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Word Choice Questions
Word Choice Questions
In this type of question you will be asked to explain the effect
of the word(s) chosen by the writer.
The word(s) might imply or suggest something. This is the
connotation of the word(s).
This is extremely important!
The words may:
• have a particular tone (critical, questioning, angry, ironic,
humorous)
• create a comparison (simile, metaphor, extended metaphor)
• be used to indicate a contrast
• create a sound (using alliteration or onomatopoeia)
• create an image.
You will be asked to look at individual words,
phrases or “word groups” and identify why they
were used by the writer and what effect they
had in the passage.
Think about the following list:
1. Connotation / Meaning
- usually implied / suggested meaning
Writers choose words for a particular effect.
Words can suggest or imply something.
Look at this simple example:
“The policeman strolled into the house.”
The writer has chosen the word “strolled”. This is the key word.
The writer could have used walked, marched, stormed or charged.
Why did they choose the word “strolled”? What does it suggest?
The writer is suggesting he is relaxed, happy, not in a hurry, etc.
The word “strolled” suggests the policeman’s mood.
What would using the other words above imply about the
policeman’s mood?
You need to think about the difference between the
denotation (meaning) of a word and its connotation (the
ideas the word suggests)
Word
Denotation
Connotation
underweight
thin
A clinical, medical sort of
picture, in need of treatment.
The context might be
disadvantaged people.
skinny
thin
Unattractive, bony, angular
(Context?)
slim
thin
Attractive, healthy,
elegant, neat (Context?)
2. Nuance: a subtle difference or very slight different
meaning, feeling or tone
What is the difference between the following two phrases?
“I do not like you”
“I loathe you”.
The strength of feeling and meaning in the two phrases is slightly
different.
3.
Tone: the way in which something is written /
spoken. The tone indicates the attitude and
feelings of the writer towards a topic.
• Tone Category 1: Personal (nostalgic, disappointed, reflective,
sad, angry)
• Tone Category 2: Critical (mocking, sarcastic, ironic, derogatory,
scornful, hectoring, didactic)
• Tone Category 3: Humorous (light-hearted, gently mocking,
comic)
We will look at tone in more detail later
4. Sound:
onomatopoeia, alliteration, soft / harsh sounding
The writer may use “sound “ words.
These will normally create an image.
5. Emotive words:
words designed to affect the emotions of the reader
Consider the following list of words:
‘warm’, ‘gentle’, fragrant’, ‘whisper’, ‘kiss’, ‘love’.
These words are emotive because they make us feel
something, in this case something good. They have positive
connotations.
However, there are other emotive words which have
the opposite effect. Consider this list:
‘old’, ‘stale’, penniless’, ‘ache’, ‘cold’, ‘winter’, ‘stench’.
These words all produce feelings which are distasteful.
6. Effect:
Word choice can create humour, ridicule, shock,
arouse sympathy, persuade, create an image, etc.
Words can do all of these things!
Think about the above list when you are asked
about word choice and the effects of the words
chosen by the writer.
Word Choice Formula
• Pick out /identify the most important words.
• Quote the words in your answer.
• Analyse the words in detail –the connotation,
associations the word has, sound or tone etc.
• Discuss the effect of the word.
• Explain how the word helps you to understand
the writer’s ideas/opinion.
For each of the following:
•
What word(s) would you pick out to discuss? Why?
•
What do you associate with this word? What
connotations does the word have?
•
What does the word make you think of? Does the word(s)
create an image for you?
•
Why did the writer choose this word?
1. The boy was interrogated about his actions by his parents.
2. We have been bombarded with numerous images. The
“attack” of the advertisers is relentless. The barrage is almost
endless and disorientating.
For each of the following:
•
What word(s) would you pick out to discuss? Why?
•
What do you associate with this word? What
connotations does the word have?
•
What does the word make you think of? Does the word(s)
create an image for you?
