Paper 2 Question 3 Skills: Language Analysis (AQA GCSE English Language)
Revision Note
Written by: Nick Redgrove
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
Paper 2 Question 3 Skills: Language Analysis
Paper 2 Question 3 tests you on your ability to comment on and analyse the language choices a writer has made, in the same way as Paper 1 Question 2. This includes words, phrases, language features, language techniques and sentence forms. The Assessment Objective for this question is AO2:
AO2 Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views |
Analysing the effects of language
This section will help you to understand how to comment on a writer’s use of language. As you are assessed on AO2 only, you must analyse the words, phrases and language features that the writer has chosen to use in the text.
Unlike the language question on Paper 1, Question 2, you are not provided with any bullet points. Here is an example of the type of question you will be asked:
This question is similar to Paper 1 Question 2, except it gives you more scope to self-select language features from a longer passage in one of the sources. The sources will also be non-fiction
The question could focus on either Source A or Source B (a modern or 19th-century text) - whichever is better suited for language analysis
If the 19th-century text is selected as the focus, there is no expectation for you to consider contextual, social or historical influences of the text
Conceptualised responses will always enable you to explore language in more detail and achieve higher marks
Better responses typically focus on “the effects of specific word choices” rather than writing about complex language features
Denotation and connotation
Analysing language means that you consider the deliberate choices a writer has made to include specific words or phrases in their writing, and why. In order to do this, you should consider both the denotation and the connotations of particular words:
Denotation = the literal meaning of a word or phrase
Connotation = the associations or implied meanings of the word or phrase
Writers choose their words carefully and deliberately; therefore understanding word choices is a crucial aspect in analysing the writer’s language for Question 3. Below we will examine the two levels of meaning that words can have: denotation and connotation.
Denotation refers to the explicit meaning of a word, whereas connotation refers to the implicit meaning of a word
Denotation refers to the straightforward, objective meaning of a word
It refers to the dictionary-defined literal meaning of a word
In contrast, connotations are the additional layers of meaning that words carry beyond these literal definitions
Writers deliberately use connotations, for example, to evoke certain feelings, create imagery, or persuade readers to see things from a particular perspective
Below are examples of some denotations and connotations of different words:
Word | Denotation | Connotation |
|---|---|---|
snake | a long reptile with scales | fear / danger / deceit / evil |
home | a place where one lives | comfort / security / belonging |
childish | characteristic of or resembling a child | playful / innocent / irresponsible / immature |
When commenting on words and phrases from the text, you should always try to consider why you think the writer has chosen that particular word to use in their sentences. Below are some questions which you might ask yourself when analysing the words and phrases in a text:
Denotations and connotations | Emotional impact | Characterisation | Formality and informality |
|---|---|---|---|
How do these layers of meaning add depth to the text? | How do the words evoke emotions or feelings in the reаder? Do they create joy, sadness, fear or excitement? | Do the words reveal aspects of a character's personality, background or emotions? | Do the words make the text more relatable or distant? |
Establishing the writer’s viewpoint
A writer's viewpoint refers to their unique perspective, stance or opinion. A writer's viewpoint is reflected in their writing style, tone, choice of words and the arguments or ideas they present in their work. Analysing a writer's viewpoint is essential in understanding the intention behind their work.
When reading a text for the first time you should try to determine the writer’s viewpoint
The writer’s viewpoint is simply the writer’s perspective and refers to their position, belief or attitude towards the subject or theme they are referring to
It is the unique lens through which the writer depicts their world and conveys their ideas and messages to the reader
Understanding the writer's viewpoint is crucial because it allows you to analyse the text critically and to consider the writer’s intentions
There are various types of viewpoints that writers can employ:
First-person | Second-person | Third-person |
|---|---|---|
In first-person, the writer narrates and shares their thoughts and experiences from the perspective of a specific character or narrator using “I” or “we”. This viewpoint generally provides an intimate and subjective view of events | In second-person, the writer addresses the reader directly using “you”. This generally creates a sense of involvement and engagement with the reader | In third-person, the writer follows the thoughts and feelings of a single or multiple characters, often using pronouns like “he”, “she”, or “they”. While it provides some insight into the character's mind, it generally remains limited in terms of their perspective |
We will now consider a writer’s viewpoint by exploring an extract from a 20th-century non-fiction text. The extract is from “Down and Out in Paris and London” by George Orwell. It is a memoir on the theme of poverty within the two cities.
