Sentence Patterns Focus Project
Your task: Apply your knowledge of sentence patterns as a lens for analysis and demonstrate
your understanding of it.
Directions:
Take a chunk of a book or a poem you have already read in your previous English classes and
re-envision it using you more refined sense of language and sentence patterns.
Reveal the beauty and effectiveness in a way that is both subtle and yet sophisticated, clever but
perfectly clear.
Write a reflective paragraph explaining what the section’s context is and briefly explaining what you
came to understand better as a result of this process. It’s great to be creative, but we need to be
articulate too.
Item
Accurately IDs all “be”
verb, intransitive, and
transitive sentence
patterns
Representation
reveals section’s
beauty and
effectiveness
creatively and clearly
Reflective paragraph
succinctly and
completely explains
section’s context and
your better
understanding
Grade & Comments:
Not Attempted (0)
Attempted (1-3)
Achieved (4-5)
Models:
I think it would be well, and proper, and
obedient, and pure, to grasp your one necessity and
not let it go
, to dangle from it limp wherever it takes
you.
Reflection:
This is such a beautiful and effective transitive verb sentence in an essay, “Living Like Weasels” that is
concretely descriptive. The polysyndeton is effective and rhythmical -- well, proper, obedient, pure, and the
structural beauty supports the beautiful meaning. I like how Dillard begins with “I think it would be”…so you
know the advice isn’t a command, it’s only advice. But it is transitive in the way of a person thinking, asking, and
suggesting, and transitive by means of grasping your one necessity, which sends me over the moon. I think my
very favorite, favorite part of the sentence, though, is “to dangle from it limp.” I love how Dillard doesn’t use the
traditional (boring? expected?) –ly adverb; she doesn’t say “limply” or “to limply dangle from it,” just “to dangle
from it limp” which creates an entirely differently effect, which again, is mostly rhythmic.
We
we
we we we
would not seek a battle, as
as
are ,
say
are ; Nor,
will not shun it.
We are tired and worn out and have lost men and are deep in enemy territory and seriously outnumbered1;
we are tough and determined and have soldiered on and are on a field of battle and deeply committed2. 1+2= who
we are; we are 1 and 2. And as we are1 is why we would not seek a battle, and as we are2 is why we will not shun a
battle. We would not seek but we will not shun. That’s some Zen stuff, there; not looking for trouble, but if trouble
comes looking for us…
And we are a we. We know who we are, in both senses of the “are”. We are comfortable with it. Are you a we?
Do you know what your are’s are? You better hope so. Because we are tight and organized and methodical and
leaned down– our very language and its balance shows it – and we know who we are. And we can seek and shun;
we can get transitive with it, on you, right here on Agincourt, on St. Crispan’s Day.