What You Need to Know

Key Concept Diagram

Multimodal texts use two or more modes of communication — written, visual, audio, spatial, or gestural

Visual elements such as images, layout, colour, and font choices all contribute meaning alongside written words

The relationship between image and text can reinforce, extend, or sometimes contradict each other

Creating a multimodal text requires decisions about which mode is best suited to conveying each part of the message

Key Vocabulary

Multimodal text

A text that communicates meaning through two or more modes such as words, images, and sound

Visual elements

Features such as images, colour, layout, and font that contribute to a text's meaning

Mode

A channel or form of communication (e.g. written language, images, sound, gesture)

Layout

The arrangement of text and images on a page or screen to guide the reader's attention

Knowledge Check

Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.

Question 1

Which of the following is an example of a multimodal text?

An infographic combining statistics, images, and captions An audio recording of a story A handwritten letter with no images A plain text novel

Question 2

In a magazine advertisement, a large red headline and bold image are placed at the top. What is the purpose of this layout choice?

To make the page look colourful To direct the reader's eye to the most important information first To fill the empty space on the page To show the advertiser's favourite colour

Question 3

An image in a news article shows a smiling crowd at a protest, but the written text describes a tense confrontation. The relationship between the image and text is:

Reinforcing — they say the same thing Extending — the image adds information not in the text Contradicting — the image and text suggest different messages Irrelevant — the image has nothing to do with the text

Multimodal Texts