You must show that you understand key words/ideas
in the passage.
Look out for words like 'explain' or 'main points' or
'line of thought' in the question.
Remember YOU MUST ALWAYS USE YOUR OWN
WORDS; do not simply repeat words from the
passage. It is important to show that you comprehend
the question by using other words with a similar
meaning.
Be brief! Bullet points are recommended.
In this type of question you will be:
Answering questions in your own words.
Working out the meaning from context.
We will be looking at:
Inference
Key points.
Supporting detail.
Linkage.
Topic sentences
Summarizing an argument or
following a line of thought.
You will be issued booklets that explain these
different aspects of understanding questions
and be able to view examples of these types
of questions to attempt.
Each period we will attempt one question so
that we familiarise ourselves with Close
Reading skills.
Use the Code to show you Know
Really good answer. (Next Einstein)
Straightforward/ acceptable answer. (On
the money)
Weak/misguided answer. (Stop watching
so much TV and read more)
Other possible points. (Damn! I knew I
could have had that)
Similar questions already tackled. (Oh,
another one of those questions)
Use the Code to show you Know
New Year is supposed to be a time for looking both backwards and
forward. But if it’s a good thing to acknowledge a quiet moment of
transition between past ands future, it’s profoundly debilitating to find
yourself permanently trapped between the two, and it often seems, at the
turn of the year, as if that kind of limbo is where British society has found
itself for the last 30 years or so, unable to move backwards, yet somehow
reluctant to move on.
Q) Explain the situation in which, according to lines 1-6, “British society has
found itself”.
2U
Task: Use the code issued to you and apply it to each answer. You should be
able to justify why you have given each symbol to each answer.
Possible Answers
It is stuck between the past and the future. It knows it
can’t go back the way, but is unwilling to accept the
future.
It is unable to move backwards , yet somehow reluctant to move on.
British society is seriously weakened by being caught
between two ideas: a fondness for a past it knows can’t be
revisited and an unwillingness to embrace new ideas.
Why is the middle one incorrect?
No attempt to use own
words!!!!
Peers Assess Answers
It’s important because whether we like it or not, an unstoppable change is
about to begin that will make all the previous technological advances
seem piffling. Andi, the first genetically altered primate, is the tangible
herald of something that has been forecast for decades. As everything
from Leonardo da Vinci’s helicopter designs to Arthur C Clark’d bombs in
space has proved, if we can dream it we can do it. We dream about
designing, modifying, changing and improving ourselves, and now it seems
we can make it happen.
What can you infer about Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘helicopter’ (line 25) or
Arthur C Clarks’s bombs (Line 26) from the context of the sentence in
which they appear?
2U
In groups try to answer the question and then peer assess other answers
to give them a mark out of 2. Be prepared to explain your marking.
Possible Answers
That they became successful inventions in the future after being dreamt up by
their inventors.
That they were early proposals for something that eventually happened.
The context talks about things being dreamt about and then happening,
suggesting that the same process applied to da Vinci’s helicopter designs and
Clarke’s space bombs.
Andi, is similar to Da vinci’s helicopter and Clarke’s space bombs as suggested
by the context in the passage. He will also become a successful innovation of
the future like the other designs mentioned.
This means you have to examine how
the writer has written the passage i.e.
the style. Questions will focus on
structure and language and how the
writer has used these things to
achieve a particular effect.
Questions on structure might be on:
Sentence structure.
Punctuation
Repetition.
Sentence length.
Paragraphing.
Ordering of material.
Questions on language might be on:
Word choice.
Choice of images.
Tone.
Word Choice
• You are being asked to select a key word and show how
the connotations of the word are being exploited by the
writer.
• You must focus on individual words.
• Do not simply quote the word or repeat the question.
• A useful strategy can sometimes be to compare the
chosen word with a more neutral one.
Understanding Word Choice
Put the words underlined into your own words.
• He was spellbound by the performance.
• We cultivated scruffiness.
• The man was optimistic that he would achieve his goal.
• There was a simultaneous display of luminous strobes and
noise.
• He ran onto the pitch with an unmatched display of bravado.
• He sat alone in tortured shyness, consumed by his own selfloathing.
• Frequenting the pub after work would have been more
congenial.
• There was a web of deceit surrounding the enquiry.
• She was glad to leave the narrow confines of her childhood
behind.
Now in groups I want you to create 5 similar
examples of sentences involving effective
word choice and pass them to another
group that will have to explain their
meaning.
