Ragged School – How Does the Writer Use Language to Define Sister Brendan?

The writer describes Brendan in this brief passage using several techniques. First, she describes her lively personality. Second, she uses verbs and adverbs to describe her actions. Third, she uses alliteration in order to make her voice sound lively. She also uses repetition and an adjective to describe a moment. These techniques create a powerful image for Sister Brendan.

You can access the Ragged School article on the EAQA’s secure material. The text includes subject terminology, references to other works and comments on how the writer uses language in order to describe Sister Brendan. Students are asked to consider the effect of language on the effect of the story. Some students might have taken Sister Brendan’s story to mean she was underweight.

Another technique is enumeration. To describe Sister Brendan’s cheerfulness, the writer uses several adjectives. She also uses adverbs to describe her feelings. The powerful tools to describe the feelings of a rat are enumeration and adjectives. These techniques allow the writer to model a successful character.

Students must not only analyze the characters and the language used, but also consider the tone of the text and its structure. How the writer uses language also impacts the story’s focus. They should also look at how the author organizes the text to make it engaging for their readers.