Analysing Language

Analysing language

Language analysis is the core reading skill in GCSE English Language: explaining how a writer's words create meaning and effect. It's tested directly (e.g. AQA Paper 1 Q2) and underpins evaluation and comparison too.

What to analyse

• Word choices (diction) and their connotations (the feelings a word suggests).
• Figurative language: metaphor, simile, personification.
• Imagery appealing to the senses.
• Sound devices: alliteration, sibilance, onomatopoeia.
• Sentence forms and tone (the writer's attitude).

The golden rule: analyse effect

Don't just name techniques ("the writer uses a metaphor") — explain the effect on the reader. The marks are in the why, not the what.

Build each point with What / How / Why:

1. What technique or word (quote it).

2. How it works (connotations, meaning).

3. Why it's effective (the reader's response).

Zoom in on words

The strongest analysis focuses on a single powerful word and explores its connotations, sometimes offering more than one interpretation:

"The word 'clawed' suggests desperation and violence, as if the branches are alive and threatening."

Use tentative, exploratory language

Top answers explore possibilities: this could suggest…, perhaps…, this implies…, the reader might feel… — showing you're interpreting, not just labelling.

Use accurate terminology

Name techniques and word classes precisely (dynamic verb, emotive adjective, sibilance) — but always tied to effect.

Worked example

Quote: "the relentless, hammering rain".

The adjective "relentless" and the verb "hammering" suggest the rain is aggressive and never-ending, creating a sense of oppression that mirrors the character's despair. ✓

Common mistakes

• Feature-spotting without explaining effect.
• Vague effects ("it makes it interesting").
• Ignoring the connotations of specific words.

Exam tips

• Choose short, technique-rich quotations and embed them.
• Use What / How / Why; zoom in on key words.
• Use tentative language and precise terminology, always linked to effect.

Quick recap

• Analyse how and why language creates effect — go beyond naming techniques.
• Explore word choices and connotations, imagery, sound and sentence forms.
• Use What/How/Why, zoom in on words, and use tentative, exploratory language.