National 5 English RUAE – Extending Word Choice Analysis *** Please note this week’s distance learning is a series of worksheets full of 5 very short close reading exercises (task 3 only has one question.) You do not have to complete all of these in one sitting. Tasks can be completed throughout the week and emailed to your teacher via Glow.

Learning Intention To learn how to identify language features in close reading (Word Choice) We will be successful if… We can pick out interesting examples of word choice.

- We can apply the formula for word choice questions. - We can explain the connotations of certain words.

Word choice formula When you are answering word choice questions there are two steps you should go through:

Step 1: Quote the word in your answer, putting it inside quotation marks ( “…” ) Step 2 : Explain and comment on the effects of the word by explaining the connotations. (Use the word ‘suggests’ or the phrase ‘gives the impression that’ in this part of your answer.)

***Remember to quote and explain!

When we talk about word choice as a technique, we mean that certain words are very carefully and deliberately chosen to obtain effects. Well chosen words suggest meanings. A writer who has a rich, varied and wide vocabulary can make clever decisions about word choice. When we answer these questions, we have to use our knowledge of the connotations of words. The connotations of a word are the ideas that the word suggests to us. Words can have the same basic meaning, but different connotations, which means we can end up with a very different ideas in our heads.

Example1. Think about the word ‘Hollywood’ Detonation (dictionary definition) = a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. Connotations = films, celebrities, rich people, money, film industry, the Oscars and much more.

Example 2. Think about ‘black cats’ Denotation: Carnivorous mammals that are widely kept as house pets with soft fur and retractable claws. Connotations: bad luck, magic, witches etc.

Read the following worksheets and then attempt the tasks!

What is ‘Word choice’?

Sip

Simple meaning of the word

What the word suggests/ implies

During her interview, this woman sips her drink.

After a long run, this athlete gulps his drink.

Word choice explanation continued... Look at the following words used to describe how the people are drinking their water in different situations. Both words share the same basic meaning (to drink), but both suggest very different connotations (suggested meanings.)

Drink

Gulp Sip

‘Gulp’- To drink eagerly in large drafts.

‘Sip’- To drink a little at a time.

‘Gulps’ suggests little or no care is being taken. Fast paced, rushed. Has ran very quickly and trained hard. High risk of spilling/choking/coughing.

‘Sips’ suggests care is being taken Slow pace, no rush. Very little chance of spillage/ coughing. Possibly nervous /dehydrated but does not want to show this.

Look at the examples of the following words and fill in the table with the denotation (simple meaning of the word) and the connotations of the words (what they suggest.) The first two have been done for you. Quote Simple meaning Suggests...

a) He gulped the water.

He drank eagerly in large drafts.

little or no care is being taken Fast paced, rushed. High risk of spilling/choking/coughing.

b) He trudged to his desk.

He walked slowly with a lot of effort and heavy steps.

Possibly tired/ exhausted. Could be sad or depressed. Could be the end of the day or the week.

c)She marched to the door.

d) He hobbled to

the hospital entrance.

e) The boy

tumbled out of the tree.

f) The cat sprang

over the garden fence.

g) The cat

hopped over the garden

TASK 1

fence. h)The teacher roared out the instructions. Read the following passage excerpt and answer the corresponding questions.

Twigs crackle and mud splatters as I weave and bounce through the woods, but my sleeping bag stays firmly fixed to my handlebars. When the GPS points to a hidden path, we take it and discover our lamp-lit bell tent sheltered by a sycamore tree. There’s a flickering fire, a hamper of goodies and two chairs awaiting our weary limbs. It’s a magical sight, especially after 45 km of mountain biking through the Peak District.

2a) What does the word ‘crackle’ tell us about the twigs? (1) b) What does the word ‘splatters’ tell us about the mud? (1) c) What does the word ‘weave’ tell us about how the writer is cycling? (1) d) What does the word ‘bounce’ tell us about how the writer is cycling? (1) e) Which short phrase tells us they have been given a selection of delicious food? (1) f) Which word tells us the cyclists were tired when they arrived? (1)

TASK 2

Read the following passage excerpt and answer the corresponding question (Note there is only one question for task 3- the rest is just information for you.)

I love the idea of exploring the U.K. countryside by bike, carrying my camping gear and sleeping beneath the stars. But in reality ‘bikepacking’ can be a hassle: there’s all the kit to buy (not to mention carry), routes to plan, weather to worry about and wild camping spots to suss out. Luckily, there’s also an easier option.

