Comments from 11P2 last year:

A Guide to Analysing Language

Everything you need to trigger your revision for

your English Language and Literature exams.

“If you think you know the book, you probably don’t know the book! Read it

again, even if it’s just a skim read. Something is better

“So I only read each novel once…in class. Yeah this really

wasn’t a good idea when it came to trying to answer the

Before you even begin to revise from this revision booklet, or indeed any revision booklet it to re-read both Heroes and Animal Farm. A part of each exam paper will require you to find a section of each novel to use to support the question you have been asked. You will struggle to

“If you think you know the book, you probably don’t know the book! Read it

again, even if it’s just a skim read. Something is better

“So I only read each novel once…in class. Yeah this really

wasn’t a good idea when it came to trying to answer the

“My real issue in exams is timing. I always ran out in the mocks and this was slightly freaking me out. My revision mainly consisted of reading each text again as I thought this would mean I wouldn’t spend loads of time in the exam looking for sections as I already knew roughly where they were. Two words: it worked.”

“To be fair, it did actually help.”

“When we read the novels in class I understood them. When I read the

novels at home I actually appreciated them.”

“I take stuff in better at home than I do in class. I actually did need to read them again otherwise I’d be screwed in the

exams.”

complete these questions if you do not have a rough awareness of what happens at what stage in each novel.

Lang tech. Definition Example Simile Using ‘like’ or ‘as’ in a

sentence. Lennie is often described as a bear using similes.

Like a bear’s paw.

Metaphor When something is described as something else. Lennie is described as having the paws of a bear at some points in the novel.

Lennie’s paw.

Personification Giving a non-living thing, human characteristics.

The sun smiled down upon me.

Onomatopoeia When a word mimics the sound it males.

BuzzPopBang

Alliteration A repeat of the first letter of words.

Lennie lunged, leaping into the pool.

Repetition A repeat of the same word in a sentence.

No! No! Please no!

Sibilance ‘S’ and ‘Sh’ sounds – create a hissing.

Curley swung the door open and sneered at the workers.

Labial plosives ‘B’ and ‘P’ sounds – when you have to close your lips to say the words, it becomes a labial plosive.

Lennie, you bloody idiot, picking on them pups.

Juxtaposition Places two contrasting images side by side.

Lennie’s innocence with Curley’s experience.

Oxymoron A contradiction of terms. Beloved sweetheart bastard. Imagery Images that the words create

in your mind. The way that Lennie is described creates imagery of him being a blundering simpleton.

Imperatives Orders and/or instructions Don’t do that. Please come here.

Declaratives Statements (facts) Larry LaSalle was a rapist. Interrogatives Questions Why didn’t you stop him?Exclamatories Statements using ‘!’ on the

end of it. I hate him and I hate you!

It is really useful to know word classes as well. You can explore these as much as you can language techniques.

Nouns Proper Refer to specific people and places. Usually Paris

begin with a capital letter. Hannah Common Refer to types of people, places, feelings etc.

less specific. City Man Planet

Concrete Refer to things that exist physically. Dog Computer

Abstract Refer to things that do not exist physically. Feelings, ideas, qualities.

Happiness Friendship.

Collective Refer to groups of people, animals or objects. Family Flock

Pronouns

Personal Replace the subject or the object of a sentence.

I Him Me

Possessive These show possession over the object.

Mine HersOurs

Reflexive Indicate that the object of a verb is the same as its subject. Always end in –self or –selves.

Themselves Herself

Demonstrative Have a sense of ‘pointing’ at something.

ThisThat Those

Indefinite Do not refer to specific persons or things.

Someone Anyone Everything

Relative Act as linking words in a sentence. Refer to nouns and immediately fall after the noun they refer to.

The man whose job it was…Sarah, who liked to play sport…

Interrogative Used when asking a question. Who said that?What do you want?

Verbs

VERB PROCESS FUNCTION EXAMPLES

Material Describes events or actions. Hit, run, eat, push, read, paint.

Relational Describe states of being or are used to identify.

Be, appear, seem, become.

Mental Describe perception, thought or speech.

Think, speak, believe, love.

Dynamic Processes where there is a change in state over time.

Paint, remove, eat.

Stative Processes where the situation remains constant.

Love, hold, believe.

Adverbs Add detail to verbs or other adverbs.

Quickly, slowly, dutifully.

Adjectives

ADJECTIVE FUNCTION EXAMPLESBase The simplest form of an

adjective. Small

Comparative The form of comparing two items. Usually end in –er.

Smaller

Superlative The extreme, or highest degree or quality. Usually end in –est.

Smallest

Handy Hints:1. Try and embed quotes into a sentence.

E.g. Francis felt ‘sickened by his actions’ after the rape. Instead of: Francis felt ashamed of his actions after the rape as revealed by the quotation ‘sickened by his actions’.

2. Within each PEE paragraph ALWAYS try and zoom in on a key word and ideally, identify its word class. This will show real insight and impress the examiner.E.g.In particular, the verb ‘hurled’ shows Francis’ anger at the situation he finds himself in.The superlative adjective, ‘tallest’ not only shows Larry’s physical dominance over Francis but also symbolises his authority over him.

If you don’t know the word class of the word you want to zoom in on, it doesn’t matter. Saying something like this will still get you marks:

The word ‘spat’ suggests Francis’ disgust at Larry.

Useful sentence starters…In particular, …It is interesting to consider the …The ... suggests…The … reinforces…The … is suggestive of…The … is symbolic of the…The … reminds me of…The … is reminiscent of…

Zoom out to show what the writer’s intentions might have been. This is important for considering context.

[Put author’s name here] may have done this to show…orIn context…

Making a point about the text which responds to the question you have been given and using a quotation that backs up your point which is ideally embedded as opposed to being bolted on.

It is evident that…as revealed by ‘…’ or It is evident that ‘embed quote here’ in the text/novel/poem…