How does the writer’s word choice in these lines help to convey
his view of the importance of “physical libraries”.? Refer to two
examples in answer.
The internet search engine Google, with whom I spend
more time than with my loved ones, is planning to put the
contents of the world’s greatest university libraries
online, including the Bodleian in Oxford and those of
Harvard and Stansford on America. Part of me is ecstatic
at the thought of all that information at my fingertips;
another part of me is nostalgic, because I think of
physical libraries, book-lined and cathedral-quiet , are a
cherished part of civilisation we lose at our cultural peril.
• In groups define what “physical libraries” are and pick out
as many ideas as possible that convey the importance of
physical libraries to the writer and re-word.
Peer Assess Answers
• In groups I want you to decide what you would
give this answer out of 2A and justify.
The writer uses “cherished”,
illustrating his view of the
importance of “physical libraries”
which along with the word “peril”
suggests his belief that our libraries
are an important part of our
heritage. “Cathedral-quiet” shows
that he thinks they are always quiet
and this is important to him.
“cathedral quiet” suggests a spiritual
peace is provided by the library and
“peril” suggests dramatic fall of
literary background and shows that
the writer feels strongly about this.
• “a cherished part of civilisation” implies that
libraries are of great importance to society
and that people hold them close in their
hearts.
• “cultural peril” connotes that it will be
societies fault if libraries fall out of use
because of our ever-changing society.
“Cherished” – shows that they are
deeply loved by everyone.
“peril” – connotations of danger
(perhaps death) shows we would be
in great danger if we lost them.
Possible Correct Answers
“book-lined” – large number of books implies the
impressive organised/ structured feel of place.
“cathedral-quiet” – suggests solitude, peace, reverence
found within this space.
“cherished” – something loved and cared for dearly.
“civilisation” – the basis upon which society is formed.
Connotations of that which marks us out from less
sophisticated societies.
“lose” – sense of being deprived of
something.
“cultural” – suggests tradition, civilised
society.
“peril” – posed threat, danger to.
Use the Code to Show you Know
It’s not that nothing has changed in that
time, of course. There has been turbocharged economic growth, wave upon wave
of migration, a massive shift from an
industrial to a service economy, and a
generation of unprecedented change in
sexual politics and family life.
Q) Show how the writer’s word choice these lines emphasises
the extent of the changes she describes.
Task: In groups apply the code to the following
answers and justify why.
She emphasises the extent of the changes she describes with
very good word choice. She says “turbo-charged” and
“massive” which give the reader a very clear picture of how
big the changes have been.
She describes economic growth as “turbo-charged, which suggests
an engine made for power and speed. She describes the shift from
industry to the service economy as “massive”, which suggests a
huge, unstoppable force.
“turbo-charged” suggests something specially designed
for excessive, abnormal power and speed with a hint of
something reckless and dangerous. “unprecedented”
suggets it is completely new – unparalleled and hard to
some to terms with.
Imagery
• You must show that you understand the literal
‘origin’ of the image.
• You must show that you can see how the
writer is extending this metaphorically to
make a point.
• Simply picking out the words which contain
the image will get no marks.
• Adding lots of vague comments which are not
tied to understanding and analysis of the
image will also score no marks .
By referring to one example, show how the writer’s imagery in
lines 18-23 conveys the importance of libraries.
I have spent a substantial portion of my life since in
libraries, and I still enter them with a mixture of
excitement and awe. I am not alone in this. Veneration
for libraries is as old as writing itself, for a library is
more to our culture than a collection of books: it is a
temple, a symbol of power, the hushed core of
civilisation, the citadel of memory, with its own
mystique, social and sensual as well as intellectual.
In groups decide what type of question this is, pick
out the literal root of the image and how the writer
extends this.
Peer Assess Examples
Q) What would you give these questions out of
2?
“it is a temple” – this shows
importance of the library as, by suing
a metaphor to compare it to a
temple, it portrays it to be special an
full of history, a really important
place which people respect.
“temple” implies it is a worshipping
place, somewhere very important to
society.
The metaphor “it is a temple” literally
is a place of worship. This shows how
he finds libraries to be sacred, a place
where people go to worship books.
A “temple” is a place of worship, a place where
people of a certain religion go to praise the
highest power. The place where their God is –
the source of all their beliefs. Comparing the
library to a temple is therefore effective as
libraries host such a vast and unimaginable
amount of knowledge, it shows how important
libraries are as it shows the library to be near
holy.
