OCR GCSE English Language

## Why word choice matters Every word belongs to a **word class**, and a writer's pattern of classes shapes how a passage feels. A passage built on verbs moves quickly; one built on adjectives slows down to look at things. Naming a word class earns little by itself. What matters is the effect: what the word suggests, what the reader pictures, and how their attitude is nudged. ## The main classes | Class | What it does | Example | |---|---|---| | Noun | Names a person, place, thing or idea | *the quay*, *resentment* | | Verb | Shows an action, event or state | *dragged*, *seemed* | | Adjective | Describes a noun | *sallow*, *immense* | | Adverb | Describes a verb, adjective or adverb | *grudgingly*, *oddly* | | Pronoun | Stands in for a noun | *they*, *ours* | | Preposition | Shows position or relation | *beneath*, *across* | | Conjunction | Joins words, phrases or clauses | *although*, *so* | | Determiner | Points to or quantifies a noun | *this*, *several* | ### Nouns A **concrete noun** names something that can be seen or touched (*gravel*, *radiator*) and an **abstract noun** names an idea or feeling (*dread*, *liberty*). A **proper noun** names a particular person or place and takes a capital letter, and a **collective noun** names a group (*a crowd*, *the staff*). A run of concrete nouns builds a physical scene, so a room described through *a stained mattress, a cracked basin and one bare bulb* leaves the reader to draw the conclusion that it is neglected. Abstract…