Analyzing Syntax

In their favorite class, students will be analyzing SYNTAX in literature. What will they be examining?

• conjugation of verbs

• emotional meaning of words

• dictionary definitions of words

• structure of phrases and sentences

Imagine that you are sitting down at a table to write the great American novel. You’re about to write a sentence. The way you form that sentence is syntax. Do you make the sentence long with many dependent clauses? Do you make your sentences short, choppy, rhythmic? Do you repeat the first word again and again? Repeat the last? --- Why does this matter?

• It doesn't matter at all. A sentence is a sentence.

• The combination of all these different options for syntax help the author convey different meanings, different emotions, and different emphasis.

Writers vary the structure of their sentences and phrases because it is a powerful way to convey what to the reader?

• meaning

• emotion

• emphasis

• [all of the responses]

TRUE or FALSE? ----- Authors employ different sentence structures to create an emotion in a particular passage. For example, repetition can build up a feeling of anger or passion.

• TRUE

• FALSE

An abrupt change in syntax, say from long sentences to one short one, can show...

• confusion, shock, or betrayal

• continuity

TRUE or FALSE ---- Studying the emotions authors generate from syntax can help us add to our arguments about tone in particular.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Syntax allows the author to manipulate what the reader pays attention to. As a reader, when you identify what an author emphasizes, this helps you find the main idea. What questions should you ask as you read?

• Why is this emphasized over that?

• What is the emphasis supposed to show us?

• Is the author hiding something deeper under the emphasis of something else?

• When analyzing syntax, especially ideas that seem to be emphasized due to syntax, you should ask ALL of these questions.

TRUE or FALSE -------The length of a sentence and how it’s paired with sentences of different or similar lengths makes NO impact on the meaning, emotion, or emphasis of a passage.

• TRUE

• FALSE

TRUE or FALSE ------Authors may purposefully add or neglect punctuation in forming the syntax of their sentences in order to create a desired effect.

• TRUE

• FALSE

The first sentence and the last sentence of a novel, chapter, or passage are the most important. In fact, most of the most quoted lines of books are the first or the last. They’re important, because they tell us what’s important. They set up themes. They guide us in the direction the author wants to lead us. The same is true with the first and last word of an individual sentence. -------- What's a good way to remember this analysis strategy?

• "Firsts and Lasts"

• "Middles"

• "All is critical"