AQA GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TECHNIQUES exams
Imperative (verb) - Correct Answers ✅Command word
Personification - Correct Answers ✅Applying human characteristics
to an object.
Anthroporphism - Correct Answers ✅Applying human characteristics
to an animal (the opposite is objectification).
Technical language/jargon - Correct Answers ✅This is subject-
specific lexis, used to demonstrate a high level of intelligence or
knowledge. May be used to intentionally overwhelm reader or impress
well-educated audience.
Metaphor - Correct Answers ✅This is where something is stated to
be somethinge else.
Inclusive Pronouns - Correct Answers ✅These, such as 'you' and
'we', link the reader and audience together. They create feelings of
warmth and empathy and subtly coerce the reader into feeling they
agree with the author's viewpoint or are at risk from the dangers the
author points out.
Simile - Correct Answers ✅This is where something is stated to be
"like" something else - a form of comparison.
, AQA GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TECHNIQUES exams
Analogy - Correct Answers ✅This is similar to a simile - something is
compared to something else IN ORDER to prove a point about the first
thing. E.g. 'Not implementing electoral reform would be like
handcuffing people and confiscating their ballots before they entered
the polling station
Onomatopoeia - Correct Answers ✅Spell this correctly if you are
writing it in an exam! - This involves creating sounds such as 'creak';
'slurp'; 'squelch', in which the words have a similar phonic
pronunciation to the actual sound. It adds realism and may help create
better imagery in a situation hence making events more credible.
Anecdote - Correct Answers ✅This is a past story or even an 'urban
legend' that someone uses to demonstrate an occurrence; it can also
be used to create an emotive reaction. For example describing a tragic
story about a family in a house fire is far more emotive than an
objective statistic than the numbers per year dying in fires.
Pathetic fallacy/ambivalence - Correct Answers ✅Pathetic fallacy is
where a writer tries to make the surroundings reflect moods and
feelings in the situation. This can be important to consider in Q3 where
you are asked to describe and explain the feelings of the writer.
Furthermore the ambivalence of a scene (the lightness of it,
surrounding sounds and senses) are important in reflecting mood.
TECHNIQUES exams
Imperative (verb) - Correct Answers ✅Command word
Personification - Correct Answers ✅Applying human characteristics
to an object.
Anthroporphism - Correct Answers ✅Applying human characteristics
to an animal (the opposite is objectification).
Technical language/jargon - Correct Answers ✅This is subject-
specific lexis, used to demonstrate a high level of intelligence or
knowledge. May be used to intentionally overwhelm reader or impress
well-educated audience.
Metaphor - Correct Answers ✅This is where something is stated to
be somethinge else.
Inclusive Pronouns - Correct Answers ✅These, such as 'you' and
'we', link the reader and audience together. They create feelings of
warmth and empathy and subtly coerce the reader into feeling they
agree with the author's viewpoint or are at risk from the dangers the
author points out.
Simile - Correct Answers ✅This is where something is stated to be
"like" something else - a form of comparison.
, AQA GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TECHNIQUES exams
Analogy - Correct Answers ✅This is similar to a simile - something is
compared to something else IN ORDER to prove a point about the first
thing. E.g. 'Not implementing electoral reform would be like
handcuffing people and confiscating their ballots before they entered
the polling station
Onomatopoeia - Correct Answers ✅Spell this correctly if you are
writing it in an exam! - This involves creating sounds such as 'creak';
'slurp'; 'squelch', in which the words have a similar phonic
pronunciation to the actual sound. It adds realism and may help create
better imagery in a situation hence making events more credible.
Anecdote - Correct Answers ✅This is a past story or even an 'urban
legend' that someone uses to demonstrate an occurrence; it can also
be used to create an emotive reaction. For example describing a tragic
story about a family in a house fire is far more emotive than an
objective statistic than the numbers per year dying in fires.
Pathetic fallacy/ambivalence - Correct Answers ✅Pathetic fallacy is
where a writer tries to make the surroundings reflect moods and
feelings in the situation. This can be important to consider in Q3 where
you are asked to describe and explain the feelings of the writer.
Furthermore the ambivalence of a scene (the lightness of it,
surrounding sounds and senses) are important in reflecting mood.