Correct Answers
• “temple” – just as a temple is a place of worship and reverence, a
library deserves our utmost respect (because of the
accumulation of knowledge which it contains)
• “Core” – just as the core is the heart, the essential part, a
library is central to out lives and society.
• “citadel” – just as a citadel is a fortress, a library provides a
stronghold to safeguard all that we consider most precious.
Answer then Use the Code to
Show You Know
Now, of course, it’s possible to debate at length whether or not,
under current conditions, the extension of sex education in
schools would make any decisive impact on that group of
vulnerable British youngsters who, for a blizzard of social
reasons, just can’t seem to associate what they told about sex
at school and what happens in their own lives. It seems to me,
though, that it’s not really the substance of the issue that’s in
question here. In reason, we all know that five-year olds need to
know a little bit about sex, even if it’s only why their own bodies
are as they are. It’s just that we don’t like seeing that truth
written down in so many words, and we don’t like the idea that
we can’t rely on families alone to do the job.
Q)How effective do you find the image “a blizzard of social
reasons” in conveying the writer’s point about the plight of
some British youngsters.
If you are literally in a blizzard you can’t see because of the amount
of snow. The writer is suggesting that young people tidy have to
face so many problems that it is as they can’t see and are helpless.
In a blizzard there is lots of snow and you can’t see where you
are going. It is very frightening so it is effective in conveying
the writer’s point.
A “blizzard” is literally a snowstorm which overwhelms and makes
vision almost impossible. The image effectively illustrates the
writers point that there are so many social reasons (causing young
people not to heed the advice they get on sex) coming from many
different directions such that they are blinding the young people,
making it impossible to distinguish one from the other, making
them seem threatened and lost.
So what are we to do, stranded in
this no-man’s land between an old
civilisation that’s no longer
sustainable either practically or
morally, and a new one that we still
resist because it seems somehow
alien.
Q)Show how the imagery in lines 41-43 conveys
the writer’s view of the situation we find
ourselves in. Peer assess the exemplar
answers on the next page.
“no-man’s land”: literally the space between two warring enemies;
suggests we are caught and trapped between two forces (the old
and the new), uncertain about which way to go, committed to
neither side.
No-man’s land is the area between two armies. The writer is suggesting
that we don’t seem to belong to either side, in this case the past and the
future, and we don’t know which “side” to be on.
The answer doesn’t have to see “no-man’s land” in terms of warfare
as above answers do. It could have been an area where “no-man”
actually goes or belongs, in which case the writer is suggesting that
we are metaphorically in an unknown, slightly scary dilemma unsure
of where safety lies.
Tone
In this type of question you are
being asked to explain the feel or sense of
atmosphere suggested in the passage through
the words used by the writer.
In speech the sound of someone’s
voice conveys tone quite clearly but its
meaning is essentially the same whether the
words are spoken or written.
What’s that Tone?
Where have you been?
These words could be spoken in various situations:
• By someone talking to a friend who has recently
been on holiday.
• By someone talking to a friend who has not been
seen for a long time.
• By a parent top a son or daughter arriving home at
4am.
Make up a similar sentence with a partner and think
about what why you would say it in different
circumstances.
Serious or Not?
Thinking about this can help us decide what kind of tone the
writer is using:
Humorous – author finds subject funny and hopes reader will too.
Flippant – writer shows irreverent attitude to something normally taken
seriously .
Informal/conversational – will use a chatty language as if the writer is
addressing/ confiding in a friend.
Effusive – enthusiastic tone that could be used to persuade.
Ironic – where the writer says the opposite of what they mean, could be for
humour but there is usually a serious purpose behind this.
Tongue-in-cheek – a form of irony where the writer will sound serious but
there is a sense of ridicule behind this.
Satirical – an extreme form of irony. The writer is funny in a more savage way,
holding a subject up in ridicule in order to attack it.
Serious – when the writer is being solemn and uses formal language.
Peer Assess Answers
It was the first time he had
travelled by air and he swore he
would never fly again. This was
marginally inconvenient when he was
one of the hottest hopes America
had for Olympic boxing gold.
Q) “This was marginally inconvenient… boxing gold” (lines 16-18).
What tone is adopted by the writer in this sentence? Go on to briefly
explain how effective you find the tone in this context (2 A/E)
Use the Code to Show you Know
• A. The tone is humorous and it is effective as it stresses the
"inconvenience" of having this fear. The humour is in "marginally"
as this is a huge understatement and it emphasises how
disruptive this fear would be to his career.
