Sentence Structure

Patterns

Sentence Structure: Patterns• Many sentences rely on their various parts being

organised in a particular way in order to create a particular effect.

• Some of the sentence patterns that crop up most commonly in Close Reading questions will be outlined in the following slides:

1. Inversion2. Listing3. Repetition4. Climax and Anti-climax5. Antithesis6. Use of long and short sentences

• However, it is important to bear in mind that there are many others.

Patterns: InversionDefinition:

Changing the usual, expected word order of a sentence.

Possible Purpose(s): To put additional emphasis on a particular part of the sentence.

Example:“Up and up leapt the flames.”Usually this information would be written as “The flamesleapt up and up”. By changing the expected order ofthese words, this helps to emphasise the fact that theflames leapt “Up and up”.

Patterns: ListingDefinition:

The grouping together of a series of related ideas in the same sentence / group of sentences.

Possible Purpose(s): • To add weight to an argument by showing how many

ideas are in support of it.• To build to a climax / anti-climax.Example:

“At this very moment, as we sit here, women around the world are giving birth, raising children, cooking meals, washing clothes, cleaning houses, planting crops, working on assembly lines, running companies and running countries.”

By listing such a range of activities that women are undertaking, this emphasises just how important woman are in society, as they are responsible for such a range of varied and important jobs.

Patterns: RepetitionDefinition:

Repeating the same word or phrase several times within the same sentence or group of sentences.

Possible Purpose(s): • To put additional emphasis on the word / phrase that is

being repeated.Example:

“We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing ground, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

By repeating the phrase “we shall fight” many times, the speaker emphasises how persistent he and his followers will be in their intention to fight, suggesting that it will take a lot to make them give up.

Patterns: ClimaxDefinition:

Placing a series of ideas in ascending order of importance, with the most important idea being saved until the end.

Possible Purpose(s): To emphasise the importance of the climactic idea at the end.

Example:“We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them

on the landing ground, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

By listing increasingly advanced stages of the attack (from thebeaches where the soldiers land, on the fields and streets of thecountry up into the hills) this builds up to show how relentlessly thesoldiers move through the country, leading up to the climactic ideathat they will “never surrender”.

Patterns: Anti-climaxDefinition:

Placing a series of ideas in ascending order of importance, only to introduce a complete contrast to these ideas at the end of the pattern.

Possible Purpose(s): – To emphasise the contrast between the expectation (the build-up) and

the reality (the anti-climax).– To be humorous.

Example:“We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the

landing ground, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills… unless there’s something good on the telly, in which case we might just stay in and phone a pizza.”

By listing increasingly advanced stages of the attack, this builds upan expectation that the speaker is relentless in his/her intention tofight. This is contradicted by the anticlimactic intention not to do so,given a rather a flimsy excuse. This anti-climax is intended to create comiceffect and to emphasise the cowardliness / lack of commitment of thespeaker.

Patterns: AntithesisDefinition:

Using similar sentence structures to describe two opposing / contrasting ideas.

Possible Purpose(s): To highlight the similarities and differences between the two ideas expressed.

Example:“You can take the boy out of East Kilbride, but you can’t

take the East Kilbride out of the boy.”This invites the reader to compare the ideas that a) you can remove someone from the place that they

were born / brought up, but b) you can’t change the impact that their upbringing in

that place has had on making them the person they are today.

Patterns: Long SentencesDefinition:

Using unusually long sentence(s) to create a specific effect.Possible Purpose(s): • To indicate that the writer is ranting about a particular subject.• To indicate that someone is going on and on about something

very boring.• To add weight to an argument by showing how many ideas are in

support of it.Example:

“Worse even than that is that hundreds of thousands of people are buying the bloody thing, and its up there at the top of the bestseller lists, and it got good reviews from all and sundry, because I suspect everybody wants it to be known that they appreciate how important the apostrophe is, when actually, if they were honest, it doesn’t matter a monkeys.”

The long sentence suggests that the writer is getting angry / emotional about the book and is starting to rant about it.

Patterns: Short SentencesDefinition:

Using unusually short sentence(s) to create a specific effect.

Possible Purpose(s): • To create an atmosphere of suspense / tension.• To emphasise the idea / information contained in the

sentence.Example:

“She crept downstairs. Through the hallway. Carefully stepped over the creaking floorboard. Unlocked the front door with trembling fingers. Stepped out into the open air and breathed a sigh of relief. She was free.”

The short sentences create a tense atmosphere, suggesting the girl is in constant fear of being discovered as she sneaks out of the house. The final sentence reinforces the girl’s relief at being free of the house.

1. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us ill or well, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.

2. The second and the third day passed, and still my tormentor came not. Once again I breathed as a free man. The monster, in terror, had fled the premises for ever! I should behold it no more! My happiness was supreme!