Sentence Structure

No.1 Thing To Remember When you are asked about sentence structure it is not WHAT the writer is saying It is HOW they are saying it

Word Order Firstly, check if there seems to be any importance to which words comes first in the sentence. Which of the following sentences is more effective and why?

Jim put on his barbed wire underpants carefully. Carefully, Jim put on his barbed wire underpants.

Repetition Repetition is a feature of sentence structure. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. Clearly there is repetition here but identifying the feature isn’t enough you MUST say WHY it’s used.

Emphasis Repetition shows emphasis but you still need more. What is being emphasised? In the previous example the repetition of the phrase ‘we shall’ was used to emphasise the sheer determination of the British army and the British people.

In Pairs 1.Comment on the effect of the repetition in the following example: The boat was carrying an incredible cargo – so incredible that George’s mouth dropped open. 2. Come up with an example sentence to show the effect of word order.

Punctuation A good way to focus on the sentence structure is to look at the punctuation. Why does she have so much in her handbag? What is the point? Is it really necessary to carry 18 different lipsticks? Will there ever, truly, come a time when she needs a pile of receipts from last year? The punctuation here - ???? (4 question marks) Obviously you need to discuss the effect of the question marks.

Question Mark? Question marks can be used for many different reasons including: Creating doubt in the reader’s mind Identifying a main point which subsequent paragraphs will look at Creating a tone of disbelief or incredulity Which of these applies to the previous example?

Comma, Commas can: Separate items in lists – often, lists are used to create a sense of scale. Contain ideas in parenthesis – ideas in parenthesis often give the writer’s personal views e.g. Just then, Miss Little, an astoundingly good looking and talented teacher, walked into the room.

Colon : Colons can: Indicate the beginning of a list Introduce an example or further explanation of a previous statement e.g. After breaking the priceless vase there was only one thing to do: run like hell. Balance opposing statements e.g. Many are called: few are chosen -this is called antithesis

Semi-colon ; Semi-colons can: Separate items in a complex list Balance sentences when using antithesis e.g. Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. Separate two sentences in place of a full stop when the sentences are closely related e.g. I couldn’t buy that DVD today; when I got there the shop had sold out

Dash - Single dashes introduce extra information or explanations in the same way a colon does – like this. Double dashes mark off extra information in parenthesis – like commas do – and often give the writer’s point of view.

Exclamation Mark ! These indicate strong emotion. It is up to you to identify which emotion the writer is emphasising and why. The monster had fled the premises forever! I would never see it again! I was free! Which emotion is being emphasised here?

Ellipses… These three dots are called ellipsis and are used for: Indicating a pause in speech Indicating an unfinished thought At the end of a sentence, showing that it has trailed off into silence “I never drink…wine," responded Count Dracula when offered a glass. Which of the above reasons is this an example of and what is its effect?

Quotation Marks/Inverted Commas/Speech Marks “” It very rarely makes a difference if quotation marks are single or double. They indicate: Direct speech An ironic or sarcastic tone e.g. I was soaked underneath my ‘waterproof’ jacket Unusual usage such as nicknames or foreign words

Short and minor sentences These add emphasis but, like with exclamation marks, it is up to you to identify the emotion the writer is trying to put across and what it is being emphasised. These types of sentences are also used to indicate informality.