Writer’s Effect

Paper 2 – Question 2
 What is ‘writer’s effect’?
A writer selects words and shapes them in the
same way that an artist mixes particular hues of
paint and applies them to a canvas using brush
strokes.
What effect can words have?

Reinforce Characters / relationships

Modify Settings
Contrast Themes
Contradict Atmosphere / tone
 The exam task
To select words / phrases from two named
paragraphs in a ‘literary’ extract and explain the
meaning and effect of those language choices and
why therefore the writer might have chosen to use
them.

The exam question is worth 10 marks

You will have approximately 25 minutes to answer

 The skills needed
To recognise, understand and explain the meaning
of a range of vocabulary.

To demonstrate an awareness that words have

layers of meaning rather than just a literal
meaning.

To be able to articulate an understanding of the

how language choices can purposefully impact the
interpretation of a text.
The onion model
 Literal meaning

1
How rich is your vocabulary?
Shades of meaning

2
All synonyms are created equal?
Rank these words in order
Now insert this word into your ranked
order:

tiny
Rank these words and explain the
subtle differences between them

Shack
Hut
Barn
House
Mansion
Hovel
Write as many variations of this sentence
as you can by changing the highlighted
words while retaining the same literal
meaning – notice how the nuances of
meaning can change:

The horse looked at me.

 So words carry subtle differences of
meaning and a writer’s choice of
words is likely to reflect an awareness
of these nuances
Contextual associations

3
Words don’t operate in isolation – they
interact with other words around them.

‘watch the borders’

weed
Here is a word which has been taken out
of its context:

scarlet
On the next slide is a mini saga with the
word ‘scarlet’ placed in context – notice
how the rest of the story adds a
significant layer of meaning to the word
‘scarlet’
Erik’s clothes clashed like a pile of
Smarties. Ties became legends.
Criticisms bypassed his balding head.

Eric’s office held a ‘Bad Taste Fancy Dress

Night’. Colleagues conspicuously
reproduced his outfits. He smiled.

Next morning, Erik wore a grey suit. He

tidied his desk, then hanged himself with
a scarlet tie.
The title of the mini-saga is:

The Greying of the Peacock’

Is this an appropriate title given that no

bird features in the story? Why?
 What is the effect of the simile which
appears in the first line of the story?

Erik’s clothes clashed like a pile of Smarties.

What associations do you have with

Smarties and how are they modified in
this context?
Figurative language is based upon the
associations we are invited to make
between the items being compared.

Analogical thinking is always associative.

Finish the following phrase in as many

ways as you can and notice how the
choice of simile shifts the underlying
meaning which is implied:
Life is like a .....
Sensory associations

4
Some words make a direct appeal to the
senses such as:

Bright, iridescent, drab,

Melodious, clang, titter
Acrid, pungent, fragrant
Bitter, bland, savoury
Dry, smooth, jagged
Others do not have a primary meaning
which is rooted in the senses but,
nonetheless they can carry associations
which may imply sensory details:

The bird’s plumage shimmered in the

dawn light.

The soldier sank, ankle deep into the

thick mud and struggled to free himself.
Emotional associations

5
Some words are also selected by writers
because they carry emotional weight:

The small child dragged his satchel

behind him, his head hung down and his
shoulders were slumped.
Notice how each of the word choices
highlighted here combine – the
emotional tone of the sentence emerges
out of the collective effect of the
language choices made.

The small child dragged his satchel

behind him, his head hung down and his
shoulders were slumped.
Here are three possibilities for the next
sentence – how does this additional
information modify or develop your
understanding of the school boy’s
emotional state?
He stabbed his toe at a discarded coke
can which tumbled into the road.

The School gates loomed ahead of him

and he noticed that his hands were
trembling.

The crumpled pink letter was still

clutched tightly in his left hand.
Putting it all together
Words carry a literal meaning

Words often also carry shades of meaning

and are relational

Words may be modified by their context

Words may carry sensory associations

Words may carry emotional associations

 Meetings

Testing your understanding of the

onion model
They locked eyes upon one another and
stood like statues, rooted to the spot.
Several moments passed. The air about
them crackled with tension and then,
suddenly the two men surged forwards.
The dust billowed around them, their
leather sandals tearing great scars across
the parched arena.
She came to stand behind the crumpled
form and tentatively reached out a
trembling hand. The blanched band of
skin circling her finger stood out like a
guilty secret as she touched his shoulder.
He didn’t look up. For what seemed an
age, they stood there framed against the
dying light until all the guests had made
their excuses and left.
David lurched forward, knocking people
to left and right until he had a clear line
of sight. There could be no mistake, it
was her. He wanted to shout out, turn
circles, dance a jig, but instead a bashful
grin spread across his face. She turned
her head towards him and beamed. The
crowd, the grating tannoy, the glare of
the strip lighting all faded away until just
the two of them were held in the crystal
snow-globe perfection of the moment.