close reading skills: structure

What is structure? Something made up of a number of parts that are

held or put together in a particular way. The way in which parts are arranged or put

together to form a whole; makeup. Something constructed, such as a building. The interrelation or arrangement of parts in a

complex entity:

Overall structure of piece – length and paragraphs

Sentence structure which can be broken down into sentence type, length, linkage and use of punctuation.

DashesThe function of the dash is to add extra

information e.g.

He left the party earlier than he had planned – not that he had intended to stay late.

They may also be used during dialogue to show “trailing off” or interruption by another speaker.

Dashes continued... The use of two dashes can be used within

a sentence to add (often unnecessary) information. E.g.

I ran to the shop as quickly as I could - which really was a waste of my energy - to find it was closed.

This technique is called parenthesis

BracketsThese are used in exactly the same way as the

dashes in the previous slideI ran to the shop as quickly as I could (which

really was a waste of my energy) to find it was closed.

This technique is called parenthesis. Commas can be used too.

This technique is recognisable as when you remove the “extra” information, the sentence should still make sense.

Inversion

This is where word order is changed round for effect. E.g.

"Half an hour later came another inquiry as to tugs. Later came a message from the Irene, telling of the lifting of the fog."(The New York Times, April 7, 1911)

Repetition

Why do we repeat ourselves?

Why would a writer repeat the same words?

Listing

Why might a writer write a list?

What does a list of actions/verbs or objects convey to the reader?

Punctuation

The use of the colon?

The use of a semi-colon?

Capital letters for proper nouns

Climax/anti-climax

The process a writer uses in a sentence to build up to a tense or important point.

Anti-climax is when the sentence builds but the final part of the sentence is a “let down” or trivial or disappointing.

Complete the tasks on the sheets provided and answer as fully as possible.

Remember the formula for responding to such questions.

Sentence Structure Questions Identify aspect of sentence structure: Length of sentences Types of sentences Punctuation, parenthesis Repetition, lists, inversion, climax… Answer the question – usually explain effect of

sentence structure.