

This instructional verb is used a LOT in the ATAR English examination papers. For example:
EXPLAIN means to give reasons for, to relate cause and effect, to make the relationships between things evident. You have to make the marker understand something by giving reasons for both ‘how’ and ‘why’ things are as they are.
Here are some useful phrases you can use 😊
Your essays should predominantly be written in the present tense – is, shows, explores ideas about, purpose is to….
However, QUOTATIONS don’t always fit smoothly in our essays when a novel or article is written in the PAST tense.
That’s when these little guys [ ] come in really handy. They tell a marker that you have CHANGED or ADDED something in the quotation.
EXAMPLE 1: GETTING THE TENSE CONSISTENT
In the opening of his dystopian novel, Orwell states that “it [is] a bright cold day in April, and the clocks [are] striking thirteen” as a way of signposting that all is not normal in this futuristic London.
The actual quote is “It was a bright cold day….the clocks were striking…”
My marker can see [ ] that for the purposes of grammatical correctness, I have amended the tense.
This tells them - I know how to use verb tense and punctuation properly. Reward me! 😊
EXAMPLE 2: PROVIDING SOME NECESSARY INFORMATION
Orwell shows how serious the surveillance in Airstrip One is when he says “they [thought police] watched everybody all the time”.
It may not be clear to a marker who “they” are – so I provide the context for my marker using the square brackets. I need my marker to be able to follow my argument
AND THAT’S IT. TOO EASY! Be careful though – you can’t use [ ] to change the writer’s meaning to suit yourself. And don’t use these ones ( ) - that would be wrong. 😊
This follows on from our earlier post – Argue v Discuss. Below are some good phrases to use to create DISCUSSION in your essay 🙂