AO2 Base Therapy

Language AO2: Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to
achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their
views.

AO2 is divided into two parts. Here is a summary of the skills AO2 assesses.

Then select the key parts of the

You need to be able to spot language you have spotted to use
powerful and effective language as evidence.
or language devices.

Explain, comment on and analyse how

writers use language to achieve effects and
influence readers, using relevant subject
terminology to support their views.

Explain and analyse what effect the writers

You need to try and use the relevant
want to have on their reader (you) through
terminology in your response.
the language they choose? What do they
want you to think, feel, imagine?

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 You need to be able to spot
effective structural devices. Then select the key parts of the
structure you have spotted to use as
evidence. This can sometimes be
harder to do than with language.

Explain, comment on and analyse how

writers use structure to achieve effects and
influence readers, using relevant subject
terminology to support their views.

You need to try and use the relevant

Explain and analyse what effect the writer terminology in your response.
wants to have on their reader (you) through
the structural devices they use? What do
they want you to think, feel, imagine?

These therapies will focus on allowing you to practice some of the skills needed to be
successful in AO2. They are broken down into Language and Structure.

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 Language

TONE
Tone is used by writers to set the mood and attitude of a piece of writing. Think about the
tone of voice you might use to show your mood. For example, you might be:

• Happy
• Excited
• Sad
• Serious

Our word choices and how we speak usually reflect our mood, unless we are good at acting!

You must remember that the author of a text has chosen the language carefully to set a
particular tone.

Question 1: Try saying the following sentences out loud, changing your tone and emotion
each time:

1. What would you like to say?

- Say it with anger.
- Say it with sympathy.

2. I’m glad you could join us.

- Say it with irritation.
- Say it with happiness.

How did your change in emotion change the meaning of the line?

Question 2: Match each of these sentences to the right tone. (Extension: consider how the
punctuation supports the tone.)

1. This brand-new hotel and resort goes all out to impress, with highlights like couple-sized
daybeds, a round-the-world spa experience, plus a great activities line-up.
2. When my best friend moved to France, I was heart-broken. I felt so alone and I hated
the idea of having to make new friends. No one could replace her.
3. I could not believe it; we had only gone and won the lottery! The jackpot! The big one!
Us! It was overwhelming - more money than I could count, more money than I could
imagin
CONNOTATIONS
Sombre Excited Cool e.

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u You MUST think about WHY a writer has chosen a particular word or phrase. Sometimes
its meaning can be subtle and less obvious than you first think, and it will have been chosen
to achieve a particular effect.

“The girls giggled as he walked in the room”

What does the word “giggled” suggest in this sentence?

“The girls cackled as he walked in the room”

What does the word “cackled” suggest in this sentence?

• How do they compare?

• What are the ‘connotations’ of the word cackled?
• What image is the writer trying to create in the reader’s mind with these two-word
choices?

IMAGERY
This is when a writer uses language to create a picture or image in the reader’s mind.
Some of the ways writers may create that image are through:

• Metaphors and similes

• Personification
• Analogies

Metaphors and Similes: Describe one thing by comparing it to another.

Similes do this by using “as” or “like”.

Metaphors say something “is” something else.

For each of the phrases below, write S for simile or M for metaphor.

1) As slippery as an eel.
2) The moon was a misty shadow
3) She is as pretty as a picture.
4) The striker was a goal machine.

Personification: Describes something as if it is a person.

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“The flame danced in the dark”
“The sun played peek-a-boo with the clouds”

Select two objects in your classroom and write a sentence about each, giving them human
features.

Analogy: Comparing something to something else to make it easier to understand or create

an image in the reader’s mind.

Complete the analogies below…

1. Bird is to fly as fish is to swim.

2. Parrot is to feathers as bear is to __________________________________________
3. Zebra is to stripes as giraffe is to __________________________________________
4. Cat is to kitten as cow is to _______________________________________________
5. Shark is to fish as dolphin is to ____________________________________________
6. Canary is to yellow as polar bear is to ______________________________________
7. Penguin is to Antarctica as panda is to ______________________________________

DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE

Writers use descriptive techniques/language and well-chosen vocabulary to create an image

in the reader’s mind and to make the reader feel and think a certain way.

As well as learning how to spot these techniques

(and their effect) in other writers’ works, aim to
mimic them in your own writing to become
expert at it for the writing section of your exam.

Another technique writers use is sensory language: see, smell, touch or taste. They also use
adjectives and adverbs to add interest and emphasis to their sentences alongside well-

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chosen verbs.

1. Can you spot any descriptive techniques in the writing below?

The snow stung my face, numbed my toes, and clung to my eyelashes with
determination. No matter how many times I wiped a soggy, gloved hand
across my eyes, it did not budge. My walk home from school was always a
bore, a trudge, taking me through the worst part, of the worst estate, in
the worst town, but today – with the snow freezing my bones – it was
unbearable. Everywhere I stared, white coated the grey buildings, and
even the sound of the traffic seemed muffled by the thick blanket of
pelting snow.

2. Choose 4 descriptions or descriptive words from the writing above and change the
interesting descriptive words to synonyms of the word (use a thesaurus to help you).

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 STRUCTURE

A key part of structure is the order in which a writer presents ideas and events in their text.
In other words, the way the ideas are organised.

LINEAR & NON-LINEAR STRUCTURE

For example, a story might have a Linear or Non-linear structure.

LINEAR STRUCTURE: the story moves chronologically from beginning, to middle, to end.

NON-LINEAR: the story may contain flashbacks, it may have changes in narrative view or
perspective, or may start at a different point of the story that’s not the natural beginning.

1. Do you think the timeline below is for a Linear or Non-Linear text? How do you know?

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 SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Writers will use a variety of sentence lengths to create different effects in their writing.

2. Can you match the sentence form with the effect?

Adds more detail, moves the action forward

Short / Simple Sentence
or can seem like time is moving slowly.

Long Complex Sentences Builds tension or shocks the reader.

3. Highlight the different sentence types in the writing below and explain the effect of each
sentence.

The snow stung my face, numbed my toes, and clung to my eyelashes with
determination. No matter how many times I wiped a soggy, gloved hand
across my eyes, it did not budge. I hated this part of the day! My walk
home from school was always a bore, a trudge. Taking me through the
worst part, of the worst estate, in the worst town, but today – with the
snow freezing my bones – it was unbearable. Everywhere I stared, white
coated the grey buildings, and even the sound of the traffic seemed
muffled by the thick blanket of pelting snow. I pulled my hood lower. Safe
inside its fur I can avoid eye-contact, avoid confrontation, avoid them.
Would they avoid me?

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