Describingproducts • Module1CThe Toyotaadvert illustrates many of the stylistic devices used when something
is described in an advertisement. The advanced student needs to be familiarwith
thesedevicesin ordertobe able to use themwhenappropriate, (e.g. when
tryingto sell, persuade, convinceor impress) and to be able to avoid them when
they areinappropriate.A Organizationarounda theme ,animageor a keyidea
Thisadvertisementis typical inthat it has a central theme, suggestedin thetitle,
whichis used to structurethewriting.What is thattheme, andwhat wordsin
paragraphs1, 2, 6, 10 and14 contribute toit?B Playingwithwords:alliterationandrhyme
As in a poem , every wordis carefullychosen, often for its sound as well as its
meaning.
DialAT rial(p arag raph 13) -rhym e
as slickas an yt hi nginth e city(p aragrap h3 ) -allite ratio n .Slickandci t l)so undgood
togetherasboth begin with anssoundand havethe sa me vowel.
Findthe otherinstancein the text where a word is chosensolely becauseofthe
letter it begins with(thistimealso, the letters).CPlayingwithwords:wordswithdoublemeanings
Just as wordscanbe chosen for their sound,they can alsobe usedbecause of
theirsecondmea nings or their associations.
4 RIl1lll Cr(p aragrap h2) T hewonlforenlllllcrsuggests th at the car i s innovative and
ahead ofits time, andpe rhapslikelyto he imita tedand followe d ; thismeaningalso
cor res ponds to thesloganThecarillfnmtis a Toyota,
1 Whyis the wordspelled differentlyhere, and what is the secondmeaning?
2 What are the doublemeanings for the followingwords?
ge/mwy car(title) lifeillthe[astlane(p aragraph6 )
transported(paragraph 4 ) hitches(paragraph 12)DInterestingorpoeticvocabulary
Wordsthat paintpicturesand bring the descriptionto life are used instead of
dull, everyday words.Supply the everyday words forthe se:
slip inside(p aragraph 3)
fire(p ar agr aph4)
scaling(paragraph 7)
E Idioms,quotations,referenc estosongs,pr ove rbs , etc.
Over the hillsandfaraway(paragraph6)is an idiom that originated in a
traditional song.Hereit is chosen because it fits well with the 'getaway' theme at
thesametimeas describing the advantages of four-wheel drive.
golik e thetclnd(parag raph 7),{/toughact to!ollOlc(p aragraph 10),make h em:;y
weatherofit(p aragraph 11), andthehackofheyond(p aragraph 14) are also
idiomatic ph rase s, chose n to giveth e writi nga frie nd ly,in formal tone and tosugge st
image s which fitthethe me.FComparatives,superlativesand'limit' adjectives(unique, incredible)
Findthe one sentencewherethecar is describedas betterthanothercars.GAppealingtotheemotions
Manyadvertisementsuse children, animals or sexualityto appeal to the reader's
emotions.Another commondeviceis to write aboutthe thing you areselling asif
it werea person, attributingtoit feelings, emotions, i ntentionsand character.
Findthe two examplesof thisdevice.Types of writing • 45