Close Reading
LI: I will be able to identify
language features and consider
their effect.
The Code
►U
– understanding
► A – analysis
► E – evaluation
Understanding
These are basically what questions!
You are being tested on how well you understand
the points made by the writer of the passage.
Look out for words such as ‘explain’ or ‘line of
thought’ in the question.
You need to use your own words for these
questions!!
Your answers for understanding questions
do not need to be complex. The point of
them is to show that you can paraphrase
or describe in your own words.
Understanding questions may ask you to
summarise key points from a passage. For
questions like these it is acceptable to
write in note form or use bullet points.
Analysis
These are basically how and which technique questions.
You are being asked to show how writers use particular
techniques to get their points across effectively.
Look out for words such as ‘show how’ or ‘the effect of’.
You score 0 for picking out the words/techniques, all
your marks depend on the quality of your comment.
Evaluation
These are how well questions.
You are given the opportunity to express your
opinion about the ideas and/or styles of writing
in the passages.
Look for words such as ‘how effective’ or ‘to what
extent’.
You need to give a considered opinion that
continually refers to the passage.
The Marks
► How
many marks is a question worth?
► Make sure the depth of your answer is
suitable
► Never assume you will get a mark for a
quotation and a mark for your analysis
► 1 quote+comment = a mark
► Cover your own back!
Basically………
► You
have to read a passage, think about
how and why it has been written and
answer questions on it.
Language
► Sentence
structure
► Imagery
► Word
► Tone
choice
Sentence structure Questions
► If
you’re being asked about the effect of
sentence structure, chances are you’re
being asked about something that you’ll
have noticed already.
► They are not trick questions.
► Something obvious will be happening. You
just need to look for it!
► You then need to decide what the effect is!
Most common things to look for….
► Repetition
► Word
order (Inversion)
► Types of sentences
► Punctuation
► Patterns
► Climax
► Parenthesis
► Lists
Sentence structure tasks
Name the types of sentences there are.
How do you recognise these types of
sentences?
What do they do?
2. Name all of the punctuation marks there
are.
What do they do?
1.
Statements
Exclamations
Minor Sentences
Commands
Questions
Parenthesis
►A
parenthesis is an extra piece of information
inserted into a sentence and enclosed by a pair of
commas, brackets or dashes.
► A parenthesis may add significant detail or make
something more clear.
► A parenthesis may affect the tone by adding a
comment, which might be humorous or ironic.
► The writer may put an ‘aside’ in parenthesis to
show their true opinion.
► If a parenthesis were removed from the sentence,
it would still make sense.
► Commas
(,) separate phrases and clauses
within a sentence, divide a list.
 When I went to Tesco I bought bread, jam, eggs,
milk, apples, sugar and tea.
 Everyone was in there. Gran, Grandad, Auntie
Millie, Uncle Gary, Susan and even the twins!
►A
colon (:) introduces a quotation or a list;
an explanation or elaboration; or a summing
up. To use it, the part after the colon
CANNOT make sense on its own.
 It was a dull day in London: rain poured, clouds
hovered and people dragged themselves down the
streets.
►A
semi-colon (;) finishes off one part of the
sentence. It may be used instead of a
conjunction to separate two principle clauses in
a sentence. Both sides of the semi-colon must
make sense on their own.
 I was astounded that he had found me; I had always
been so careful.
 The whole Milton family arrived: Gran and Grandad
had come from Aberdeen; Auntie Millie had driven all
the way up from Leicester; Uncle Gary and Susan had
taken the weekend off work; and even the twins had
flown in from France!
 There were further, smaller parts to be played in the
gently rolling drama of this morning. There was a
second maid, but, unlike Marguerite, she did not live in
the house; There was a cook, who had a room
► Inverted
commas (‘ ’) or (“ ”) mark quotations,
direct speech, foreign words or words used in
an unusual way. (Italics may be used similarly)
 When Proctor screams ‘God id dead!’ the audience is
shocked and worried.
 This phenomenon of ‘tweeting’ will die away like all
the other fads.