Q3.a) What does the word ‘hassle’ in the passage above suggest about bikepacking? (1)

A bit of context for you...

TASK 3

Read the following passage and answer the questions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our adventure begins at Hope station. With the Sheffield-to-Manchester line running through the Hope Valley, the Peak District is easily accessible. We arrive on a Friday evening after a 2 ½ hour journey from London, and Pete greets us with high-spec Sonder mountain bikes and lights for the short cycle to the Adventure Pedlars bunkhouse on the edge of Hope Village. Our delayed train meant we missed last orders at The Old Hall Hotel, so Pete kindly steps in and cooks us pizza at his house.

4a) What does the word ‘accessible’ tell us about the Peak District? (1) b) What does the word ‘high-spec’ tell us about the bikes the writer and his boyfriend will be using? (1) c) What word tells us their train was late? (1) d) Which word tells us something important about Pete’s personality? (1) Explain in your own words what this word choice suggests about him. (2)

Be careful with question 4d. It is a sneaky doubler. WORD CHOICE and IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

TASK 4

Read the following passage and look at the example questions I have completed to guide you. After reading, attempt the rest of the questions using the formula to get two marks for each question.

PARAGRAPH 1 It is like a scene from a horror film. As a car drives along a quiet road at night, hundreds of rats scuttle across the tarmac. PARAGRAPH 2 For a few days now the small village of Gattolino (which translates roughly as ‘little cat’) has been battling an infestation of rodents. Locals have nicknamed the newcomers ‘crazy white rats’ because of their strange behaviour. They have reportedly been jumping in front of cars and killing each other. One firefighter told a local paper: “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Example answer: “scuttles” (1) suggests that the rats move quickly, scurrying and scampering across the road. (1) Example answer: “infested” (1) gives the impression that there are lots of rats getting absolutely everywhere in a really horrible war. (1)

Examples of how to answer word choice questions properly. Use the formula!

Remember to quote and then explain!

The word “_____”(1mark)

suggests... “_________” (1 mark)

Example Question: Q 1. Read paragraph 1. Explain how the writer’s word choice gives a clear impression of how the rats move. (2)

Example Question: Q2. Read paragraph 2 above. Explain how one example of the writer’s word choice makes it clear that the rats are a problem for Gattolino. (2)

TASK 5

Now over to you! Read the following passage again and answer the corresponding questions. PARAGRAPH 1 It is like a scene from a horror film. As a car drives along a quiet road at night, hundreds of rats scuttle across the tarmac. PARAGRAPH 2 For a few days now the small village of Gattolino (which translates roughly as ‘little cat’) has been battling an infestation of rodents. Locals have nicknamed the newcomers ‘crazy white rats’ because of their strange behaviour. They have reportedly been jumping in front of cars and killing each other. One firefighter told a local paper: “I’ve never seen anything like it before.” PARAGRAPH 3 Authorities in the northern Italian province of Cesena have launched a special taskforce bringing together firefighters, policemen and sanitary inspectors to cope with the emergency, which was brought to national attention when dashcam footage emerged of the rats. PARAGRAPH 4 Francesca Lucchi, Cesena’s councilor for the environment, told local paper Resto del Carlino: “There are professionals and experts at work. PARAGRAPH 5 She added that the environmental technicians and public health officials are working with local police to establish whether the rats are carrying diseases. PARAGRAPH 6 The rats seem to have come from an old pigeon-breeding enclosure – which closed last year – where they would find shelter and food. “It is very likely that the rats have run out of food from inside the enclosures and once the food was finished, they

TASK 5 CONTINUED...

came out to find more in the countryside,” the local mayor told journalists. PARAGRAPH 7 Piero, who works at a sports bar in Gattolino, said one other aspect of the rats behaviour stood out. They are stopping and turning in the road shortly after the main Gattolino road sign. “Rats are not stupid,” he said, “they know not to mess around with the little cat.”

Q5a) Read Paragraph 2. Explain how one example of the writer’s word choice makes it clear that the village is trying hard to get rid of the rats. (2) Q5b) Read paragraph 3. Explain how the writer’s word choice makes it clear that local authorities are taking the rat problem seriously. (2) Q5c) Read paragraph 4. Explain how two examples of the writer’s word choice show that the council has involved the right people to solve this problem. (4) Q5 d) Read paragraph 6. Explain how two examples of the writer’s word choice show that local officials are not totally sure if they are right about the cause of the rat problem. (4)

And you are finished!