Word functions

Nouns

• Nouns are naming words
• They name people and places e.g George, Sally, Bristol, Venezuela 
• They name objects, materials and animals e.g pen, carpet, sugar, oxygen, dog
• They name ideas, feelings and qualities e.g education, beauty, anger, happiness, intelligence

Verbs

• Verbs are often called 'doing words'
• Most verbs refer to actions or events e.g run, read, drink, drink, dance, describe, analyse
• Many refer to states, mental processes or sensations e.g sleep, think, believe, love

Adjectives

• Describing words that modify the noun

Adverbs

• They tell us how an action is done, they modify the verb, quickly, effortlessly, elegantly
• They may give us information about the time of an action e.g yesterday, often, rarely

Pronoun

• Stands in the place of a noun
• Use them to avoid repeating a noun over and over again
• Personal pronouns include: I, me, you, we, they, them, ours, their etc
• Other pronouns include: it, this, that 

Prepositions

• A preposition is placed in front of something- a noun 
• It links the noun into the rest of the sentence, showing the relationship between the noun and the sentence

Determiners

• Help determine the noun you're talking about
• E.g when we are talking about dog.... Do we mean a dog, the dog, my dog, this dog 
• The words in italics are determiners

Conjunctions 

• They join things together
• Co-ordinating conjunctions join two things (nouns, adjectives, sentences) so we see them as equal e.g and, but, or
• Subordinating conjunctions join sentences (or clauses) to show a relationship between them, if, because, when, although 

Auxiliaries 

• They are little verbs, which are used alongside other verbs for grammatical reasons
• E.g she was writing a novel
• I don't like that film
• We might go back tomorrow
• The main auxiliary verbs are do/does/did, have/had/had, be/am/are/were

Mind your language

http://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language
The editors of the Guardian style guide write about language usage and abusage.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/27/eight-words-sexism-heart-english-language
This article explains how words reveal that sexism is very common as certain words make people think of certain things. e.g. 'nagging' is followed by 'wife'.

Sexism

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/oxford-dictionaries-accused-of-sexist-usage-examples-including-rabid-feminist-and-nagging-wife-a6832911.html
Oxford Dictionaries accused of 'sexist' usage examples including 'rabid feminist' and 'nagging wife'

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/dec/15/the-year-in-sexism-women-2015-feminism-misogynist
The year in sexism- how did women fare in 2015?

The Guardian Conversation Special

1. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/step-away-from-your-phone-the-new-rules-of-conversation
Young people in this day and age are so heavily influenced by technology that it is becoming rarer for them to engage in a physical face to face conversation. The more advanced generations view it as rudeness due to the lack of social skills. However, some agree that they are being hypocritical as they most likely would behave this way if they were brought up with this level of technology around them.
2. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/how-to-talk-to-anyone-the-experts-guide
How to talk to children/teenagers.
With the younger children, helping them to communicate visually is a good way of engaging with the child. As well as this, making eye contact makes them aware you are listening and that you are focused. However, with older children such as teenagers, it is better to do something alongside a conversation as it defuses the tension and makes the conversation more casual.
How to talk to strangers.
Don't stress about meeting new people, approach it with a positive attitude. If you are in a room full of people, you're bound to have something in common. If you try to make people more comfortable, it is not only a socialising technique but an act of kindness. If you are talking to someone, who you can't relate to, mention something someone else has told you about that subject to help you interact. When you are finishing the conversation, round it off with some information they told you so they feel as though you have listened to them.
How to talk to your doctor.
Make it clear why you're there and get to the point straight away instead of warbling on and leaving it to the last minute. Also, explain in detail your symptoms and don't be worried to mention if you have any worries about what may be the problem. You are speaking to a human, who is trained to deal with this type of thing so you can feel comfortable engaging with them.
How to talk to your date.
It is a good idea to pay attention to any negative comments your date makes, it may suggest that they are not ready for a relationship. Don't be worried about the fear of rejection, look at it in a different way by thinking that your deciding whether or not they are a good fit for you.
How to talk to your parents.
The older we get, the more our parents feel as though they are losing us. They want us to have independence but they still like to hear about our lives every now and then. As we grow up we see them as annoying as they seem to go on and on. However, that is not the case as it is us that are changing, not them and that voice was once helpful and useful but we become so stubborn as we go through out teenage years that we just see it as an annoyance. Parents like knowing about what we do out of interest so it is nice for us to sometimes update them with what is going on in our lives. It is not that they are being nosy, they are genuinely interested as they struggle to get a word out of us usually.
How to talk to your boss.
Before speaking to your boss, try and think about how what you say will affect them and even if they are being nice remember they are not your friend.
3. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2015/nov/28/the-conversation-that-changed-my-life




4. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/conversation-brian-eno-yanis-varoufakis-interview


5. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/conversation-chris-hadfield-randall-munroe-interview


6. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/conversation-chris-hadfield-randall-munroe-interview


7. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/28/conversation-jeanette-winterson-marlon-james-interview

Blurred lines- the new battle of the sexes

We live in a patriarchal society- a male dominated society (include in introduction/conclusion)

• In the 21st century, it seems to be that men feel able to be negative about women and I would argue that one of the main influences is technology.
• Kirsty Wark- journalist 
• Often, forms of prejudice stem from humour and then are brushed off as 'banter', almost turning it around to make out the other person is in the wrong.
• Is the language that is offensive to women socially acceptable? Is it ok to use it if it is a joke?
• Technology enables people to write and make comments- written language is more permanent.
• The difference between sexism now and sexism 20 years ago is that it is now written down. It used to be private whereas now it is public.
• 'Blurred lines'- lyrics in a song are different to someone going out into the world and carrying out these actions.
• Sexist humour can facilitate sexism- makes it more socially accepted.
• The online abuse of women in the public eye is only possible because of social media.
• Can women in the public eye, escape trolls?
• Is language different online? Is it less real?- Kirsty Wark
• Dr Clare Hardacre- gender focus analysis of trolls..
• Sexist views in the media become amplified online. Then there's a feedback loop and then it becomes more amplified in the media- often known as an amplification spiral.
• Who owns the media?- White men
• Internet hasn't created mesogyny- it has facilitated it.
• Taboo language e.g slag, slut, whore.

The Guardian- What language barrier?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/01/gender.books

Summary

• Brain sex/sex on the brain are books that explain that the difference between men and women is a product of nature, not nurture.
• The sexes communicate differently. The female brain excels in verbal tasks whereas the male brain is better adapted to visual and mathematical tasks. Women like to talk; men prefer action to words.
• Many employers share the call-centre manager's belief that women are by nature better qualified than men for jobs of this kind, and one result is a form of discrimination. 
• Male job applicants have to prove that they possess the necessary skills, whereas women are just assumed to possess them. 

Deborah Cameron wrote "the myth of Mars and Venus"  and it is simply the proposition that men and women differ fundamentally in the way they use language to communicate. All versions of the myth share this basic premise; most versions, in addition, make some or all of the following claims:

1.  Language and communication matter more to women than to men; women talk more than men.
2. Women are more verbally skilled than men.
3.  Men's goals in using language tend to be about getting things done, whereas women's tend to be about making connections to other people. Men talk more about things and facts, whereas women talk more about people, relationships and feelings.
4. Men's way of using language is competitive, reflecting their general interest in acquiring and maintaining status; women's use of language is cooperative, reflecting their preference for equality and harmony.
5. These differences routinely lead to "miscommunication" between the sexes, with each sex misinterpreting the other's intentions. This causes problems in contexts where men and women regularly interact, and especially in heterosexual relationships.

The book is patronising to towards men.

Deborah Tannen's book, 'You just don't understand' is all about her theory in which she adopts a neutral position on difference in genderlect, making no judgements about use of language by either gender.

Robin Lakoff suggested that socialisation played an important role in ensuring the female language remained less assertive when compared to that of men. She argued that the differences between male language and female language, are socially constructed rather than biologically based.

Past paper 2

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-SQP.PDF - the paper itself


http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-COM.PDF - examiner expectations


http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77012-CEX.PDF - student response