• B. The tone is sarcastic. This is effective as it plays down how much he was
relied on in sport. The words "marginally inconvenient" show this tone. It
emphasises the point the writer is trying to make and adds humour for the
reader. It is also an attention drawing statement which the reader notices
as it stands out
• C. This is a serious angry tone. The content is
effective at creating this tone because the author goes
on to say Cassius was so popular worldwide he needed
to go back on a plane and it took a long while to
persuade him to do so.
Correct Answers
• Ironic / tongue in cheek / sarcastic / dry / humorous
tone (1A)
• Effective as highlights farcical nature of the situation
i.e. it is not a small problem but actually a very large
threat to the success of his career / how human this
young hero was / how much emotion America had
invested in him / (1E)
Sentence Structure
This type of question in
not just asking you to
explain what a writer
means but asking you
to comment on HOW
the sentence is put
together and why.
In this type of question
you should think about:
• The complexity of the
sentence.
• The sentence length.
• The Function.
• Punctuation.
• Whether there is
repetition?
• Whether it is a
rhetorical question?
• Whether the order
seems to be inverted?
In groups comment on the structure of the
following sentences:
1) Blah Blah Blah!
2) Blah Blah Blah blah: Blah, blah, blah, blah, Blah.
3) Blah blah blah blah blah: Blah blah blah blah blah.
4) Blah, blah blah, blah, blah, blah blah.
5) Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
6) Blah blah blah blah blah (blah blah blah blah
blah blah) blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
7) Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah
blah. Blah blah blah. Blah blah blah. Blah blah
blah.
Use the Code to Show you Know
I have often wondered whether the world would
have heard of him had he dug his heels in on the day
of departure. Probably not. In 1960, in racist,
reactionary, bigoted small town America, uppity
young black men were lucky enough to get one
break, let alone two.
Destiny determined otherwise. A legend was in the making. What
overwhelms you about this man from such a violent trade are the
goodness, sincerity, and generosity that have survived a lifetime
of controversy, racial hatred, fundamental religious conversion,
criminal financial exploitation, marital upheavals, revilement by
many of his own nation, and eventually, the collapse of his own
body.
Q) Show how the writer uses sentence structure in lines 21-35 to
dramatise his view about destiny and Muhammed Ali (4 A)
The use of the short sentence in "probably not"
shows clearly that the author is dramatising his view as it brings
emphasis to the fact that Muhammed Ali would not have been
famous if he had not got on the plane. The long complex
sentences starting "In 1960" dramatises the author's view as it
is listing the issues that Ali had to come up against. By the use
of this long complex sentence it also gives a rambling nature and
emphasises the magnitude of which Muhammed Ali had to
overcome. The short sentence in "A legend was in the making"
draws our attention to what is being said and is a good
introduction to the next long complex sentence. The long
sentence beginning with "What overwhelms" dramatises the view
as again by the lists and the length it shows the huge volume of
things Ali had to overcome.
Sentence structure dramatises the writer's view
about destiny and Muhammed Ali. By having a long
sentence followed by a short one "probably not”.
This short sentence shows his view on destiny as he
is saying if Ali didn't go on the plane to Italy would
he have become so famous. When he is talking about
Ali getting a breakthrough the sentence is split up
into commas this creates a climax of what it was
like for black men in America. When talking about
Muhammed Ali again the sentence is split up into
commas this time it is creating a list about what Ali
has been through in life creating a climax as well.
[Type
a quote from
the
This
paragraph
starts with a short sentence
document or the summary of
an interesting
point. You
can
"destiny
determined
otherwise" This also creates a
position the text box
anywhere
in the document.
climax.
Use the Text Box Tools tab to
change the formatting of the
pull quote text box.]
It is not that fast-food culture is on the wane – far
from it. In fact, the takeaway sector generally
continues to grow. But as it expands, it is also
diversifying. These days, in the clusters of fastfood outlets in major cities, we are starting to find,
dotted along the big names in burgers, chicken and
pizza, some genuine alternatives: the big name
coffee shops of course, but also juice bars, sushi
restaurants, fruit and nut stands, bagel bars,
pastry parlours, soup and salad takeaways – and
even the occasional burger joint. Taking the fast
food sector as a whole, the possibility of an
encounter with what we might call ‘real food’ is
definitely on the up.
