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Language, when you need it
Search concise C2 rules, vocabulary and speaking phrases without leaving the course to hunt through past lessons.
What it is
Close reading means building an argument about a text using specific evidence — words, structure, punctuation — rather than general impressions, so every claim can be defended by pointing at the page.
Form
| Form | Pattern | Model sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Claim | The writer suggests/creates + effect | The writer creates a mounting sense of unease. |
| Evidence | This is shown when/through + quotation | This is shown through the repeated word 'waiting', used three times in one paragraph. |
| Analysis (the link) | This suggests/implies + specific effect on meaning | This repetition suggests time is dragging unbearably for the character. |
| Defend against a counter-reading | Although it could be read as X, the wider context suggests Y | Although 'waiting' could simply mean patience, the frantic pacing elsewhere suggests dread instead. |
Use it when
- Writing an exam essay that needs textual evidence for every point
- Defending an interpretation in a seminar discussion when someone disagrees
- Reviewing your own draft to check claims aren't just vague assertions
- Comparing two readings of an ambiguous line or scene
Examples
- Notice how the sentence stalls on 'perhaps' — that hesitation is doing real work here.
- The single-word paragraph forces the reader to pause exactly where the character does.
- It's not just that the room is described as cold — 'cold' is repeated at both the start and end of the scene.
- You could argue this is simple description, but the choice of 'lingered' rather than 'stayed' adds unease.
- The evidence for that reading is thin — there's really only one line that could support it.
Watch out
✗ This shows the writer wants us to feel sad, in general.
✓ The short, clipped sentences after the long paragraph create a sudden flatness that reads as grief.
A vague claim about feeling needs a specific textual feature tying it to that effect.
✗ Quoting a line and moving straight to the next point without explaining it.
✓ Quoting a line and explicitly saying what effect that specific wording creates.
A quotation on its own isn't analysis — it needs the 'this suggests…' link spelled out.
✗ Ignoring a quotation that seems to contradict your argument.
✓ Addressing the contradicting evidence directly and explaining why your reading still holds.
A strong close reading defends itself against the text's awkward bits, not just the convenient ones.
Remember
Every claim needs a quotation, and every quotation needs an explanation.
Quick check
- 1. What's the basic three-step structure of close reading?
Reveal
Claim, evidence (quotation), analysis (explaining what the evidence shows).
- 2. Why is quoting a line not enough on its own?
Reveal
Because a quotation needs an explicit link explaining what effect it creates and why that matters.
- 3. What should you do with evidence that seems to contradict your reading?
Reveal
Address it directly and explain why your interpretation still stands, rather than ignoring it.