Sentence Structure
Patterns
Sentence Structure: Patterns
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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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Inversion
Listing
Repetition
Climax and Anti-climax
Antithesis
Use of long and short sentences
However, it is important to bear in mind that there are
many others.
Patterns: Inversion
Definition:
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 flames
leapt up and up”. By changing the expected order of
these words, this helps to emphasise the fact that the
flames leapt “Up and up”.
Patterns: Listing
Definition:
The grouping together of a series of related ideas in
the same sentence / group of sentences.
Possible Purpose(s):
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To add weight to an argument by showing how many
ideas are in support of it.
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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: Repetition
Definition:
Repeating the same word or phrase several times
within the same sentence or group of sentences.
Possible Purpose(s):
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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: Climax
Definition:
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 the
beaches where the soldiers land, on the fields and streets of the
country up into the hills) this builds up to show how relentlessly the
soldiers move through the country, leading up to the climactic idea
that they will “never surrender”.
Patterns: Anti-climax
Definition:
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):
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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 up
an expectation that the speaker is relentless in his/her intention to
fight. This is contradicted by the anticlimactic intention not to do so,
given a rather a flimsy excuse. This anti-climax is intended to create comic
effect and to emphasise the cowardliness / lack of commitment of the
speaker.
Patterns: Antithesis
Definition:
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 Sentences
Definition:
Using unusually long sentence(s) to create a specific effect.
Possible Purpose(s):
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To indicate that the writer is ranting about a particular subject.
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To indicate that someone is going on and on about something
very boring.
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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 Sentences
Definition:
Using unusually short sentence(s) to create a specific
effect.
Possible Purpose(s):
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To create an atmosphere of suspense / tension.
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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!