Analysing texts, Year 8: sentences, structure and Shakespeare

It jolts the reader with sudden tension

HintSet its length beside that of the sentence before it.

The whyThe long sentence lulls the reader into the rhythm of the corridor. The three-word sentence breaks that rhythm, just as the sound breaks the silence.

A breathless, building pace

HintTry reading such a sentence aloud without stopping.

The whyWith no full stop to rest on, the reader is hurried along just as the character is. The shape of the sentence copies the action.

Long, flowing sentences

HintRead each kind aloud and listen to its speed.

The whyLong sentences can hurry or soothe: piled-up actions rush, while gentle description drifts. Here the unhurried rhythm matches the river.

Tension

HintEach full stop makes the reader pause and hold on.

The whyThe repeated stops make the reader wait alongside the character. Even the one-word sentence 'Nothing.' is a held breath.

What happened to Gran

HintLook for the question the sentence leaves unanswered.

The whyThe opening gives a mystery and one odd, homely clue. An opening that plants a question pulls the reader on to find the answer.

A circular (or cyclical) structure

HintThink of the shape you draw by finishing where you started.

The whyComing back to the start invites the reader to compare: the place is the same, so what has changed?

A cliffhanger

HintSerials and soap operas end episodes this way.

The whyIt refuses to give the reader the answer the opening promised. Chapter endings use it to make you turn the page; some whole books end this way.

How much he has changed

HintSet the first picture beside the last and spot the difference.

The whyThe ending answers the opening. The fear in the first scene is what gives the final swim its meaning.

You

HintIt was used when speaking to one person you knew well.

The why'Thou' was the familiar, singular form, used for friends, family and people of lower rank. 'Thee' is the same word used as the object.

Why are you Romeo?

Hint'Wherefore' does not ask about a place.

The whyJuliet is not looking for him. She is asking why the boy she loves has to be a Montague, the son of her family's enemies.

The king is gone

HintFind who the sentence is about and put them first.

The whyShakespeare often moves words around to fit the rhythm or to stress one of them. Putting the subject back first usually makes the sense clear. 'The king has gone' is just as good.

Read on to the end of the sentence

HintThe words around it often unlock the meaning.

The whyThe rest of the speech, and what is happening in the scene, usually make the meaning clear enough. Stopping at every hard word loses the thread.

Stage directions

HintThey are never spoken aloud in a performance.

The whyThey cover entrances and exits, movement, tone of voice, props, lighting and silence. Each one is a choice by the playwright.

There is tension between them

HintAsk what people avoid doing when things are awkward.

The whyNothing is said, yet the audience learns a great deal. On stage, a pause and a turned head are as much the playwright's writing as any line.

Leave the stage

HintThe same word is on signs above doors.

The whyEntrances and exits control who hears what. A character who exits just before a secret is told is being kept in the dark on purpose.

The same line can be performed with different meanings

HintThe words on the page are only the starting point.

The whyA script is a set of instructions for a performance. Directors and actors make choices about tone, movement and timing, and those choices change the meaning.