QUESTIONS


What kind of atmosphere does the writer create?
How does he achieve it?
What verb and its synonyms does he use to make us feel the rush?
What does the short dialogue between Sid and Aunt Polly make us feel? Give examples.

EXAMPLE

Possible answers

1. A hectic and worrying one.

2. By using the appropriate, rich vocabulary, synonyms, etc.

3. For example, to express the haste the writer uses the verb to fly: Sid flew downstairs instead of Sid ran downstairs. Other words/expressions are: flee, at her feet, and gasp.

4. The writer makes us feel the rush, concern, and fear by using the imperative: Come! Don’t wait!; short sentences like Dying!Yes’m.; and exclamation marks.

FIND OUT

 

A literary writer makes good use of rich, sophisticated, vivid vocabulary, a bunch of synonyms for one and the same word or expression, idioms, and other phrases instead of plain, common, most frequently used words, and expressions which resemble the spoken word (unless it is slang).

Due to this fact, being able to read foreign literary classics, one should master a foreign language. But to avoid being discouraged from reading in a foreign language, simplified or easy reading books are available for less proficient readers. Such books, called graded readers, tend to be easier to read as the language is less demanding. However, they can still deal with complex topics.

ACTIVITY IDEAS

ACTIVITY IDEA 1

A literary writer uses language carefully to put the feelings, reactions, etc. into words, and stimulate the reader’s imagination.

Observe the beginning of excerpt 3 and answer these questions in your notebook:

What kind of atmosphere does the writer create?
How does he achieve it?
What verb and its synonyms does he use to make us feel the rush?
What does the short dialogue between Sid and Aunt Polly make us feel?

ACTIVITY IDEA 2

Some of your classmates seem to be weaker at English, so you are asked to prepare a simplified version of an original dialogue between Aunt Polly and Tom that you are going to discuss during your next English literature lesson. Try out this one.

A= Aunt Polly, T= Tom

A:"Your tooth, indeed! What's the matter with your tooth?"
T:"One of them’s loose, and it aches perfectly awful."
A:"There, there, now, don’t begin that groaning again. Open your mouth. Well -- your tooth IS loose, but you're not going to die about that. Mary, get me a silk thread, and a chunk of fire out of the kitchen."