Review

REVIEW
WRITING A REVIEW
What is a review?
• A Review is a critical appraisal or formal assessment of something

intended for a specific purpose.
• Reviews are often highly subjective evaluations of a publication,
performance, production, service or event.
• Reviews have a sense of shared knowledge between the reviewer and
the audience.
• The reviewer engages with the audience from a point of authority.
What is a review?
• Many reviewers also accommodate a section of the audience who have

not watched/read the book or had an encounter with the subject of the
review.
• Spoiler alerts-a warning of a coming revelation for those who wish to
know about the item being reviewed without having the plot spoilt for
them.
• We can have reviews published on line as blog entries or linked to a
comment section for example film reviews on official and unofficial
websites. On this platform, they may also have a section that allows
the reader to share their views.
What is a review?
• However, despite being on digital media platforms, they will also retain
their generic conventions as reviews.
• In a printed newspaper or magazine, reviews will have their own
section or subsection or can be part of a weekend editions.
• The difference is that when it appears on a website it becomes
multimodal allowing for people to interact with it unlike on a printed
page.
Typical Generic Conventions
• Title/heading/sub heading often with a byline that may include a short

summary of the story.
• Use of quotations or graphological highlighting of parts of the review
and /or the work being reviewed.
• A clear structure: often linear with introduction, development and
summary.
• Sometimes a precis of the plot or an outline of the main structure of
the work, which may be included in the body of the review.
• Intertextual (i.e of a novel) references, for example links to other works

by the same author/ writer and how this piece being reviewed might
relate to them.
• Biographical information about the writer/author, sometimes as
background to the review and /or the work being reviewed, or in
general references made throughout the piece.
• Use of quotations from the work, often embedded within the language
of the review and /or as separate sections, sometimes with quotations
from other writers or other reviews on which to develop the argument
or to support the points being made.
• A mixture of registers-sometimes formal, sometimes informal,
depending on the context of the publication, intended audience, or
sometimes mirroring the register of the text being reviewed.
• An attempt (perhaps revealed in the tone) to appear objective, which

may serve to mask the subjective viewpoint that is actually being
conveyed.
• Asides or other techniques which support the sense of the author of the
review as taking an observer’s stance.
• Use of language and literary features that will engage the audience, e.g
humor, narrative elements, jokes or examples of shared knowledge
with the expected audience.
• Other rhetorical features to engage the audience e.g. sarcastic tone,
rhetoric questions, paraphrasing or mirroring the language of the
reviewed work.
• Commentary on the structure of the work, use of language, economical

structures and pre- and post-modified noun phrases.
• Use of descriptive language and adjectival sentences structures.
• Clear paragraphing ,with engaging opening and closing paragraphs
Example
• The fisherman’s friend(PG)

Director: Danny Spielstein. Running time: Ihr,30 mins
This charming ,coming- of- age movie features Brad Jolina as the lonely
boy, Joe, befriended by ageing fisherman Mogan Freebody.When he is
made an orphan, Joe runs away from the grimy children ‘s home run by
Mrs. Mallock( a truly frightening Jennifer Anybone). Hunted by the police,
Joe hides out in an old boat. Sentimental, but somehow incredibly
touching. So, don’t miss this tear –jerker. Bring plenty of tissues.
Analysis of the Example
• The fisherman’s friend(PG)

• Director: Danny Spielstein. Running time: Ihr,30 mins
• This charming ,coming- of- age movie features Brad Jolina as the
lonely boy, Joe,befriended by ageing fisherman Mogan Freebody,.
When he is made an orphan, Joe runs away from grimy children ‘s
home run by Mrs. Mallock( a truly frightening Jennifer Anybone).
Hunted by the police, Joe hides out in an old boat. Sentimental, but
somehow incredibly touching. So don’t miss this tear –jerker. Bring
plenty of tissues.
Analysis of the Example
• Purple-adjectives representing author’s opinion.

• Blue-a noun phrase that sums up the type of movie.
• Green-actors and their role summed up in one sentence.
• Yellow-first part of the plot told in present tense to freshen the
story(give it a sense of immediacy)
• Red: the end sums up the opinion and style of the film.
Tips
• Use adjectives that show a positive or negative view point or opinion.

• Use adjectives to describe the character, the role the actor plays and
other details.
• Use adverbs to suggest how well or convincingly something is done.
• Use precise descriptive words.
• Assignment: Everyone finds 10 very descriptive adjectives and
Adverbs.
Class Exercise
• Fill in the blank spaces with convincing descriptive

words.
• This …Humorous(adjective)comedy stars Matt le
Blond as …An old (adjective) school teacher who
desperately(unexpectedly)(adverb) falls in love
with…The young beautiful(adjective)…
(adjective)nurse Jemma Jones.
Class Discussion
• What are the differences between Reviews and Travelogues?

• Compare reviews to the other genres you have studied.
• What will be the main difference between a review that appears on a
website and one that appears on a printed newspaper?
• (The story of Thome estate in Nairobi)
CONTENT
• Introduction (with title, release date, background

information)
• Summary of the story
• Analysis of the plot elements (rising action, climax)
CONTENT
• Creative elements (dialogues, characters, use of colors,

camera techniques, mood, tone, symbols, costumes or
anything that contributes or takes away from the overall
plot)
• Opinion (supported with examples and facts from the
story)
• Recommendation with reasons.
CONTENT
• Conclusion (announcing whether the filmmaker

was successful in his/her purpose, re-state your
evidence, explain how the motion picture was
helpful for providing a deeper understanding of
course topic)
HOMEWORK
• Write a review of a book you read recently or a movie you

watched recently.
• Your answer should be at least three typed pages.

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REVIEW

• A Review is a critical appraisal or formal assessment of something

• Many reviewers also accommodate a section of the audience who have

• Title/heading/sub heading often with a byline that may include a short

• Intertextual (i.e of a novel) references, for example links to other works

• An attempt (perhaps revealed in the tone) to appear objective, which

• Commentary on the structure of the work, use of language, economical

• The fisherman’s friend(PG)

• The fisherman’s friend(PG)

• Purple-adjectives representing author’s opinion.

• Use adjectives that show a positive or negative view point or opinion.

• Fill in the blank spaces with convincing descriptive

• What are the differences between Reviews and Travelogues?

• Introduction (with title, release date, background

• Creative elements (dialogues, characters, use of colors,

• Conclusion (announcing whether the filmmaker

• Write a review of a book you read recently or a movie you

• Your answer should be at least three typed pages.

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