TONE, STYLE, AND SYNTAX: CONSIDERATIONS FOR ANALYSIS I. TONE SHIFT: often a change or shift in tone b. A compound sentence contains will be signaled by the following: two independent clauses joined by Key words (but, yet, nevertheless, however, a coordinating conjunction (and, although) but, or) or by a semicolon: The Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons) singer bowed to the audience, but Stanza and paragraph divisions she sang no encores. Changes in line and stanza or sentence length. c. A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or II. STYLE: when analyzing style, consider the more subordinate clauses: You following: said that you would tell the truth. A. Diction (word choice): describe diction by d. A compound-complex sentence considering the following: contains two or more principal 1. Words may be monosyllabic (one clauses and one or more syllable in length) or polysyllabic subordinate clauses: The singer (more than one syllable in length). bowed while the audience The higher the ratio of polysyllabic applauded, but she sang no words, the more difficult the content. encores. 2. Words may be mainly colloquial C. A loose sentence makes complete sense if (slang), informal (conversational), brought to a close before the actual ending: formal (literary) or archaic (old We reached Edmonton that morning after a fashioned). turbulent flight and some exciting 3. Words may be mainly concrete experiences. A periodic sentence makes (specific) or abstract (general). sense only when the end of the sentence is 4. Words may be euphonious (pleasant reached: That morning, after a turbulent sounding), such as butterfly or flight and some exciting experiences, we cacophonous (harsh sounding), such as reached Edmonton. pus. D. In a balanced sentence, the phrases or 5. See also your list of words to describe clauses balance each other by virtue of diction their likeness or structure, meaning and/or B. Syntax (sentence structure): describe the length: He maketh me to lie down in green syntax by considering the following: pastures; he leadeth me beside the still 1. Examine the sentence length. Are the waters. sentences telegraphic (shorter than E. Natural order of a sentence: the sentence five words in length), medium is structured so that the subject comes (approximately 18 words in length) or before the predicate: Oranges grow in long and involved (30 or more California. Inverted order (sentence words). Does the sentence length fit inversion) involves constructing a the subject matter? What variety of sentence so that the predicate comes before sentence length is present? the subject: In California grow oranges. 2. Examine the sentence patterns. This is a device in which normal sentence Some elements to consider are: patterns are reversed to create an emphatic a. A declarative sentence makes a or rhythmic effect. Split order of a statement: The king is sick. sentence divides the predicate into two b. An imperative sentence gives a parts with the subject in the middle: In command: Stand up. California oranges grow. c. An interrogative sentence asks a F. Juxtaposition is a poetic and rhetorical question: Is the king sick? device in which normally unassociated d. An exclamatory sentence makes ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to an exclamation: The king is dead! one another, creating an effect of surprise 3. Are sentences simple, compound, or and wit: The apparition of these faces in complex? the crowd:/Petals on a wet, black bought a. A simple sentence contains one (“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra subject and one verb: the singer Pound). bowed to her adoring audience. G. Parallel structure (parallelism) refers to B. A metaphor is a comparison without the a grammatical or structural similarity use of like or as. The writer specifically between sentences or parts of a sentence. states that one thing is another. It is It involves an arrangement of words, usually a comparison between something phrases, sentences, and paragraphs so that that is real or concrete and something that elements of equal importance are equally is abstract: Life is but a dream developed and similarly phrased: He was C. Personification is a kind of metaphor walking, running, and jumping for joy. which gives inanimate objects or abstract H. Repetition is a device in which words, ideas human characteristics: The wind sounds, and ideas are used more than once cried in the dark for the purpose of enhancing rhythm and D. Hyperbole is a deliberate, extravagant, and creating emphasis: . government of the often outrageous exaggeration. It may be people, by the people for the people . used for either serious or comic effect: The I. A rhetorical question is a question which shot that was heard ‘round the world. expects no answer. It is used to draw E. Understatement (Meiosis) is the opposite attention to a point and is generally of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony which stronger than a direct statement: If Mr. deliberately represents something as much Ferchoff is always fair, as you have said, less than it really is: I could probably why did he refuse to listen to Mrs. manage to survive on a salary of Baldwin’s arguments? $2,000,000 per year. J. Examine the following: F. Paradox is a statement which contradicts 1. sentence beginnings and endings: is itself. It may seem almost absurd. there a good variety or does a pattern Although it may seem to be at odds with emerge? ordinary experience, it usually turns out to 2. the arrangement of ideas in a sentence. have a coherent meaning and reveals a Are they set out in a specific way for a truth which is normally hidden: The more purpose? you know, the more you know you don’t 3. the arrangement of ideas is a know. paragraph: what is the structure? G. Oxymoron is a form of paradox which combines a pair of contrary terms into a III. TREATMENT OF SUBJECT MATTER: describe single expression. This combination the author’s treatment of the subject matter by usually serves the purpose of shocking the considering the following: has the author been: reader into awareness: sweet sorrow. A. Subjective? Are conclusions based on H. A pun is a play on words which are opinions? Are they rather personal in identical or similar in sound but which nature? have sharply diverse meanings. Puns may B. Objective? Are conclusions based on have serious as well as humorous uses facts? Are they impersonal or scientific? when Mercutio is bleeding to death in C. Supportive of the main idea? If so, how Romeo and Juliet, he says to his friends, does the author support claims? Does the “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find writer: me a grave man.” 1. state opinions? I. Irony is the result of a statement saying 2. report experience? one thing while meaning the opposite. Its 3. report observations? purpose is usually to criticize: “It’s simple 4. refer to sources, such as statements by to stop smoking. I’ve done it many times.” experts or statistical data? J. Sarcasm is a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something IV. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: while he is actually insulting the thing. Its A. Simile: a comparison of two difference purpose is to injure or hurt: “My parents things or ideas using the words like or as: are really cool.” a specifically stated comparison, the writer saying one thing is like another: The warrior fought like a lion. .