Higher

Word Choice

What is a Word Choice

Question?

When you are asked to identify words used by the writer because of their effect.

You have to identify the words, the effect they have and explain how they achieve this effect.

How to answer a Word Choice

Question:

Focus on individual words.

No marks for simply picking out a word.

Compare your word to a more neutral word,

e.g. ‘strode’ compared to ‘walked.’

Things to consider in a word

choice question: 1. Colloquial language / slang. An informal tone

is created. Perhaps uses second person (you),

informal reference to a person e.g. using their

first name or a nickname, abbreviations.

2. Emotive language – strong words to stir /

manipulate emotions. These words will have

strong connotations. Emotive language often

reveals the writer’s attitude to their topic.

3. Jargon – technical / formal language.

4. Archaisms – old fashioned words.

5. Dialect – the opposite to standard English; English spoken in a particular area, e.g. Glaswegian dialect. This makes language more expressive, lively and natural.

Word Choice Formula 1. Identify the word(s) or phrase(s) / attitude from

the text. This means you pick out the important words or phrases and put them into quotation marks.

2. Denotation - give a literal meaning of the word (often a definition.)

3. Explain why the word is effective in the passage. Do this by giving connotations of the word.

Connotations are the words that spring to mind when you read / hear certain words. E.g. Dove = freedom, peace, happiness. Red = danger, upset, fear.

4. Use the connotations to show how it conveys a particular attitude / feeling etc.

Word Choice Example When did we start worrying about binge drinking? Not when

I was growing up, when the wilder adolescents of the town would congregate in the swing parks to swig vodka chased down with lime cordial. Not at university, when we all got blitzed on whatever the union bar was promoting that month at knock-down prices. None of this was considered binge drinking – we never used the phrase.

Nor do I recall the many respectable middle class people at the posh functions I occasionally attend referring to their consumption of champagne and wine in these terms. Or, on more relaxed summer evenings, when neighbours distribute chilled white wine at garden barbeques or tipple on front steps until the light eventually fades … no, that’s not binge drinking either.

Show how the writer’s word choice in these lines creates a clear contrast between the drinking habits of the young and those of the middle aged.

Word Choice answer:

Young people – ‘swig’ means rushed,

undignified; ‘Blitzed’ is slang and means

lack of control or immaturity; ‘knock-down’

implies cheapness, lack of sophistication.

Middle aged – ‘Posh’ means upmarket,

attended by well-off, socially respectable

people; ‘Functions’ means high class and

more dignified that ‘party’; ‘distribute’ is a

dignified process, contrasts to ‘hang

around;’ ‘Tipple’ suggests restrained,

innocuous and harmless.

Word Choice Example Two:

Binge drinking is what other people do. They are

always in documentaries about cheap package

holidays, where teenagers share goldfish bowls of

spirits masked with something sickeningly sugary.

Binge drinkers are the young people staggering,

brawling, yelping incoherently though our city

centres late on Saturday night. They are the after-

office pub crowd of giggling ladettes.

Show how the writer’s use of language conveys her

contempt for any one of the groups.

Answer: ‘People in documentaries’

‘Cheap’ – implies tackiness as well as being inexpensive.

‘Package holidays’ has connotations of lacking good taste and not being selective.

‘Goldfish bowls’ – excess of behaviour, ridiculous, degrading.

‘Something sickeningly sugary’ – distasteful, over sweet, sickening, mocking.

‘Young people staggering’ – out of control, uncoordinated.

‘Staggering, brawling, yelping’ – sense of restless, aggressive behaviour.

‘Yelping incoherently’ – primitive, uncontrolled, irritating sound.

Example Three

One of the most disturbing examples of our holidays causing problems for local people is that of Burma. A beautiful country, Burma is described in brochures as ‘The Golden Land.’ But life for the Burmese is far from golden. Torture, murder and rape are everyday occurrences at the hands of the military junta. Over the past few years the junta has forced hundreds of thousands of Burmese to labour on tourism projects and millions more have been forced from their homes to make way for widened roads, hotel developments and other tourist-related infrastructure. Burma’s human rights abuses are therefore directly related to developing holidays.

Show how the author’s choice of words reveals her attitude to the effect of tourism on the local people of Burma. (4 marls)

Answer

‘Disturbing’ – shows distaste

Contrasts the beauty of Burma with ‘far

from Golden’ life of the population.

‘everyday occurrences’ to describe human

rights abuses.

Stresses lack of personal freedom by

‘forced.’