2.6 Narrative - Self-Test on structure and language features
Social purpose:
Sally's canary
| Structure | Language features | |
| Paragraph 1. | Late that afternoon Sally arrived at her new home in the city. Her mum and dad had died after an accident on the farm and Sally was all alone except for her canary, Tweet. She had never been to the city before and was frightened by the sight of the huge, steel pylons which looped long, thick, black powerlines 1across the sky and 1over her uncle and aunt's house 1down to the endless factories in the valley below. | 1. |
| Paragraph 2. | Not long after her arrival, Sally's aunt 2told her that she could keep little Tweet in his cage on the back verandah. As Sally, helped by her uncle, placed the cage on its hook on the wall, she felt the dark shadows of the steel pylons and their black load on her back. | 2. |
| Paragraph 3. | Before school each morning, Sally changed Tweet's water bowl and poured more seed into his container, talking softly to him and encouraging him to whistle with her. "I can see that you and Tweet are real pals," 2said her uncle. Sally smiled up at her uncle but said sadly, "He doesn't seem to want to sing anymore." "Give him time," 2replied her uncle, "He's getting used to his new surroundings." |
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| Paragraph 4. | 4Then Sally went off to school. That afternoon she wondered why her uncle met her at the school gate. He took her hand, and as they walked along, he said to her, "3Sally, I have some bad news for you. Something has happened to 3Tweet." Sally turned white and her heart began to hammer,"What is it, uncle Tom?" she asked fearfully."Tweet didn't like the powerlines hanging over the house which give out electro-magnetic waves. They caused him to stop breathing," he replied. | 3. |
| Paragraph 5. | 4At this point Sally dropped her uncle's hand and ran frantically home. There in the cage, like a little yellow ball, lay Tweet, so still. No matter, how hard she tried to pat his 5yellow feathers and place his body against her 5warm cheek, the 5little bird did not respond. Her aunt and uncle put their arms around her,"Don't be too sad, Sally," said uncle Tom soothingly, "We'll give Tweet the best funeral a canary ever had." 4Just then, Sally thought she saw yellow wings brushing against the setting sun. and her spirits lifted. | 4. 5. |