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WalesEnglish LanguageQuick questions
Unit 1: Exploring Language (AS)
Quick questions on Contemporary English (Section B) - WJEC A-Level English Language Unit 1
7short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is contemporary English as a blended mode?Show answer
The specification expects you to discuss language as it is actually used today, so treat the data as evidence of how speakers and writers adapt English to new contexts rather than as a corruption of a "correct" standard.
What is grammar?Show answer
Digital grammar often borrows from speech. Watch for ellipsis ("Coming?" for "Are you coming?"), minor sentences and fragments, non-standard but rule-governed punctuation (repeated letters or marks for emphasis, "soooo", "!!!"), and capitalisation used for prosody (capitals read as shouting). These are not errors but adaptations that recover, in writing, the stress and intonation that speech carries naturally.
What is model paragraph?Show answer
The group chat is a blended mode, written in form but spoken in behaviour, and its features follow directly from that hybrid status. Lexically, the participants compress for speed: initialisms ("brb", "idk") and clippings ("def", "obvs") trade full forms for economy, while a coined verb ("can you venmo me") shows technology converting a brand name into everyday grammar. The punctuation is expressive rather than careless: a stretched spelling ("yesss") and a run of exclamation marks recover the rising intonation and emphasis that speech would carry, so the writing performs prosody.
What is no judgement?Show answer
Section B is discursive; reach a descriptivist judgement rather than only describing features.
What is q1?Show answer
What does it mean to call electronic communication a "blended mode"? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Name two word-formation processes common in digital English and give an example of each. [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Examine how language is used in contemporary electronic communication, using the data provided. [20 marks]
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