Transcript We are Learning

We are Learning...
• How to answer questions about word choice.
• All writers choose words because of the
particular effect of the word.
• In word choice questions you will be asked to
look at individual words or phrases and
identify why they were used by the writer and
what effect they had in the passage.
Writing about word choice
• When writing about why an author has used particular
words and phrases we have to consider:
• What is the effect of the word? Why is the word
effective? Why is the word appropriate?
• What is the author trying to tell us?
• Why is the word interesting? Surprising?
• Does the word help to create a particular mood or
atmosphere?
• Does the word help to convey the author’s attitude or
tone?
• What are the connotations of the word?
The two step method
• 1. Identify the word or phrase.
• 2. Explain the effect of the word. Think about
the connotations. Explain what the writer is
trying to tell us.
Important
• You must be aware of the difference between the
denotation and the connotation of a word.
• Denotation= the dictionary definition of a word.
• Connotation= all the secondary meanings
associated with a word.
• For example,
Denotation of the word “home”= the place
where someone lives and sleeps.
Connotation of the word “home”= a place of
warmth, safety and security.
Other things to be aware of:
• When studying questions about word choice, we
must also be aware of some of the style choices
that authors make in their writing.
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Informal v Formal language.
Emotive language.
Jargon.
Dialect.
Archaisms.
We are Learning...
About informal and formal language.
Formal V Informal
• An important part of a writer’s style will
depend upon their use of formal and informal
language.
• What is the main difference?
Formal Language
• Correct grammar, punctuation and sentence structure.
• No shortened forms of words, like “shouldn’t” or “don’t”.
• Is more likely to be written than spoken.
• Tends to deal with factual, more serious, subject matter.
Serious tone. More emphasis on information and ideas.
• More precise and correct word choice.
Informal Language
• Also known as “colloquial” or “conversational”
language.
• Uses less precise sentence structure, grammar
and punctuation.
• Uses abbreviations like “can’t” and “isn’t”
• Tends to be more personal in tone.
• Use of slang words.
• Use of personal pronouns like “I” and “you”.
• Sounds more like spoken English.
We are Learning...
About emotive language.
• Emotive language is language that is designed
to evoke/arouse emotions and feelings in the
reader.
• The author will choose particular words and
phrases to get an emotional reaction from the
reader.
• An author will also use emotive language to
convey his own feelings about something.
Example
1. “appalling weather”
v
2. “very bad weather”
They both mean the same thing, but why is 1
better than 2?
• “appalling” means something that is shocking
and horrifying. The phrase means that the
weather was so bad that it could shock and
horrify you.
• This is a more vivid and effective expression to
use as it evokes strong emotions in the reader.
We are Learning...
How to identify jargon in a piece of
writing.
• Jargon is the technical language used in
connection with a specialised field of study.
• Subject areas like Law, Medicine, Engineering,
Science etc will have jargon words which are
familiar to those within those subject areas,
but the terminology will not be familiar to
everyone else.
Example
However, if changing the antecedents is not
successful in improving behaviour, it will be
necessary to try to modify the pupil’s
behaviour by changing the consequences.
Behaviour modification takes two forms: there
are behaviour formation and behaviour
elimination techniques. The former involves
the use of positive reinforcement and the
latter employs tactical ignoring.
We are Learning...
About writer’s use of dialect in their
work
What do we mean by dialect?
• Dialect is the name given to the style of
English spoken in a particular part of the
English speaking world.
• For example, Scots is an example of a dialect,
which is spoken alongside English in Scotland.
• All forms of English, that are not Standard
English, are defined as “dialects”.
Scots Dialect
• May be Standard English words pronounced
and spelled differently.
Or,
• May be completely different words.
We are Learning...
How to identify archaisms in writing.
• An archaism is a deliberately old fashioned
word that a contemporary author uses for a
particular effect.
• E.g “good morrow” for “good morning”.
“farewell” for “goodbye”.
Questions
1. Comment on the effectiveness of the word “geek” in
this paragraph (2)
Mr Johnson responded avidly to the interviewer’s
questions. He outlined his government’s policies on
housing with considerable clarity and dexterity,
speaking intelligently, enunciating his words with
precision and appearing to take a great deal of trouble
to ensure that he was communicating as effectively as
possible. Sets of statistics, percentages and other
figures were reeled off effortlessly in his attempt to
persuade his interlocutor that the department’s
policies in this area were sound. Yet it was impossible
to resist the conclusion that despite his suave, polished
performance, he was little more than just another
numbers geek.
• informal tone contrasts so strongly with the
largely formal language in the rest of the
paragraph.
• By using the word geek, with its associations
of eccentricity and social awkwardness, the
writer does not merely criticise Mr Johnson,
he insults him
2. Why does the writer choose the
word “strolled”? (2)
“The policeman strolled into the house.”
• Suggests that the policeman is relaxed, not in
a hurry.
• Suggests that the policeman is in a happy
mood.
3. What does the word “rocketed” suggest about the way that oil
prices have changed?
“Oil prices have rocketed in recent years.”
• the writer wants to emphasise the sudden,
dramatic , explosive rise in prices.
4. What does the word “glued” suggest about the way
the girl was watching the t.v?
• The girl’s eyes were glued to the television.
• Suggests that she could not take her eyes off
the screen. She was unable to move.