Underlining and Highlighting Effectively

Created by Kathryn Reilly

Ineffective Underlining and Highlighting…

• …does not discriminate important information from trivial information.

• …underlines and highlights too much information in the text.

• …underlines and highlights entire sentences instead of the most important parts.

Ineffective Underlining• Too much information is

underlined; it makes it hard to focus on what is really important information.

• The reader has underlined both important information and background details.

• More text is underlined than is not underlined, which hides the most important information from the reader.

• The reader has highlighted entire sentences instead of the most important parts of those sentences.

'Mr. Heathcliff?' I said.

A nod was the answer.

'Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in soliciting the occupation of Thrushcross Grange: I heard yesterday you had had some thoughts--'

'Thrushcross Grange is my own, sir,' he interrupted, wincing. 'I should not allow any one to inconvenience me, if I could hinder it--walk in!‘

The 'walk in' was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed the sentiment, 'Go to the Deuce:' even the gate over which he leant manifested no sympathising movement to the words; and I think that circumstance determined me to accept the invitation: I felt interested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved than myself.

When he saw my horse's breast fairly pushing the barrier, he did put out his hand to unchain it, and then sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court,--'Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood's horse; and bring up some wine.' 'Here we have the whole establishment of domestics, I suppose,' was the reflection suggested by this compound order. 'No wonder the grass grows up between the flags, and cattle are the only hedge-cutters.'

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Project Gutenberg. Web. 8 April 2012.

EffectiveUnderlining and Highlighting…

• …focuses on only key information in the text.

• …allows the reader to focus quickly on important information.

• …leaves more text untouched than touched on a page.

Effective Underlining'Mr. Heathcliff?' I said.

A nod was the answer.

'Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in soliciting the occupation of Thrushcross Grange: I heard yesterday you had had some thoughts--'

'Thrushcross Grange is my own, sir,' he interrupted, wincing. 'I should not allow any one to inconvenience me, if I could hinder it--walk in!‘

The 'walk in' was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed the sentiment, 'Go to the Deuce:' even the gate over which he leant manifested no sympathising movement to the words; and I think that circumstance determined me to accept the invitation: I felt interested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved than myself.

When he saw my horse's breast fairly pushing the barrier, he did put out his hand to unchain it, and then sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court,--'Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood's horse; and bring up some wine.' 'Here we have the whole establishment of domestics, I suppose,' was the reflection suggested by this compound order. 'No wonder the grass grows up between the flags, and cattle are the only hedge-cutters.'

• This information identifies a new character, and his relationship to Mr. Heathcliff; he is renting Mr. Heathcliff’s home.

• This information identifies that Mr. Heathcliff is wealthy; he has two homes, but seems not to like Thrushcross Grange.

• This information reveals important information about Mr. Heathcliff, and hints that more exists to his personality.

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Project Gutenberg. Web. 8 April 2012.

What Should be Underlined or Highlighted?

• Key ideas

• Important narrative elements– Events– Characters– Themes– Literary devices

• Important vocabulary

The Purpose of Effective Underlining and Highlighting

• Text underlined or highlighted should draw the reader’s attention to it.

• It should be easy to pick out.

• It should not overwhelm the reader.

Effective Underlining and HighlightingReview

• Evaluate the text’s importance before underlining or highlighting.

• Use underlining and highlighting to point out only key information to return to later.