►A
dash (-) can function like a colon to
introduce a quotation, list, explanation,
elaboration or summing up; two dashes can mark
off a parenthesis.
 I ran and ran all the way to the hospital – but it was
too late.
 I demanded a better explanation – he said that this
was life.
 He rolled him eyes – like he always did – and sighed.
Do not…………
► Give
vague answers about the effect of the
sentence structure.
► We all know that parenthesis adds extra
information. You have to be more specific in your
answers. What is the extra information, why do
we need it, how does it affect the reader etc?
► Lots of commas might increase the pace but what
is the effect? Excitement, panic, anger?
► Do not answer on imagery, word choice etc if you
are being asked about sentence structure!
Do…….
► Be
specific
► Give examples
► Explain the effect
► Answer the question
Formula
1. Identify the technique first.
2. Quote or describe the features of the
technique.
3. Explain the effects of the technique.
(Remember in many of these questions you
are told the effect- your task is to explain
how it is created)
What do you notice about the
sentence structure?
► Kerry,
28, who dropped from a size 14 to a
size 10 last year after a $15000 surgery
makeover, has ditched her healthy eating
and exercise regime and has put on almost
a stone in four weeks.
What do you notice about the
sentence structure?
► Kerry,
28, who dropped from a size 14 to a
size 10 last year after a $15000 surgery
makeover, has ditched her healthy eating
and exercise regime and has put on almost
a stone in four weeks.
► Q: How is the writer’s opinion of Kerry
expressed through sentence structure? 2
 Marks are rewarded for identifying the correct
opinion, identifying the techniques (with
evidence) and explaining it correctly
► Kerry,
28, who dropped from a size 14 to a
size 10 last year after a $15000 surgery
makeover, has ditched her healthy eating
and exercise regime and has put on almost
a stone in four weeks.
► The
writer is disdainful/has a disrespectful attitude
towards Kerry. The use of parenthesis ‘who
dropped from a size 14…surgery makeover’,
suggests Kerry did not work hard to lose weight
and that her now giving up her healthy lifestyle is
ungrateful and irresponsible so the writer has no
respect for her.
You wouldn’t believe Gillian is her sister. Her
lack of make up and scraped back hair age her
by over a decade, and her scruffy clothes
drown her hair and femininity. She could be
Cheryl’s mum!
You wouldn’t believe Gillian is her sister. Her
lack of make up and scraped back hair age her
by over a decade, and her scruffy clothes
drown her hair and femininity. She could be
Cheryl’s mum!
Q: How are the writer’s feelings towards Gillian
conveyed by sentence structure?
► You
wouldn’t believe Gillian is her sister.
Her lack of make up and scraped back hair
age her by over a decade, and her scruffy
clothes drown her hair and femininity. She
could be Cheryl’s mum!
► The
writer feels shocked that Gillian, who is a
young woman, looks so old and terrible. The
exclamation at the end of the paragraph ‘She
could be Cheryl’s mum!’ helps to convey this
surprise. She does not do any of the things
people normally do to make themselves look
presentable.
► Shame
on you if you expressed gratitude for a
Christmas gift by firing off a quick e-mail. If
you sent a text, you should be flayed. Anything
but a handwritten thank-you letter is idleness,
ill manners and ingratitude.
► Shame
on you if you expressed gratitude for a
Christmas gift by firing off a quick e-mail. If
you sent a text, you should be flayed. Anything
but a handwritten thank-you letter is idleness,
ill manners and ingratitude.
Q: How does the sentence structure in this
paragraph convey the writer’s opinion of those
who do not send thank you letter? 2
► Shame
on you if you expressed gratitude for
a Christmas gift by firing off a quick e-mail.
If you sent a text, you should be flayed.
Anything but a handwritten thank-you letter
is idleness, ill manners and ingratitude.
► The
writer thinks that not sending thank you
letters in rude. This is reinforced by the list/triad
at the end of the paragraph ‘idleness, ill manners
and ingratitude.’ The list reinforces just had
terribly disrespectful she thinks this is. The use of
alliteration helps to highlight this point to the
reader.
Word Choice
►
Questions relating to expression and WC look at the
effect created by the particular choices of the writer.
