Diary entries often include some or all of the following features.
FORMAT ❍ A date at the start
❍ Addresses the diary directly (e.g. Dear Diary, Dear Kitty) and is written to the diary as it if is the reader
❍ Is written in chronological order (the order in which an event happened)
❍ Ends with a refl ection
ELEMENTS ❍ Tells the story of an episode in the writer’s life
❍ Uses time conjunctions to explain when things happened (e.g. today, last week)
❍ Describes thoughts, feelings, opinions and reactions from the writer’s point of view
❍ Mentions events that are important to the writer
LANGUAGE ❍ Is written using informal language
❍ Is written in the fi rst person using personal and possessive pronouns (I, we, my)
❍ Includes adjectives to describe thoughts, feelings, etc.
The next diary extract we’ll read is written from the perspective of a 13-year-old English boy (well, 13¾ to be precise). See if you can identify the features of a diary entry as you read.
