2.1.12

Emotive Language

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Emotive Language

Emotive language is when language is used to create a strong emotional response – this could be any emotion, such as anger, excitement, happiness, sadness, etc.

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Plastic waste murders

  • Plastic waste murders millions of helpless turtles every year.
    • In this phrase, the vocabulary has been carefully selected to emphasise the helplessness and innocence of the turtles.
    • We could have just said ‘turtles die because of plastic waste’, but by using emotive words like ‘murder’, you draw the reader’s attention immediately.
    • Combined with another emotive word like ‘helpless’, and you evoke feelings of sympathy in your audience.
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Evil abuser

  • An evil monster abused the young victim.
    • In this phrase, the vocabulary has been carefully selected to emphasise the helplessness and innocence of the abused child.
    • We could have just said ‘child hurt by adult’, but by using emotive words like ‘evil’ and ‘monster’, you draw the reader’s attention immediately.
    • Combined with another emotive phrase like ‘young victim’, you evoke feelings of sympathy as the horrid nature of the adult is contrasted with the innocence of the child.
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Poor starving children

  • These children are poor, starving and orphaned. They have nothing and no one.
    • In this phrase, the vocabulary has been carefully selected to emphasise the helplessness of the children.
    • We could have just said ‘children have no parents or food’, but by using emotive words like ‘starving’ and ‘orphaned’, you draw the reader’s attention immediately.
    • Combined with another emotive phrase like ‘nothing and no one’, you evoke feelings of sympathy as the vulnerability of the children is emphasised.

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1Key Terms

2Language Techniques

3Paper 1: Reading

4Paper 1: Writing

5Paper 2: Reading

6Paper 2: Writing

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