Semi-marked structures

Semi-marked structures are a variety of defeated expectancy associated with the deviation from the grammatical and lexical norm. It’s an extreme case of defeated expectancy much stronger than low expectancy encountered in a paradox or anti-climax, the unpredictable element is used contrary to the norm so it produces a very strong emphatic impact.

 In the following lines by G. Baker we observe a semi-marked structure on a grammatical basis:

The stupid heart that will not learn

The everywhere of grief.

The word everywhere is not a noun, but an adverb and cannot be used with an article and a preposition, besides grief is an abstract noun that cannot be used as an object with a noun denoting location. However the lines make sense for the poet and the readers who interpret them as the feeling of sadness and dejection.

 Lexical deviation from the norm usually means breaking the laws of semantic compatibility and lexical valency.

If you had to predict what elements would combine well with such words and expressions as to try one’s best to..., to like... or what epithets you would choose for words like father or movement you would hardly come up with such incompatible combinations that we observe in the following sentences:

  She ... tried her best to spoil the party. (Erdrich)

  Montezuma and Archuleta had recently started a mock-serious separatist movement, seeking to join New Mexico. (Michener)

  Would you believe it, that unnatural father wouldn’t stump up. (Waugh)

 

Such combination of lexical units in our normal everyday speech is rare. However in spite of their apparent incongruity semi-marked structures of both types are widely used in literary texts that are full of sophisticated correlations which help to read sense into most unpredictable combinations of lexical units.

Phonetic Stylistic Devices

Practice Section

Define the Stylistic Devices:

1. I know these Eye -talians!

 2. I AM sorry.

 3. Appeeee Noooooyeeeeerr! (Happy New Year!)

 4. Little Dicky strains and yaps back from the safety of Mary’s arms.

 5. Who’s that dear, dim, drunk little man?

 6. I prayed for the city to be cleared of people, for the gift of being alone – a-l-o-n-e …

7. Sense of sin is sense of waste.

Task 1

Define the figures of speech:

1.Where have you gone

with your confident

walk with

your crooked smile

why did you leave

me

 

2. Sometimes I feel like I will never

stop

Just go on foreverЕ

 

3. Earth

planet doesn't explode of

itself,

Т said dryly

The Martian astronomer, gazing off

into the air –

That they were able to do it is

proof that highly

Intelligent beings must have been

living there.

 

 4.Writing a poem is trying to catch

a fluff of cloud

With open-fingered hands.

 

5. I stood and watched an evening star

As long as it watched me.

 

 6. the thirty eighth year

of my life,

 plain as bread

round as a cake

an ordinary woman.

Task 2

Define the figures of speech:

1. Is life worth living? - It depends on the liver.

 

 2. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.-Francis Bacon

 

3. She possessed two false teeth and a sympathetic heart

 

4. Many women try to look their horrid best.

 

 5. Such was the background of the wonderful, cruel, enchanting, bewildering, fatal, great city.

 

 6. СNever mind,Т said the stranger, cutting the address very short,Т said enough - no more - smart chap that cabman Ц damn me Ц punch his headЕТ Ц This coherent speech was interrupted by entrance of the coachman.

 

 7. The earth was made for Dombey and Son to trade in and the sun and moon were formed to give them light; rivers and seas were made to float their ships.

 

8. Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves.

 

 9. A mighty fortress is our God.

Task 3

Define the figures of speech:

1. And these water liliesЕ Each white petal is a great tear of milk.

 

 2. He knew the necessity of keeping as clear as possible from that poisonous many-headed serpent, the tongue of people.

 

3. She had to live. It is useless to quarrel with your bread and butter.

Task 1

Define the schemes:

1. My dearest daughter, at your feet I fall.

2. In plunged she boldly

No matter how coldly

The rough river was…

 

3. A dog (not a fox) is an animal that barks.

 4. And he walked slowly again along the river-an evening of clear, quiet beauty, all harmony and comfort, except within his heart.

 5. Hear me, my mother Earth! behold it, Heaven!-

 Have I not had to wrestle with my lot?

 Have I not suffered things to be forgiven?

 

6. Inhuman piercing shrieks that could not be produced by a manly set of vocal organs - simply indecent, terrifying, humiliating screams…such as women omit when they see ghost or caterpillars.

7. Pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin’s a pleasure.

 8. The sound of loud music drowned out the sound of burglary.

 9.The telephone rang and rang but nobody answered.

10.The poetry of earth is never dead…

he poetry of earth is ceasing never…

Task 2

Define the schemes:

1.The principle production of those towns are soldiers, sailors, Jews, chalk, shrimps, officers and dock-yard-men.

 2. Little by little, bit by bit, and day by day, and year by year the baron got the worst of some disputed questions.

3. Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.

 4. Bicket did not answer his throat felt too dry.

 5. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast over him in only one respect.

 6. Too black for heaven, and yet too white for the hell.

 7.I came, I saw, I conquered.

 8. We’ve reached a point of great decision, not just for our nation, not only for all humanity, but for life upon the Earth.

 9. It was an afternoon to dream. And she took out Jon’s letters.

10.He was not a gentle lamb.

 11.My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun…

Task 3

Define the schemes:

1. What difference if it rained, hailed, blew, snowed, cycloned?

 

2.For East is East, and West is West…

 

3. Hullo, Prendy, old wine-skin! How are things with you?

 Admirable, said Mr.Prendergrast. I have never had them better. I have just caned twenty-three boys.

 

4. Him, of all things! Him! Never!

 

5. In he got and away they went.

 

6. To march about you would not like us?

 

7. There isn’t going to be room for nice people any more. It’s ended, it’s all over, it’s dead.

English Vocabulary

                                                            Practice Section

. Can you distinguish neutral, formal and informal among the following groups of words:

A	B	C
1. currency	money	dough
2. to talk	to converse	to chat
3. to chow down	to eat	to dine
4. to start	to commence	to kick off
5. insane	nuts	mentally ill
6. spouse	hubby	husband
7. to leave	to withdraw	to shoot off
8. geezer	senior citizen	old man
9. veracious	open	sincere
10. mushy	emotional	sentimental

2. To what stratum of vocabulary do the words in bold type in the following sentences belong?

 A. I expect you’ve seen my hand often enough coming out with the grab.

 B. I must be off to my digs.

 C. When the old boy popped off he left Philbrick everything.

 D. Flossie arrived, splendidly attired in magenta and green.

 E. He decided that she was not appropriately dressed and must be a fool to sit downstairs in such togs.

 3. How does the choice of words contribute to the stylistic character of the passages? (technical, poetic, bookish, commercial, religious, elevated, colloquial)

 A. Fo’ what you go by dem, eh? W’y not keep to yo’self? Dey don’ want you, dey don’ care fo’ you. H’ ain’ you got no sense?

 B. I made a check over the machine, cleaned filters, drained sumps, swept out the cabin, and refueled.

 C. We ask Thee, Lord, the old man cried, to look after the childt. The childt is Thine; he is Thy childt, Lord, what father has a man but Thee?

 D. I see, said the Doctor, I see. That’s splendid. Well, will you please go into your tent, the little tent over there.

E. The evidence is perfectly clear. The woman was unfaithful to her husband during his absence overseas and gave birth to a child out of wedlock.

 F. I say, I’ve met an awful good chap called Miles. Regular topper. You know, pally.