Rhetorical Structures

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

Shanties coded resistance, geography, and solidarity — three layers woven into every verse.

Grammar Reference · Rhetorical Structures

Tricolon

Three parallel elements for cumulative force. They sang at dawn, at dusk, and in the eye of every storm.

Anaphora

Repeated opening phrase across clauses. They sang because they were tired. They sang because they were afraid.

Antithesis

Direct contrast to reframe. Not a song, but a tool. Not entertainment, but survival.

Periodic sentence

The main point arrives last. After months at sea, with no land in sight, the crew finally heard a bell.

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Rhetorical Structures

1.The shantyman sang. The crew pulled. The rope moved. → Combine as a tricolon.

2.They trusted the rhythm. They trusted the shantyman. They trusted each other. → Use anaphora.

3.The song was not decorative. It was essential. → Rewrite as antithesis.

4.Evans posted the video and millions of people listened. → Rewrite as a periodic sentence.

5.The shanty gave sailors purpose. The shanty gave them rhythm. The shanty gave them dignity. → Use anaphora.

6.The voyage was hard. The water was cold. The food was scarce. → Combine as a tricolon.

02Exercise 2 — Find and Correct the Error

find the error · rewrite the sentence

1.Not entertainment but technology, the shanty were a mechanism of collective labour.

2.They sang because they was exhausted, because they were afraid, because it was all they had.

3.Evans's clip went viral, reached millions, and has disappeared within days.

4.The shantyman's role was not ornament but a structural.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Rhetorical Structures01classplan.ai