English Language Non-Fiction Anthology Notes (IGCSE Edexcel)
* English notes are colour coded according to language, form and structure
A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat Notes
Theme Technique Effect
Chaos Intertextual Reference Relatable comparison for uninformed audience
‘Wacky Races’ Fulfils purpose to entertain via lighthearted tone
Conveys unpredictability & lack of regulation in donkey racing
Metaphor Frame of reference for Western reader (uniformed with sport)
‘Formula One without rules; a city Conveys chaos/disorder
centre rush hour gone anarchic
Aural/Visual Imagery Vivid description portrays gripping setting
‘The two were neck-and-neck’
Jargon Fulfils purpose to inform
‘Kibla donkey is said to achieve Emphasises intensity
speeds of up to 40kph’
Personification Author’s vulnerability in volatile disorderly situation
‘Swallowed up by the crowd’
Semantic Field Suggests animated atmosphere
‘Cheered, shouted, tooting,
jostled, ringing, rattles’
Boredom Hyperbole Provides contrast with exuberance
‘We waited for eternity’ Highlights boredom
Passion Comparative Language Increasing passion
‘Language growing more colourful’
Tricolon Emphasises investment in culture
‘Voices were raised, fists were out Extent of devotion highlighted by betting
and tempers rising’
…’hundred pinters who had all
staked money on the race’
First Person Narrative Immerses reader though retrospective
‘I asked the lads’ Establishes conversationalist tone
Helps entertain
Parenthesis Informs audience of morally acceptable culture
‘Although not cruelly’ Passion does not foster cruelty towards animals
, A Journey into Bhutan Notes
Theme Technique Effect
Cultural Listing:
Seclusion ‘Five different flights over four days’ Reflects long exhausting journey
‘Bourbon Biscuits, Coconut Crunchies, Author’s observation of ‘cultural infiltration’ of West
Orange Cream Biscuits’ reduces disparity between cultures
Jargon Fulfils purpose to inform audience on geography,
‘The women wear a kira’ history and culture of Bhutan
Natural Visual Imagery Portrays beautiful nature of landscape to uninformed
Beauty ‘Mountains all around, climbing up to Western reader
peaks, rolling into valleys’
Hyperbole Gives sense of extensive beauty
‘Mountains rise to the moon’
Quantitative Language Fulfils purpose to inform
‘Thimpu’s official population is 20,000’ Adds credibility
‘Edge of a frozen desert 4,500 metres
above sea level’
Long Complex Sentences Reflect expansive landscape
Fulfils purpose to describe
Ambivalence 1st Person Narrative Discloses writer’s feelings
‘I cannot imagine it’ Allows personal development in perception
Written when author was 24 - suggests ignorance
Tetracolon Conveys high regard for Bhutan
‘Dignity, unselfconsciousness, good
humour, grace’
Short Sentence Structure Reflects finality in author’s conclusion
‘I am full of admiration for this small Progresses from ambivalence to certain positive tone
country’ towards Bhutan
* English notes are colour coded according to language, form and structure
A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat Notes
Theme Technique Effect
Chaos Intertextual Reference Relatable comparison for uninformed audience
‘Wacky Races’ Fulfils purpose to entertain via lighthearted tone
Conveys unpredictability & lack of regulation in donkey racing
Metaphor Frame of reference for Western reader (uniformed with sport)
‘Formula One without rules; a city Conveys chaos/disorder
centre rush hour gone anarchic
Aural/Visual Imagery Vivid description portrays gripping setting
‘The two were neck-and-neck’
Jargon Fulfils purpose to inform
‘Kibla donkey is said to achieve Emphasises intensity
speeds of up to 40kph’
Personification Author’s vulnerability in volatile disorderly situation
‘Swallowed up by the crowd’
Semantic Field Suggests animated atmosphere
‘Cheered, shouted, tooting,
jostled, ringing, rattles’
Boredom Hyperbole Provides contrast with exuberance
‘We waited for eternity’ Highlights boredom
Passion Comparative Language Increasing passion
‘Language growing more colourful’
Tricolon Emphasises investment in culture
‘Voices were raised, fists were out Extent of devotion highlighted by betting
and tempers rising’
…’hundred pinters who had all
staked money on the race’
First Person Narrative Immerses reader though retrospective
‘I asked the lads’ Establishes conversationalist tone
Helps entertain
Parenthesis Informs audience of morally acceptable culture
‘Although not cruelly’ Passion does not foster cruelty towards animals
, A Journey into Bhutan Notes
Theme Technique Effect
Cultural Listing:
Seclusion ‘Five different flights over four days’ Reflects long exhausting journey
‘Bourbon Biscuits, Coconut Crunchies, Author’s observation of ‘cultural infiltration’ of West
Orange Cream Biscuits’ reduces disparity between cultures
Jargon Fulfils purpose to inform audience on geography,
‘The women wear a kira’ history and culture of Bhutan
Natural Visual Imagery Portrays beautiful nature of landscape to uninformed
Beauty ‘Mountains all around, climbing up to Western reader
peaks, rolling into valleys’
Hyperbole Gives sense of extensive beauty
‘Mountains rise to the moon’
Quantitative Language Fulfils purpose to inform
‘Thimpu’s official population is 20,000’ Adds credibility
‘Edge of a frozen desert 4,500 metres
above sea level’
Long Complex Sentences Reflect expansive landscape
Fulfils purpose to describe
Ambivalence 1st Person Narrative Discloses writer’s feelings
‘I cannot imagine it’ Allows personal development in perception
Written when author was 24 - suggests ignorance
Tetracolon Conveys high regard for Bhutan
‘Dignity, unselfconsciousness, good
humour, grace’
Short Sentence Structure Reflects finality in author’s conclusion
‘I am full of admiration for this small Progresses from ambivalence to certain positive tone
country’ towards Bhutan
