The gist: Every word a writer picks carries feelings, not just a meaning — so choosing the exact word is one of their sharpest tools.
You already weigh your words all the time.
Telling a friend you're ‘fine’, ‘okay’, or ‘not great’ sends three different messages from the same basic fact. Writers choose words the same way — for the feeling they carry, not just the meaning.
Here's each kind of word choice, with an example:
One clear example of each
Word choice (diction)
‘slim’, ‘skinny’, ‘scrawny’ all mean thin — but each gives a different feeling. The exact word is a choice.
Connotation
‘home’ and ‘house’ are the same building, but ‘home’ carries warmth. That extra feeling is the connotation.
Loaded / emotive words
‘They slashed the budget’ vs ‘they reduced it’ — ‘slashed’ pushes you to feel it's brutal.
Euphemism
‘let go’ instead of ‘sacked’, ‘passed away’ instead of ‘died’ — gentle words that soften a harsh truth.
The key move: Ask why this exact word and not a plainer one. Name the word, the feeling it carries (connotation), and what that makes the reader think or feel.
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Why it matters in the exam: Word choice is the most common thing to analyse in Paper 1. Spot a loaded or softened word and explain the feeling it slips in — don't just say ‘the writer uses descriptive language’.
Analyse the word choice: “The council calls it ‘tidying’ the park. The residents call it what it is: a mob of chainsaws that butchered a hundred trees overnight.”
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Watch out: Don't just list ‘nice words’. Pick a word that could have been plainer, and explain the feeling the writer's choice adds and why it's there.