► you
are simply being asked to look at the
words and see why the writer has chosen
those particular words to describe some
thing or some feeling, rather than any
similar words.
► You
have to consider the connotations of
the word choice.
► Connotations are the things associated with
a particular word.
► E.g. what are the connotations of the word
‘bar’?
► Emotive
language: words which stir up
strong emotions.
► Used if a writer is talking about something
tragic.
► E.g. ‘shocking’, ‘horrifying’ and ‘appalling’
express stronger feelings than ‘worrying’ or
‘upsetting’.
► Emotive language plays on the emotions of
his readers.
Word Choice
► Writers
manipulate words and their
readers
► They choose words over others to convey
their meaning further without having to
state the obvious
► There are many words in the English
language that mean the same thing so why
are some favoured over others? Because
of their connotations...
Word Choice
What are the connotations of the
following words?
► Secret
► Rat
► Discovery
► Angel
► Farm
Think of another word for..............
► Quiet
► Fun
► Sad
► Chat
What are the connotations of these words?
Quiet
Nothing out of the
ordinary, there was
simply no noise as it
wasn’t necessary to
the situation, peaceful
and calm atmosphere
Silent
The atmosphere was
tense and eerie,
perhaps suggesting
feelings of fear or
nerves, suggests that
the lack of noise is
insisted upon
Fun
The experience or
feeling is of happiness,
people are enjoying
themselves doing
something nice
Exciting
The experience is more
thrilling and unique,
adrenaline is running
and
Sad
The person is upset and
has been troubled by
something but will be
able to move on
Distraught
The person is
uncontrollable,
consumed with
overwhelming feelings
of distress, finding it
difficult to function
Chat
Informal term,
suggesting friends are
talking about trivial
matters in a lighthearted nature
Discuss
Formal term, suggesting
a formal situation in
which a serious matter
is talked about, taking
account of all opinions
Out of context connotations
‘And then after lunch I read a book.’
‘Something educational, or one of your novels?’
‘Just a silly thing I find in a bookshop in town.’
Azaire smiled indulgently and shook his head at his wife’s
frivolous tastes. He himself, it was assumed, read only the
Greek philosophers, often in their original languages,
though this arduous study must have taken place and
private. When he settled in beneath the glow of the lamp
after dinner, his hand invariably reached out for the
evening paper.
Any good words here?
Poor Jamie Oliver. A few years ago he
single-handedly saved every child in the
country from imminent cholesterol death
with his school dinners campaign. And there
was nationwide rejoicing. The Queen called a
national holiday, councils held street parties
in his honour and the City erected a 600ft
glass-and-metal statue in the shape of one
of his Flavour Shakers (known today as "the
Gherkin", after one of his favourite
sandwich fillings).
Word Choice
single-handedly
imminent cholesterol death
nationwide rejoicing
national holiday
councils held street parties in his
honour
Analysis
HW Task
Complete the following table using your own 5
words in order to show how the connotations of
similar words can convey different meanings.
Original word
Connotations
Alternative word Connotations
Charlie Brooker
► Opinionated
► Funny
► Columnist
for The Guardian
► TV presenter
► We will read, annotate and
analyse his article:
The 80mph speed limit is a waste of time
We don't need more speed. We need more
dawdling
Brooker!
Task:
► Read the article thoroughly
► Summarise the function and
content of each
paragraph
► For example, paragraph 1’s content
introduces the topic of men driving too fast
and states the 2 basic reasons why they do
it. The function is to engage the reader
quickly using humour.
Word
Guessed
meaning
Context
clues
Dictionary
definition
► Highlight
any effective examples of word
choice and sentence structure
► Write detailed notes about the effect of
your example
Consider.........
► What
Brooker’s opinions are
► How he conveys these opinions through
his use of language
Paired Task
► Analyse
your section in detail.
► As well as sentence structure, consider
all aspects of language when possible.
► Be prepared to discuss your ideas with
the class.
► Everyone
knows there are only two kinds of men
who feel the need to drive fast: professional
racers and the poorly endowed. Sorry, but those
are the facts.