As you read through the extract, you should consider the writer’s viewpoint on poverty:
These three weeks were squalid and uncomfortable, and evidently there was worse coming, for my rent would be due before long. Nevertheless, things were not a quarter as bad as I had expected. For, when you are approaching poverty, you make one discovery which outweighs some of the others. You discover boredom and mean complications and the beginnings of hunger, but you also discover the great redeeming feature of poverty: the fact that it annihilates the future. Within certain limits, it is actually true that the less money you have, the less you worry. When you have a hundred francs in the world you are liable to the most craven panics. When you have only three francs you are quite indifferent; for three francs will feed you till tomorrow, and you cannot think further than that. You are bored, but you are not afraid. You think vaguely, “I shall be starving in a day or two—shocking, isn't it?” And then the mind wanders to other topics. A bread and margarine diet does, to some extent, provide its own anodyne. And there is another feeling that is a great consolation in poverty. I believe everyone who has been hard up has experienced it. It is a feeling of relief, almost of pleasure, at knowing yourself at last genuinely down and out. You have talked so often of going to the dogs—and well, here are the dogs, and you have reached them, and you can stand it. It takes off a lot of anxiety. |
Now we will consider the writer’s viewpoint in this extract:
Writer’s viewpoint |
|---|
The speaker describes their harsh living conditions and all of the discomfort which poverty brings. However, the speaker also acknowledges that their experience is not as bad as they had anticipated, which suggests a certain level of relief or resilience in the face of such adversity. |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remember to practise analysing words and phrases in various texts to strengthen your skills. By consistently practising this skill, you will strengthen your ability to analyse any unseen text. Pay attention to nuances and subtleties in meaning, and always consider the writer’s intentions and the overall impact of the words and phrases used.
Exploring the writer’s language techniques
Language techniques are the deliberate and strategic choices writers make to convey their ideas, create specific effects and engage the reader. Understanding and identifying these techniques are important skills for analysing and interpreting texts. When exploring the writer’s techniques in Question 3, it might be useful to remember the bullet points from the language question on Paper 1, Question 2. These are:
words and phrases
language features and techniques
sentence forms
Although Question 3 does not contain any bullet points, remembering these might help guide your response to this question. Remember, you do not need to comment on all of these in your answer:
Once you have considered the writer’s viewpoint, you can begin to explore the ways in which the writer communicates this to the reader
This is where you will begin to examine the specific language choices which the writer has made in order to convey their message
To do this, you might wish to focus on particular words and phrases and their intended connotations
We will now consider how the writer uses words and phrases in the extract above.
Once you are able to identify particular words and phrases within a text, you need to develop this skill further by considering why the writer has chosen to include these within their writing. Below we have selected one word from the opening sentence of the extract and will begin by exploring some of the connotations associated with this word.
“squalid” | |||
|---|---|---|---|
repulsive | unpleasant | unclean | hardship |
abandonment | uncomfortable | filthy | neglected |
Having considered the possible connotations of this word, you could start to extend some of these ideas into sentences:
The writer uses the adjective "squalid" in order to convey something extremely dirty and unpleasant. The word "squalid" carries strong negative connotations and is intended to evoke a vivid and repulsive image to the reader of the living conditions experienced by the speaker. |
Rather than moving onto another word or phrase, we will now try to develop this response further by referencing other possible connotations of this word choice:
Furthermore, the word “squalid” carries connotations of neglect and abandonment and suggests the place is not suitable for human habitation. It conveys a sense of extreme poverty and hardship, where the living conditions are so deficient that it is difficult to lead a comfortable and dignified life. The writer deliberately uses this word to create sympathy for the speaker as it underscores the harsh realities of being destitute. |
By extending your analysis of words and phrases in the text, you are ensuring that your response is both detailed and analytical.
We will now consider some other language features and techniques that the writer employs in the extract.
Example 1:
Language Technique | Quote |
|---|---|
second-person viewpoint | “you” |
Having identified a language technique, we will now explore the possible intended effects on the reader.
Intended effect on the reader |
|---|
The use of the second person viewpoint creates direct engagement and personal involvement with the reader, which makes the speaker’s thoughts more immediate and relatable. By addressing the reader as “you”, Orwell seeks to establish an emotional connection with the reader and attempts to personalise the experience of poverty and hardship, making it easier for them to empathise with the speaker’s struggles. The use of “you” further suggests that the poverty described is not unique to the speaker alone and implies that their feelings are applicable to anyone who might face similar circumstances. This universality creates a more profound impact on the reader and fosters a deeper sense of compassion and understanding of the speaker’s plight. |
Example 2:
Language Technique | Quote |
|---|---|
idiom | “going to the dogs” |
Again, having identified another language technique, we will now explore the possible intended effects on the reader.
