Analysing Language.
Notes
What examiners reward
A high-level answer does three things: it selects precise evidence, zooms in on individual words or devices, and explains the effect on the reader with a developing interpretation. Naming a device is worth very little on its own. The explanation is what earns marks.
The PEAL structure
- Point: make a clear claim about the writer's purpose or the effect created.
- Evidence: embed a short quotation.
- Analysis: zoom in on a key word or device and explain its connotations.
- Link: connect back to the question or the writer's wider intention.
Zooming in on words
Look for the word doing the most work. Ask:
- What is the word class (verb, adjective, noun)?
- What are its connotations, meaning the ideas and feelings it carries beyond its dictionary meaning?
- Is there a sound effect (alliteration, sibilance, plosives)?
- What alternative word could the writer have chosen, and what would that change?
Example: in "the lamps flickered and failed", the verb "failed" suggests something giving up, creating a sense of helplessness that undermines the safety of the light.
Device toolkit (with an effect, not just a name)
| Device | Typical effect |
|---|---|
| Simile / metaphor | makes an abstract idea vivid; links two images |
| Personification | gives non-human things life, often creating threat or sympathy |
| Pathetic fallacy | weather or setting mirrors mood |
| Sensory language | immerses the reader; builds atmosphere |
| Short sentences | tension, shock, or emphasis |
| Listing in threes | rhythm, accumulation |
| Semantic field | a group of related words that reinforces an idea |
Using tentative language
Develop interpretations: "suggests", "implies", "could connote", "perhaps hints at". A second reading, joined by "alternatively" or "this may also", signals Level 4+ thinking.
Common mistakes
- Feature spotting without effect ("The writer uses a simile").
- Retelling the story instead of analysing.
- Quoting long chunks. Short, embedded quotes of one to five words are best.
- Ignoring the second half or ending of the extract, where a shift often happens.
Exam tips
- Spend 2 minutes underlining three or four strong quotations before writing.
- Write about how the writer makes you feel, not how you personally feel.
- Aim for 3 or 4 well-developed paragraphs rather than 8 short ones.
Worksheet
Total: 20 marks. Read the extract (original text written for this worksheet), then answer the questions.
The fog came down on the harbour like a held breath. Along the quay, lamps flickered and failed one by one, and the trawlers sat low and silent in the black water, their ropes creaking like old joints. Maren pulled her collar up and walked faster, though she could not have said what she was running from. Somewhere behind her a gull screamed, once, and then the whole town seemed to be listening.
- Identify five different language or structural techniques in the extract. For each, copy the evidence and name the technique. (5)
- How does the writer use language to create a tense atmosphere? Write one full PEAL paragraph, focusing on a single quotation. (8)
- A student wrote: "The writer uses a simile 'like a held breath'. This makes the reader want to keep reading." Rewrite this so it would score highly. (4)
- Explore the connotations of the verbs "failed", "creaking" and "screamed". Choose two and explain what each suggests. (3)
Show mark scheme and answers (tutor copy)
Try the worksheet first, then check your work here.
Q1 (1 mark per technique with accurate evidence)
Any five of:
- Simile: "like a held breath" or "like old joints"
- Personification: "the whole town seemed to be listening"
- Pathetic fallacy: the fog
- Verbs with negative connotations: "flickered and failed", "screamed"
- Contrast of colour/tone: "black water"
- Sentence variation: the very short final clause after "once,"
- Sensory language (sound): "creaking", "screamed"
- Listing or repetition: "flickered and failed"
- Structure: the movement from wide scene to character to a sudden sound
Q2 (8 marks; band guide)
- 7-8: a perceptive, developed interpretation with precise word-level analysis; tentative, alternative readings; clear link to atmosphere.
- 5-6: clear explanation of effects with some detailed analysis of words.
- 3-4: some explanation, mostly identifying devices.
- 1-2: simple comments or paraphrase.
Model paragraph (7-8):
The writer establishes a menacing atmosphere through the simile "like a held breath", which personifies the fog as something waiting in anticipation. A held breath implies suspended tension, as if the harbour itself is anticipating something, and the fog's stillness reflects a moment before danger. The word "held" suggests control or restraint, perhaps hinting that something threatening is being deliberately contained and could be released at any moment. This unsettling opening makes the reader share the tension of the scene before any character has acted, preparing for the sense of being watched at the end of the extract.
Q3 (4 marks)
Model:
The simile "like a held breath" personifies the fog, giving it an uneasy, expectant quality. A held breath suggests fear or suspense, so the reader feels that something is about to happen. The word "held" implies the fog is deliberately waiting, perhaps hinting at a hidden threat. This creates a tense mood from the very first line, drawing the reader in.
Marks for: naming the device with an embedded quotation (1), explaining the image (1), zooming on a word (1), linking to the effect on the reader or the writer's purpose (1).
Q4 (3 marks)
- "failed": suggests defeat and loss of safety. The lamps are not just switched off; they give up, so the reader feels the dark closing in. (also hints at a sense of decline in the town)
- "creaking": onomatopoeia-like sound that suggests age, decay and strain. The simile "like old joints" links the boats to ageing bodies in pain, giving the harbour a weary, uneasy feel.
- "screamed": a human verb applied to a gull, personification suggesting alarm or terror. The harsh /sk/ sounds are abrupt, and the verb implies something has frightened even the wildlife.
(1 mark for a valid connotation, up to 3 in total, awarding credit for any two well-explained choices plus a third point of detail.)