TOMORROW, WHEN THE
WAR BEGAN
CLOSE READING EXERCISE: TECHNIQUES
PART ONE: DESCRIPTIVE TECHNIQUES
 Re-read p. 81, from “we slipped across the road…” to “But then surely he
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had been too?” (p. 82).
As Ellie reflects on the courage she needs to leave the cover of darkness (the
paragraph beginning “That was the first moment at which…”, describe the
sentence structure and any language techniques you can find that provide
an effect for the reader. (e.g., the narrator uses fragmented sentences and
exclamation marks to show she is agitated…)
As Ellie takes her four steps, how does the author help us to get inside her
head?
“Four steps” become Ellie’s metaphor for a rite of passage. Why?
What do you think she is trying to say in the last line?
From this passage, is there anything else that you can find that shows you
how the author has made use of language techniques?
PART TWO: LITERARY TECHNIQUES
 Re-read p. 126, from “I began to inch forward…” to p. 129,
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“Luckily it wasn’t, but I don’t know what I would have done…at
the time”
What is Ellie trying to achieve in this section? What happens?
What is the dialogue in this section? Who says it?
What effect does this have on the rest of the passage?
Consider the words “sidled”, “silently”, “smoothly”, “screech”. The
repetition of a “s” sound in figurative language is called sibilance.
Why do you think the author has filled this paragraph with
sibilant words?
The author has deliberately worked to build up tension in this
passage. Taking the passage as a whole, how has he controlled the
build-up and release of tension? (You can re-use the examples
above as part of your answer.)