Sentence Structure Higher

Imagery Refresher Look back at your notes and deconstruct the following: All the world’s a stage The city was a hideous tumour sucking the life out of the countryside.

All The World’s A Stage This metaphor compares the world to a stage. Just as a stage offers the opportunity for actors and actresses to perform their artistic ability, so the world offers us an environment in which to showcase our skills and talents.

The city was a hideous tumour sucking the life out of the countryside This metaphor compares the city to a tumour. A tumour is an abnormal growth that can be life threatening. Therefore the city is growing and draining the countryside of it’s health. This suggests the city is expanding at the expense of the countryside.

Sentence Structure In the exam you will be asked to comment on a writer’s use of sentence structure. Take two minutes to consider what you already know – what do you comment on in these questions?

Sentence Type Statement – most common; can be used to show bluntness Command – Demanding; tells someone to do something Exclamation – conveys emotions Minor – a sentence with no verb Question – asking something (could be rhetorical)

Sentence Length Long and complex – detailed and descriptive have multiple clauses and connectives. Short and punchy – used for impact; can show abruptness, bluntness, shock etc. Contrast – long vs. short; used for dramatic impact to emphasise something.

Punctuation Colon (:) – used to introduce; think of it as the most friendly of all the punctuation.] Introduces explanations, elaborations, lists, examples etc.

Semi-Colon Semi-colon (;) – used to separate/connect closely linked sentences: I love spending my Saturday afternoons relaxing on the sofa; my mum prefers to be active outside. (sometime they create a balance) Or to separate items in a complex list: The class were separated into three clear cliques: the ‘jocks,’ who loved sports, fast cars and cheerleaders; the ‘nerds,’ who loved books, homework and were always top of the class; and finally the ‘goths,’ they hated the world, all bright colours and permanently seemed bored.

Dash Dashes also introduce explanations, elaborations, examples etc. They can also be used in pairs to create parenthesis. Everyone loved Holly – she worked in the orphanage, rescued beached whales in her spare time, and recycled – and Katy was sick of it. Dashes can also sometimes be used to create dramatic pauses.

Ellipsis DUN, DUN, DUN (…) Used to show unfinished thoughts, interruptions, create a sense of infiniteness, or perhaps build suspense.

Comma Separates ideas in a sentence Separates items in a list A pair of commas could mark parenthesis Always used before direct speech (and afterwards if the sentence continues)

Brackets Pairs of brackets marks parenthesis Parenthesis adds in extra information for the reader. Identifying it gets no marks but commenting on why it has been added does.

Inverted Commas Used to show direct speech or quotes Can also be used to create distance between the writer and the words to show disagreement. I will never own a pair of jelly shoes no matter how ‘fashionable’ they are.

Parenthesis Adds non-essential information into a sentence. Without it the sentence still makes sense. Marked off with pairs of commas, brackets and dashes You must evaluate!! Why did the writer add this information in?