Sentence structure - Aunt Julia

Question 1

Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast

Answer 1

• repetition of of intensifier “very”
• the repetition emphasizes the key parts of Aunt Julia’s speech
• and suggests she had a booming voice and spoke rapidly
• this also suggests to the reader Aunt Julia was lively

Question 2

She was brown eggs, black skirts and a keeper of threepennybits in a teapot

Answer 2

• a list and rule of three is used to emphasis the simplicity of Aunt Julia’s life that she is self-sufficient and has little money so she saves every penny she gets
• the tone is admiring which suggests even though she had little money she had spiritual wealth because she lived an honest life deeply rooted in the land

Question 3

Getting angry, getting angry

Answer 3

• repetition helps emphasise the extent of MacCaig’s frustration at the fact he never got to fully communicate with her even after learning her language as she had died