Anotating Texts

Anotating texts is a useful way to make notes

whilst reading. Colour coded highlighting can
help you organise your ideas.
There are many ways to annotate texts. Try out different approaches to see what works
best for you. Examples of common techniques include:
using different coloured highlighters to pick out different techniques, eg structural
devices, individual words and literary devices
circling
words or phrases that are interesting or important and writing notes in the
margin
using
one margin to make a note of literary devices and the other margin to add your
own responses

Try to connect language features with what their effects are in your annotations. When
you come to write about the text, your annotations are a useful way to find the most
appropriate examples.

What to look for when annotating

Annotating structure
Read the text and look for patterns in the structure, for example:
paragraphlengths
repeated words and phrases
overall shape of the text
Then look more closely at the ideas in the extract, and how they relate to one another.
 Example:
My father's family name being Pirrip, and my
Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could
make of both names nothing longer or more
explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and
came to be called Pip.

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

Annotation
Repetition of Pip.

Analysis
Short paragraph, focused on importance of
name.

Annotating language
Highlight any interesting language features in
the text.
Pick out examples of literary devices that stand out

because theyre unusual, or because they

link closely to the character, theme or
purpose.
Highlight individual words to explore closely -

those with particular connotations or ones that

seem to relate to the theme of the text.
 Annotating characterisation and
voice
Pick out key elements which show the
development of characters.
Look for phrases that reveal key details about

characters. For example, you might highlight

an example of where a characters
appearance is linked to a theme.
Find clues about the main voice in the piece.

Highlight points where narrative voice is shown

through the language.
Is the author using voice for a particular effect?

Pick out examples of where they do so.

Annotating for themes and ideas

Highlight any words or phrases that link to the

main themes of a text. With a longer text you
might find colour coding a helpful way to
annotate various themes.