► Anyway, I'm getting off the (teeny tiny) point
here. The reason I bring this FACT (and it is a
FACT) to your attention is the government's plan
to raise the motorway speed limit to 80mph,
which is misguided for two reasons. Firstly
because it'll make Jeremy Clarkson smile, which
is always a reliable barometer for bad policies.
But mostly because it's just not necessary.
►
I understand why they're doing it – it's a brazen attempt to
capture the seething male vote, and that's an important group to
placate, because let's face it, those guys are as furious as they are
unpredictable – but it seems curiously self-defeating. Part of the
argument for raising the permitted figure to 80mph is that lots of
people break the existing 70mph limit: roughly half of all motorway
drivers, in fact. Why are they driving that fast? The government
seems to earnestly believe these people are in a hurry, which is
terribly sweet of them, but we all know that isn't the reason. It's
to do with pushing the limit, with gently breaking the law. I can't
drive a car – I'm an inferior human being – but even I understand
the psychology of the accelerator pedal. If cars came with two
speeds – 30mph or 90mph, and the only way to switch between
them was by pushing an instant "break the speed limit" button,
drivers might think twice about doing so. But that pedal, that
incremental, giving pedal … it almost encourages you to push your
luck.
►
Another dumb thing the dumb government seems to dumbly believe
is that raising the speed limit will boost the economy. According to
transport secretary Philip Hammond, "increasing the motorway
speed limit to 80mph would generate economic benefits of
hundreds of millions of pounds through shorter journey times". I
don't think he actually said those words out loud. I think he
physically carved them, letter-by-letter, out of pure horses**t. If
Hammond honestly thinks "shorter journey times" are the key to
fixing the economy, why hasn't he kickstarted a campaign
encouraging us to take bigger, brisker strides? Why isn't he
issuing us all with stilts? Why isn't he touring the nation, sawing
off our children's feet and replacing them with wheels? There are
only two possible explanations: either he doesn't care about our
economic wellbeing or he knows damn well he's talking through his
hat. Which he wears up his backside.
►
►
Incidentally, as well as raising the upper limit to 80mph, he is also
increasing the number of 20mph zones. So you'll be hearing far
more screeching brakes in future. Don't worry, eventually it'll
blend unnoticed into the background, like birdsong or gunfire.
The current situation, in which the official limit is 70mph, but
which half the population pushes to somewhere around 80mph when
they think they can get away with it, seems like a fair compromise.
The 70-80mph buffer zone of cheeky lawlessness seems about
right. Why punch it higher? If anyone really, really wants to drive
faster than that, they could visit a test track, play Need for
Speed, or simply risk it and swallow the consequences. It's useless
in everyday life. Unless you're delivering urgent donor organs, you
don't need to reach your destination that quickly. And if you think
you do, either set out earlier, or spend less time browsing for
"Grab Bag" size packs of Quavers at the service station.
► And
besides: zooming petrolheads already
have it their own way on the roads:
aggressively driving up other peoples'
behinds, bleating away with their horns,
flashing their lights … seriously, what's
wrong with you people? The anger and the
obvious raging inadequacy seems so … raw.
Do you need a cuddle, is that it? Should we
designate special laybys to be used for
cuddle-breaks, just to calm you down? Fair
enough. If that's what it takes to get people
to slow down, it's fine by me.
Because there's too much bad-tempered showboating on the
roads, and not enough amiable sauntering. When I become
minister for transport, I'll introduce a new motorway lane
specifically designed for 19th-century horse-drawn hay carts
– a lane that criss-crosses all the other lanes at random
intervals. I'd also position a sniper on every bridge and
instruct them to blow the head off anyone who looks like
they're getting a bit of speed up. Or anyone who looks like
they're enjoying the road a bit too much for my liking. Or
anyone listening to an album I hate. Or wearing a loud shirt.
Or who might be Sagittarian.
► Basically anyone. Anyone in a car. Or near a car. Or who looks
like they're thinking about cars.
► Hey, I'm just trying to offer solutions here. If you don't like
it – leave. Leave now. Get out. Get out of this article
this instant.
►