Higher Close Reading Analysis Questions

Sentence Structure Qus There are 3 main things you have to consider when answering theses types of qus: 1. Sentence Types 2. Punctuation 3. Sentence Patterns

First of all,we’ll look at: SENTENCE TYPES

Different Sentence Types Statements Questions Exclamations Commands Minor Sentence Single Sentence Paragraph

STATEMENTS They present info like a fact

QUESTIONS Appeal to/ Involve the reader. Make the reader think May be rhetorical (not expect an aswer – means of putting across a point)

EXCLAMATIONS Convey TONE Show feelings: amazement, shock, surprise or another strong emotion.

COMMANDS TELL YOU TO DO SOMETHING. Found in: Instructions Persuasive Writing Adverts

A MINOR SENTENCE A sentence where the verb is intentionally omitted for dramatic effect. Create impact,suspense or urgency Suggest informality Notes / Diaries Minor Sentence No Verb

SINGLE SENTENCE PARAGRAPHS Unusual – para should usually have two or more sentences Can emphasises point/idea. Can slow down action. Can create suspense.

Second, We’ll look at PUNCTUATION SENTENCE STRUCTURE Second, We’ll look at PUNCTUATION

PUNCTUATION Inverted Commas (“”) Semi-colons (;) Colons (:) Single Dash (-) _________________________ Dashes (- -) Brackets () PARENTHESIS Commas (,)

SENTENCE STRUCTURE Third, we’ll look at SENTENCE PATTERNS

SENTENCE PATTERNS Inversion Repetition Climax Anti- Climax Antithesis Long Sentences Short Sentences

INVERSION The words are turned around. (different from the usual expected order) Used to emphasise a particular word or idea. “Down and down poured the rain.” “Up and up leapt the flames” “Strong in the force are you!”

REPETITON The words or structure of the sentence are repeated to emphasise a particular point/idea. “We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds, we shall fight them on the fields and in the streets, we shall fight them in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

CLIMAX Usually comes at the end of a list. Builds up to the most important point. “We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds, we shall fight them on the fields and in the streets, we shall fight them in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

ANTI-CLIMAX The opposite of Climax The author builds up to something that doesn’t actually happen. “The football team trained really hard, put all their effort into the game, had five attempts at goal and still lost the game.” “She crept downstairs, taking infinite care to avoid the loose steps that she knew would creak. Her fingers trembled as they felt for the light switch. Slowly , she pushed open the door, not knowing what to expect. The room was empty.”

ANTITHESIS Anti = the opposite Two ideas that contrast with each other appear in the same sentence "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." (Martin Luther King, Jr) "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness." (Dickens)

Sentence Length Long Sentences Short Sentences Long sentences are often used to describe a complicated or long process or to describe a lot of activity going on at the same time. The sentence mimics the sense. Short Sentences Can indicate something has stopped (usually rather suddenly) Can emphasise a particular point. Can create suspense Can present information in a matter-of-fact way.

THE SENTENCE MIMICS THE SENSE. LONG SENTENCES Long sentences are often used to describe a complicated or long process or to describe a lot of activity going on at the same time. THE SENTENCE MIMICS THE SENSE.

SHORT SENTENCES Can indicate something has stopped (usually rather suddenly) Can emphasise a particular point. Can create suspense Can present info in a matter-of-fact way.

Long sentence to show the distance they are running Example We ran up the gravel drive, and around the corner of the house, and into the avenue and out on to St. Augustus Crescent. The rain roared down to drown the town. There we stopped for breath. We did not speak or look at each other. Then we walked through the rain. At Victoria Corner, we stopped again. Short sentences mimics the idea of being out of breath and having to speak in short sentences until the narrator has his breath back.

Example Miss Bartlett not favouring the scheme, they walked up the hill in silence which was only broken by the rector naming some fern. On the summit they paused. The sky had grown wilder since he stood there last hour, giving to the land a tragic greatness that is rare in Surrey. Grey clouds were charging across tissues of white, which stretched and shredded and tore slowly, until through their final layers there gleamed a hint of the disappearing blue. Summer was retreating.

Worked Example Darien is an isolated finger of land on the nerthern coast of Panama. Even its climate is awful. The rainy season is relentless, sometimes lasting from April to January; and it is always swelteringly hot. It is inhabited by a primitive tribe and forgotten – quite rightly- by the rest of the world. Except Scotland. Comment on the effectiveness of any feature of sentence structure in reinforcing the writer’s opinion. (2 marks)