3.1.6

Structure

Test yourself on Structure

After reading these notes, test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Tips for Dealing with Structure

Looking at structure is about looking at how the text is put together and considering why the writer chose to say/do something at that particular point in the text. Some aspects of the structure you could explore are:

Changing depth

Changing depth

  • Zooming in on small details.
    • E.g. Moving from describing New York City, to the items in the protagonist's New York apartment.
  • Zooming out to look at the whole picture.
    • E.g. Moving from looking at different characters' perspectives on an event to the omniscient narrator's overview of the scene.
  • Changing from a small focus to a big focus.
    • E.g. Changing from how one character feels to the actions of a whole group of characters or the description of a place.
Narrative shifts

Narrative shifts

  • Shifts of perspective.
    • E.g. Shifting from the point of view of one character to another.
  • Shifts in time.
    • E.g. A flashback or flashforward.
  • Shifts in place.
    • E.g. Switching between characters in different locations.
  • Shifts in topic.
    • E.g. The narrator moves from discussing a couple's relationship to describing the action.
  • Shifts from internal to external.
    • E.g. Moving from a character’s internal thoughts to external actions.
Repetition and cycles

Repetition and cycles

  • Repetition.
    • E.g. Jane Eyre repeatedly fleeing from men (Rochester and St John).
  • Cyclical structures (events happening in cycles).
    • E.g. The opening setting of Of Mice and Men also featuring as the closing setting.
  • Foreshadowing.
    • E.g. A writer using lots of gun imagery to warn about an upcoming murder.
Developments

Developments

  • How characters/events develop throughout the text.
    • E.g. How Harry Potter develops from being the boy under the stairs to a hero at Hogwarts.
Jump to other topics
1

Key Terms

1.1

Key Terms

1.1.1Key Terms - Nouns, Verbs & Sentences1.1.2Key Terms - Sentence and Clause Types1.1.3Key Terms - Words, Sounds & Language1.1.4Key Terms - Types of Language1.1.5Key Terms - Images, Symbols & Mood1.1.6Key Terms - Mood & Feelings1.1.7Key Terms - Other Techniques1.1.8End of Topic Test - Key Terms
2

Language Devices

2.1

Language Devices

2.1.1Metaphors2.1.2Similes2.1.3Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning2.1.4Personification2.1.5Pathetic Fallacy2.1.6Puns & Oxymorons2.1.7Hyperbole & Emotive Language2.1.8Alliteration2.1.9Sibilance2.1.10Onomatopoeia2.1.11Recap: Language Devices2.1.12End of Topic Test - Language Devices
3

Writing Structure

3.1

Writing Structure

3.1.1Narrators3.1.2Paragraphs3.1.3Tense3.1.4Present vs Past vs Future Tense3.1.5Foreshadowing3.1.6Structure3.1.7End of Topic Test - Writing Structure
4

Section B: Reading & Writing

4.1

Writing Formats

4.1.1Letter4.1.2Reports & Essays4.1.3Journal/Diary Entry4.1.4Speech4.1.5Newspaper Article4.1.6Leaflet4.1.7Review4.1.8Travel Writing4.1.9End of Topic Test - Writing Formats
4.2

Writing to...

4.2.1Writing to Inform4.2.2Writing to Inform - Example4.2.3Writing to Explain4.2.4Writing to Explain - Example4.2.5Writing to Persuade4.2.6Writing to Persuade - Example4.2.7Writing to Argue4.2.8Writing to Argue - Example4.2.9Writing to Persuade vs Writing to Argue4.2.10Writing to Advise4.2.11Writing to Advise - Example4.2.12End of Topic Test - Writing to...
4.3

Acronym of Techniques - DAFORESTAR

4.3.1Direct Address4.3.2Alliteration4.3.3Facts4.3.4Opinions4.3.5Repetition4.3.6Exaggeration (Hyperbole)4.3.7Statistics4.3.8Triple (Rule of 3)4.3.9Emotive Language4.3.10Rhetorical Questions4.3.11End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER
5

Section C: Writing

5.1

Writing Task

5.1.1Discursive Writing5.1.2Narrative Writing5.1.3Descriptive Writing5.1.4End of Topic Test - Writing Task

Practice questions on Structure

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What types of narrative shift could you comment on when answering an exam question?Fill in the list
  2. 2
    Which of these are you more likely to comment on when discussing structure?True / false
Answer all questions on Structure

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium

Foreshadowing

End of Topic Test - Writing Structure