Starter quiz
- What do we mean by the term 'structure' in English?
- the organisation of a text ✓
- the language a writer uses
- the context surrounding a text
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- Adding one or more adjectives to describe a noun can make it ...
- an expanded noun phrase. ✓
- a metaphor.
- a simile.
- imagery.
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- What is being described here: 'A word that has the same meaning - or almost the same meaning - as another word.'
- 'synonym' ✓
- 'The area of attention in a story or piece of writing.' What is being described here?
- Pace
- Focus ✓
- Structure
- Vocabulary
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- What is the missing word for the definition of 'narrative voice'? The ______ a story is told from.
- perspective ✓
- direction
- person
- style
- time period
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- A league is a unit of measurement equivalent to ...
- three miles. ✓
- five miles.
- two miles.
- four miles.
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Exit quiz
- Who wrote 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'?
- H.G. Wells
- Jules Verne ✓
- Victor Hugo
- Charles Dickens
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- The story 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' is written from which narrative perspective?
- First-person ✓
- Third-person limited
- Third-person omniscient
- Second-person
- A variety of different narrative perspectives
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- 'The way a story is put together.' What is being described here?
- structure ✓
- tension
- pace
- context
- consistency
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- Which of the below can be considered a 'structural feature'?
- alliteration
- sophisticated vocabulary
- narrative voice ✓
- contrast ✓
- shifts in pace or time ✓
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- In 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' Verne describes the underwater forest in relation to other places on Earth ('the tropics' and 'the arctic'). What structural device is this?
- contrast ✓
- shifts (in time)
- withholding information
- narrative voice
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- Which of the below is the best comment analysing structural features?
- Verne uses each paragraph to greater reveal the mysteries of this place. ✓
- Verne varies his use use of focus and pace.
- Verne uses first-person perspective really well.
- Verne focuses on the plant life in detail.
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- When we talk about how a text is structured, we mean what does the writer focus our attention on in each part and why.
- Writers make deliberate structural choices to create precise effects.
- Don't comment on word choices or devices – instead consider the effect of shifts in focus or narrative perspective.
Common misconception
Analysing language features is enough.
The best analysis - with the richest commentary - will also spend time focusing on structural decisions a writer makes.
Keywords
Structure - The way a story is put together.
Structural features - Techniques a writer uses across a paragraph, chapter or story to organise the information.
Narrative voice - The perspective a story is told from.
Focus - The area of attention in a story or piece of writing.
League - A unit of measurement equivalent to three miles.
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