Intended effect on the reader |
|---|
Orwell uses the colloquial expression “going to the dogs” to underscore the deterioration of the speaker’s circumstances. His use of this idiom suggests that the speaker’s life is headed in a downward spiral and this carries connotations of a loss of dignity and hope. Further, it suggests a state of utter helplessness and despair. It also adds to the speaker’s sense of resignation and signifies his complete acceptance of his impoverished situation. |
Example 3:
Language Technique | Quote |
|---|---|
emotive language | “craven panics”, “annihilates the future” |
We will now explore the possible intended effects on the reader.
Intended effect on the reader |
|---|
The writer uses emotive language in order to heighten the speaker’s desperation. Emotive words such as “craven panics” reveal the speaker’s inner turmoil and anxiety which is used to elicit empathy from the reader. Further, the phrase “annihilates the future” evokes a sense of desperation and hopelessness. |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is important that you are familiar with key literary terms so that they can help to support your analysis of the text. However, while the examiner will expect you to use relevant subject terminology to support your views, this does not mean that you will secure more marks for just demonstrating that you know literary terms. It is much more important that you clearly articulate the intended effects of any terms that you use.
Applying your skills
As demonstrated above, whenever you comment on a language feature, you must always explain the intended effect on the reader. It is not enough to simply list examples of different word types in your answer, so exploring the intended effect is crucial. We will now explore another extract in order for you to apply the same skills as above.
The extract below is taken from a 21st-century non-fiction text called “I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb. It is about a young girl growing up in Pakistan and her fight for girls’ education.
I left that beloved home in Pakistan one morning—planning to dive back under the covers as soon as school let out—and ended up a world away. Some people say it is too dangerous for me to go back there now. That I’ll never be able to return. And so, from time to time, I go there in my mind. But now another family lives in that home, another girl sleeps in that bedroom—while I am thousands of miles away. I don’t care much about the other things in my room, but I do worry about the school trophies on my bookcase. I even dream about them sometimes. There’s a runners-up award from the first speaking contest I ever entered. And more than forty-five golden cups and medals for being first in my class in exams, debates, and competitions. To someone else, they might seem mere trinkets made of plastic. To someone else, they may simply look like prizes for good grades. But to me, they are reminders of the life I loved and the girl I was—before I left home that fateful day. When I open my eyes, I am in my new bedroom. It is in a sturdy brick house in a damp and chilly place called Birmingham, England. Here there is water running from every tap, hot or cold as you like. No need to carry cans of gas from the market to heat the water. Here there are large rooms with shiny wood floors, filled with large furniture and a large, large TV. |
Here are some language techniques which you might first identify in this passage:
adjectives | juxtaposition of past and present | repetition |
Read through the responses below to see how each of these language techniques have been analysed. First we will examine the writer’s use of adjectives:
Adjectives |
|---|
The phrase “beloved home in Pakistan” conveys a strong emotional attachment and sentimentality towards the place left behind, which establishes the tone as one of nostalgia and deep emotional attachment. The use оf the adjective “beloved” makes the reаder empathise with the speaker’s acute feelings of loss and her longing for her cherished past. Further, the writer's choice of adjectives such as “sturdy,” “damp,” and “chilly” to describe her new bedroom in Birmingham sets a contrasting tone of discomfort and unfamiliarity, which underscores the difficulty of the speaker’s new environment. |
Next, we will consider the writer’s use of juxtaposition:
Juxtaposition of past and present |
|---|
The writer uses juxtaposition between the past and present, using phrases like “planning to dive back under the covers” and “ended up a world away”. This use of juxtaposition creates a sharp contrast between the speaker’s comfort and familiarity of the past and her unknown and distant present. It highlights the stark difference between the life the speaker once cherished and the unknown realities that have now become her present existence. |
Finally, we will consider the writer’s use of repetition:
Repetition |
|---|
The writer uses the word “large” three times in quick succession (“large rooms,” “large furniture,” “large, large TV”) and this use of repetition is used to convey the overwhelming sense of abundance and opulence in the speaker’s new surroundings. This is sharply contrasted to the modesty of her previous home. |
As Paper 1, Question 2 is also focused on language, you may wish to refer to these notes also.
You will also find further detailed information about how to structure your response to Paper 2 Question 3 in the Question 3 Model Answer section.
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