How does sentence structure in lines 11-24 emphasise
the variety and quality of the takeaway sector.
How many marks do you think that this question is
worth?
What do you need to do in order to gain the mark(s)?
Correct Answers
Dash – far from it (line 11) – the brief monosyllabic phrase intensifies the
preceding statement.
‘But as...diversifying’ (line 12) – balanced sentence introduces both elements
of his contention – the size and variety.
The listing of ‘genuine alternatives’ after the colon in line 15 – the number of
outlets mentioned gives the impression of an endless stream of different
kinds of attractive, healthy outlets.
The dash (line 17) and the following statement – saves the most promising
(organic or unlikely) outlet to the last, thus creating an effective climax.
The use of inverted commas around ‘real food’ – serves to distinguish
between the food he prefers and the food offered by the big chains which
he implies is ‘not real food’.
‘Not only... But transparency...ingredients (lines23-24) – list of items after ‘not
only...but’ lends importance to the final elements he sees as desirable in
the new type of fast foods/ stresses the equally important factor of easily
tracing the origin of food.
• When people speak of _________ ________ – a boy born with a
superlative as a surname- the are forever lamenting the spectacular
squandering of skill. He could have been bigger than Pele, they say
regretfully; no other footballer was so naturally blessed with Best’s
incandescent combination of deftness, delicacy and bravery. He could have
wrung another ten years at the top of his game and been richly garlanded
with sporting honours before cruising sleekly onto a comfortable circuit of
endorsements, chat-show appearances, after-dinner speeches and
testimonials; all steadily spreading the thick, creamy butter of money
across a handsome range of financial investments. He could have sustained
a satisfying family life instead of burning through a string of blondes and
trailing acrimony in his wake. He could have rested healthy, prosperous and
content, the envy of his peers.
• In groups annotate all points of interest in this extract
in terms of language, imagery, sentence structure,
tone etc. And be ready to feedback to the class.
• Also try to guess who the article is discussing?
Task
Answer the past paper question below:
Show how, in lines 8-17, the writer uses an
important feature of sentence structure to
emphasise the idea of “forever lamenting the
spectacular squandering of his skill” (Line 9). 2A
•
Firstly discuss what exactly is the question asking you to
so and how do you know this? What do you need to
demonstrate in your answer to this question?
•
Once you have answered this make up at least two other
questions that could have been asked about this extract and
have clear and detailed accompanying answers
Possible Answers
Most important is the repetition of ‘He could
have’ suggesting what he had the potential to
be and demonstrate how many positive things
he might have achieved, but expressed in the
conditional to imply that he didn’t.
Where do the two marks come from within
this answer?
These questions ask you to sum up how well the writer
has achieved the purpose that he/she has intended.
You are required to make a judgement and back up
your judgement by close reference to the text.
In answering these types of questions, you must build
on the knowledge that you have acquired in the from
other types of questions as these will highlight the
significant points of the text and will therefore be
important in any attempt at summing up.
In these questions you should:
Use language that shows you have made a judgement.
Comment on any aspect of the text that adds strength
to the writer’s argument.
Comment on any weakness that you can see in the
writer’s argument or style.
In answering these questions, you should:
Use any suggestions that are given in the question to
guide your answer.
Justify using a quotation or
reference
from text.
Use the Code to Show You Know
Bookish types have always feared change and technology,
but the book, and even the library, have adapted and
endured, retaining their essential magic. Even Hollywood
understood. In the 1957 film Desk Set, Katherine Hepburn
plays a librarian-researcher whose job is threatened by a
computer expert (Spencer Tracy) introducing new technolgy.
In the end, the computer turns out to be an asset, not a
danger, Tracy and Hepburn end up smooching, and
everyone reads happily ever after.
The marriage of Google and Bodleian will surely be the
same.
How effectively does the reference to the film Desk Set to conclude the
passage in a pleasing way? Refer in your answer to the ideas and language
of lines 55-62.
3E
A)The writer’s use of the film “Desk Set” is effective as a
conclusion as it shows the writers final thoughts to the passage. It
demonstrates his beliefs that computers and the online libraries will
be able to help libraries not threaten them as widely believed. The
example of the film helps sum up the writer’s thoughts and
emphasise his ideas. He uses a comparison in the example of the
film that “in the end, the computer turns out to be an asset, not a
danger” successfully concluding the passage.
