#22
Annotating poetry quickly (what to actually look for)
AQA English · Skills
Key steps (method)
- Read once for the big idea + speaker’s attitude.
- Mark the shift/turn (often: however/but/yet, stanza break, change in tone).
- Underline 5–8 high-impact words/phrases (images, verbs, contrasts).
- Add short notes: suggests / implies + meaning (don’t write essays in the margin).
- Notice 1–2 structure moves: repetition, enjambment/end-stopping, stanza contrast.
Common mistakes
- Highlighting everything (then you can’t use it).
- Only spotting techniques with no meaning.
- Ignoring structure and focusing only on single words.
Support videos
- Unseen poetry annotation search: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gcse+english+annotate+poetry