Linguistic and Stylistic Analysis of Texts - Clause and Phrase Analysis - Sample Answer

Clause Analysis 

Legend –

Verbs, Non-Finite Verbs  Conjunctions  Adverbs Prepositions Relative Pronouns

(The highlights have been used merely as a teaching tool and are NOT part of the answer)

Remember:

·         Number of verbs = Number of clauses

·         Relative pronouns often announce an RCl. RCls, mostly, immediately follow a Noun or Pronoun.

·         Adverbs generally announce an ACl 

·         Conjunctions generally join like clauses / phrases (i.e. the same type of clauses/phrases)- I have underlined the of in one of the sentences to tell you what the AND was joining therein. 

·         Non-Finite clauses are always SCls 

(S1) _MCl [Every Sunday, _ACl [ as soon as they were free ], the little soldiers would go for a walk ].

(S2) < _MCL [ They turned to the right _PCling [ on leaving the barracks] ], _MCl [ crossed Courbevoie with rapid strides, as though on a forced march ] ; _MCl [ then, _ACl [ as the houses grew scarcer ], they slowed down]  and _MCl [ followed the dusty road _RCl [  which leads to Bezons ] >.

Just to reiterate, the Main Clauses are:

They turned …… the barracks

(They – assumed subject) Crossed ….. forced march  

As the houses grew scarcer……… slowed down

(They – assumed subject) Followed …. Bezons

(S3) < _MCl [ They were small and thin ] , _MCl [ lost in their ill-fitting capes, too large and too long, _RCl [ whose sleeves covered their hands ] ] ; _MCl [ their ample red trousers fell in folds around their ankles ] >.

(S4) _MCl [ Under the high, stiff shako one could just barely perceive two thin, hollow-cheeked Breton faces, with their calm, naïve blue eyes ].

(S5) _MCl [ They never spoke during their journey , _ACling [ going straight before them ] , the same idea in each one's mind _RCling [ taking the place of conversation] ].

(S6) < _MCl [ For at the entrance of the little forest of Champioux they had found a spot _RCl [ which reminded them of home ] ] , and  _MCl [they did not feel happy anywhere else ] >.

(S7) < _MCl [At the crossing of the Colombes and Chatou roads, _ACl [ when they arrived under the trees ], they would take off their heavy, oppressive headgear ] and _MCl [ wipe their foreheads ] >.

(S8) < _MCl [ They always stopped for a while on the bridge at Bezons ], and _MCl [ looked at the Seine ] >.

(S9) _MCl [ They stood there several minutes, < _ACling  [ bending over the railing ]  ,  _ACling [ watching the white sails, _RCl [ which perhaps reminded them of their home  , and of the fishing smacks _RCling [ leaving for the open ] ] ] > ] .

(S10) _MCl [ _ACl [ As soon as they had crossed the Seine ], they would purchase provisions at the delicatessen, the baker's, and the wine merchant's ].

(S11) _MCl [ A piece of bologna, four cents' worth of bread, and a quart of wine, made up the luncheon < _RCl [ which they carried away ] , _RCl [ wrapped up in their handkerchiefs ] > ].

(S12) But < _MCl [ _ACl [  as soon as they were out of the village ]  their gait would slacken ]  and  _MCl [ they would begin _NCli [ to talk ] ] > .

(S13) _MCl [ Before them was a plain with a few clumps of trees, _RCl [ which led to the woods ], a little forest  _RCl [ which seemed  _NCli [ to remind them of that other forest at Kermarivan ] ]  ].

(S14) < _MCl [ The wheat and oat fields bordered on the narrow path ] , and  _MCl [ Jean Kerderen said each time to Luc Le Ganidec ] :

(S15) " _MCl [ It's just like home, just like Plounivon ]."
(S16) " _MCl [ Yes, it's just like home ]."

(S17) And  _MCl [ they went on, side by side, their minds full of dim memories of home ].

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Phrase Analysis

(S 2)

< _MCL [ _NP ^S (They) _VP ^P (turned) _PP ^A (to the right) _PCling ^A [ on ^P (leaving) ^Od (the barracks) ] ], _MCl [ _VP ^P (crossed) _NP ^Od (Courbevoie) _PP ^A (with rapid strides) , _AvP ^A (as though _PP ^m (on a forced march) ) ] ; _MCl [ _AvP ^A (then), _ACl [ _AvP ^A (as)  _NP ^S (the houses) _VP ^P (grew)  _AjP ^C (scarcer) ], _NP ^S (they) _VP ^P (slowed down) ]  and _MCl [ _VP ^P (followed) _NP ^Od (the dusty road _RCl ^m [  _NP ^S (which)  _VP ^P (leads) _PP ^A ( to Bezons) ] ) ] >.

(S 10)

_MCl [ _ACl ^A [ _AvP ^A (As soon as)  _NP ^S (they)  _VP ^P (had crossed) _NP ^Od (the Seine) ], _NP ^S (they)  _VP ^P ( would purchase) _NP ^Od (provisions) _PP ^A ( at < _NP (the delicatessen), _NP ( the _GP (baker's)) , and _NP (the _GP (wine merchant's)) > ) ].