•
Why did the writer choose this word?
3. The archaeologists have tried to solve the mystery for
centuries. The clues have been unearthed and the
investigation has been thorough. The skeletons provided
evidence of the violence of the time but the motive for the
ritual killing remains unclear.
4. The path to enlightenment has grown a little darker today with
another senseless attack on the research by scientists. A
return to the dark ages could be imminent.
For each of the following:
•
What word(s) would you pick out to discuss? Why?
•
What do you associate with this word? What
connotations does the word have?
•
What does the word make you think of? Does the word(s)
create an image for you?
•
Why did the writer choose this word?
5. The news report was sanitized and cleansed of the truth. The
facts were almost air-brushed out of existence.
Example 1: Show how the word choice in these lines helps point up
the contrast described here. (2A)
Transferring the sultry sensuality of a Latin street dance to
Edinburgh on a wet winter’s night would not appear the
easiest of tasks. The rain batters the glass roof of the
studio, competing in volume with the merengue blaring
from the sound system. In the background, the castle, lit
up, stares down grandly against the foreboding skies.
Which words would you choose?
‘Sultry sensuality’ suggests something hot and sexy which is
normally associated with warm sunny places in contrast with
‘foreboding skies’ which suggests something dark and threatening
and gloomy (or) ‘wet winter’s night’ which suggests cold and
damp, which is inhibiting to the emotions.
Example 1: Show how the word choice in these lines helps point up
the contrast described here. (2A)
Transferring the sultry sensuality of a Latin street dance to
Edinburgh on a wet winter’s night would not appear the
easiest of tasks. The rain batters the glass roof of the
studio, competing in volume with the merengue blaring
from the sound system. In the background, the castle, lit
up, stares down grandly against the foreboding skies.
Which words would you choose?
‘The rain batters’ suggests an assault on the roof, as if the rain is
trying to get in and drown out the dancing in contrast with
‘merengue blaring’ which also suggests something loud but this
time enjoyable and creating a party atmosphere.
Question: How does the writer’s word choice in these lines make clear
her attitude to the teacher?
Here’s another story: once upon a time, there was a little boy who got a new pair
of wellies, inside which, around the top, his mother inscribed his name in felt
pen. This child, asserting the inalienable rights of small boys everywhere, then
proceeded to go out and fill his wellies with water. The ink of his name ran, and
by the time the bell rang for school that Monday morning, the small boy had
vivid blue smudges, like vicious bruises, ringing his calves. His teacher, a zealous
young woman, ever alert to the omnipresence of evil, took one look at the marks
and lifted the phone to the social work department. ‘Come quickly,’ she hissed.
‘This boy is clearly being abused.'
When the social workers rushed to examine the boy and quiz his mother, they
could find evidence of nothing. Soap and water had washed away the dreadful
bruises, and the mother’s relationship with her son turned out to be impeccably
healthy. The only mistake this unfortunate family had made was to fulfil society’s
constant, lurking expectation that all children are in danger all the time.
Example Answers
Words such as : ‘zealous’ suggest to us that the writer is of the
opinion that this teacher is someone who is too keen and somewhat
too smart for her own good.
The writer uses words such as ‘zealous’ when referring to the teacher
and ‘omnipresence of evil’. This shows her negative attitude towards
the teacher and basically suggest she dislikes her method of dealing
with the situation and her assumption that there is evil everywhere.
The teacher we are told is ‘zealous’ which gives the impression of
someone who works hard but takes it beyond the requirements to
the point where it is unhealthy. It is as if they are obsessed.
The writer uses the word ‘hissed’ which is the sort of melodramatic
word one would use for a villain in a story. Plus, hissing is associated
with snakes which we tend to dislike and is indicative of
untrustworthiness.
Now you are going to answer some questions on
word choice which are taken from past papers.
If the questions gives you a list of techniques to
choose from, or refers to ‘use of language’,
answer only for word choice.