C)The writer uses this anecdote to successfully end
the passage in a pleasing way be making reference to one of the
strongest human drives: love. “smooching” implies kissing and in
this context is used to bring a childlike, non-serious feel to the end
of the passage. The metaphor “marriage” implies two inanimate
things will get married. However, in this context it suggests that the
combination of the two will cause no problem. The image of
marriage gives the impression of a peaceful, loving, pleasing event
with hopes for lasting contentment.
D)The reference shows that despite all these fears of losing
libraries, there is a chance that this new technology will marry
together with the old libraries and they will help each other
rather than work against one another. This is pleasant as it
ends the passage on a positive note and leaves the reader
feeling uplifted.
E) By likening the situation to “Desk Set” the writer adds a bit of humour to
the situation. This humour makes the subjects a little more light-hearted by
comparing topics discussed in the passage to a clichéd Hollywood love story.
The language such as “smooching” makes the passage a little more informal
and means the reader is more able to identify with it. By summing it up with a
final sentence at the end, the writer gives impact to the point of his
comparison and effectively convinces the reader of his point that the internet
is nothing to be feared.
F) He shows how the librarian feared the idea of change
and technology, just in the way that we fear changing libraries
and books for the computer and the internet. It shows how
rather than something to be feared the “computer turns out to
be an asset”. Just as putting books onto computers will be
beneficial to us in a number of ways. The word play in
“everyone reads happily ever after” (as opposed to “lives”)
creates a light-hearted and humorous effect and so connects
the idea of reading to the of a love story that ends well.
Possible Answers from SQA
Ideas:
1. The film illustrates the conflict between libraries and new
technology – the two main characters represent the two sides.
2.The passage ends on a positive note – libraries and online
catalogue can happily co-exist.
Language/Style
3. Literal and metaphorical marriage.
4. “smooching” – jocular, informal reference to easy, affectionate,
slightly old-fashioned relationship.
5. Play on words – “everyone reads happily ever after”
6. Single sentence final paragraph sums up the link between the
film and the co-existence of libraries and an online catalogue.
Example:
Long-suffering Scottish football fans have, over
many painful years, become accustomed to
stomaching failure regularly and have, indeed,
been forced to squeeze victory celebrations out
of such questionable “successes” as gallant
defeats. However, even that hardened
constitutions of such admirable individuals will
surely struggle to cope with the current unbroken
diet of defeat after defeat after defeat.
Question
Why does the author suggest that fans already
“accustomed to stomaching failure regularly” might
have difficulty coping with the team’s present form.
• What type of question is this? Understanding
• What section of the extract would you find the
answer? After the link word ‘however’ which
suggests that despite being able to cope with most
defeat, the recent situation is a step too far.
Question: Explain how the author continues the
image of “stomaching” (line 2) in the
rest of the extract.
• What type of question is this?
• What word gives this away?
• What do you need to do to answer?
Sentence Structure
Spilt your page in half and write two
separate headings: Punctuation and why
used.
In groups brainstorm all of the examples of
punctuation you can think of and also why it
would be used within a piece of writing.
For example: an exclamation mark could be
used to indicate shock, someone shouting, a
command etc.
• Be ready to feedback to the class
Increasingly , the predominant thing that you and I do is shop
and plan our lives around things we have to pay for: clothes,
jewellery, cars, houses, holidays, restaurants and
gadgets that make us what we are. Once we were a society
of producers, knowing ourselves and each other by what we did
and what we made. Not any more. Today we understand
ourselves and project the image we want others to see through
what we buy.
Q) Show how the writer uses sentence structure in lines 4-9 to
make clear the points he is making.
The writer uses a colon to introduce a list made up of many commas and
he uses a minor sentence in among a lot of long sentences to make clear
the point he is making.
The list of things we do as consumers shows just how many there
are, emphasising just how big the consumer society has become.
The short minor sentence “not any more” is a sudden and abrupt
way to introduce the big change that has happened to our way of
life.
The long list of typical consumer items (mostly luxury ones) emphasises the
sheer extent of the spending opportunities open to us today in contrast to
the simplicity of the past. The writer illustrates the sharpness of the
contrast by his use of the short sentence “not any more” which sort of jolts
the reader into a sense of the complete change in society’s attitude to an
individual’s worth.
Reference could also have been made to the
use of “time-markers” at the start of
sentences (“once today”) to emphasise the
contrast.
Note – a minor sentence is not necessarily the
same as a short sentence. Not all short
sentences are minor and some minor can be
quite long.