WJEC GCSE English Language and Literature

Every word belongs to a class according to the job it does in a sentence. Naming the class is only the first step in analysis; the point is to say what the choice does to the reader. A writer who picks a stative verb over a dynamic one, or a modal over a flat statement, is shaping pace, certainty and tone, and the same holds for a poet or a speechwriter as much as for a novelist. ## Nouns A **noun** names a person, place, thing or idea. The types worth telling apart are these. | Type | What it names | Example | Typical effect | |---|---|---|---| | Concrete | Something seen, heard or touched | harbour, ladder | Grounds writing in something physical the reader can picture | | Abstract | An idea or feeling | freedom, grief | Makes a feeling sound larger than one moment, as if it belongs to everyone | | Proper | A particular person, place or organisation, capitalised | Swansea, Amnesty International | Anchors the text in real, checkable people and places | | Collective | A group treated as one unit | crowd, flock | Presents many individuals as a single force | | Compound | Two or more words joined | rainfall, toothbrush | Packs an idea into one unit, often informal or vivid | A text full of abstract nouns (justice, dignity, equality) tends to sound serious and principled, which is why speeches about rights lean on them. A text full of concrete nouns tends to sound immediate and sensory, which suits description and personal accounts. ## Verbs A **verb** expresses an action…