of factual reporting or recording () Show how ideas and points of view in texts are conveyed through the use of vocabulary, including idiomatic expression, objective and subjective language, and that these can change according to context () Understand the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that different can have different meanings in different contexts () Investigate how complex sentences can be used in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend and explain ideas () Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning, feeling and opinion ()
Text structure and organisation Clause/ sentence beginnings Clauses usually begin with the subject which is also usually the topic or entity in focus, e.g. A chicken has a beak, feathers and wings. Some chickens are black and some (chickens) are white. Clause/ sentence beginnings Most clauses begin with the subject which is also usually the topic or entity in focus through noun groups or pronouns e.g. Sugar Gliders are nocturnal creatures. They spend their days sleeping in trees. Female Sugar Gliders…. Some examples of prepositional phrases at the beginning of sentences e.g. During the day, sugar gliders sleep in nests in hollow trees. In spring, groups of little red flying foxes bunch together in trees. After three months, the gecko’s eggs hatch. Clause/ sentence beginnings Most clauses begin with the subject which is also usually the topic or entity in focus through noun groups or pronouns e.g. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It is covered in craters. Mercury’s thin atmosphere means that it cannot retain heat so it is freezing cold at night. Prepositional phrases may occur at the beginning of sentences e.g. In the Earth’s outer atmosphere… By mid-February 1995, rivers in NSW were close to breaking their banks. Early on Christmas Day in 1974, Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin. Forceful winds are destructive, causing much damage to houses. Nominalisation Some examples of nominalisation, for example, ‘The Earth rotates on its axis every twenty-four hours. This causes day and night’ might be written as ‘The rotation of the Earth on its axis every twenty-four hours results in day and night.’ When words are made into nouns, there is potential to build larger nouns groups, to focus on concepts rather than actions and to compress ideas in sentences. Referring words Reference through pronouns used to build internal connections but not always consistently clear e.g. A chicken has a Referring words Reference through pronouns (e.g. they/them/ theirs) and determiners (e.g. a/an, the, this, these) used to build internal Referring words Reference through pronouns (e.g. they/them/ theirs) and determiners (e.g. a/an, the, this, these) used to build clear