Written primarily for A and A/S level English language courses, but of interest to degree students on related courses, this book is designed to make an intuitive understanding of language explicit. By focusing on language use in different contents, it encourages an investigative and interpretative approach. It provides the core theoretical knowledge required for tackling a wide range of tasks and aims to develop awareness of both the nature and function of language. Through an exploration of the ways in which context, audience and purpose are interrelated, readers will learn to analyse written and spoken language. The source material and the models for analysis contained in each section will enable them to interpret, edit and represent unseen material and to become more effective writers.