2.

Select a brief text (about 250 words) written in English and its translation into Spanish
(or into your major language). You can provide the translation yourself. Consider the
thematic structure of both texts. Point out the diferences in the thematic structure and
try to fnd the reasons for that diference in both languages. If you text does not
contain important diferences, try a diferent text.
In the late afternoon the friends would meet again. Singer came back to the fruit store and
waited until Antonapoulos was ready to go home. The Greek would be lazily unpacking a
case of peaches or melons, or perhaps looking at the funny paper in the kitchen behind the
store where he cooked. Before their departure Antonapoulos always opened a paper sack
he kept hidden during the day on one of the kitchen shelves. Usually before leaving
Antonapoulos waddled gently to the glassed case in the front of the store where some
meats and cheeses were kept. He glided open the back of the case and his fat hand groped
lovingly for some particular dainty inside which he had wanted. Sometimes his cousin who
owned the place did not see him. But if he noticed he stared at his cousin with a warning in
his tight, pale face.
Sadly Antonapoulos would shufe the morsel from one corner of the case to the other.
During these times Singer stood very straight with his hands in his pockets and looked in
another direction. He did not like to watch this little scene between the two Greeks. For,
excepting drinking and a certain solitary secret pleasure, Antonapoulos loved to eat more
than anything else in the world.
In the dusk the two mutes walked slowly home together. At home Singer was always talking
to Antonapoulos. His hands shaped the words in a swift series of designs. His face was
eager and his gray-green eyes sparkled brightly. With his thin, strong hands he told
Antonapoulos all that had happened during the day.
The Heart is a Lonley Hunter Carson Mc Cullers
In this text, I marked in bold all the subjects of the sentences that didn't begin by it, and
underlined the previous comments. I observed that most of these comments are adjuncts of
time. The reason for this, in my opinion, is that the text is part of a novel. In a narration,
putting the adjunct of time at the beginning of the sentence helps to mark the time, and
create the feeling of narration, which is actually based in the pass of time.
Apart from that, putting the adjunct of time at the beginning of the sentence is a commonly
used literary device, to make the text more beautiful or adorned.
A ltima hora de la tarde los amigos se volvan a encontrar. Singer regresaba a la frutera y
esperaba hasta que Antonapoulos estaba listo para volver a casa. El griego estaba quiz
desembalando perezosamente una caja de melocotones o melones, o leyendo la tira cmica
del peridico en la cocina situada en la trastienda, donde preparaba sus golosinas. Antes de
marchar, Antonapoulos abra siempre una bolsa de papel que durante el da tena
escondida en uno de los estantes de la cocina. La bolsa contena diversos bocados que el
griego haba recogido: una fruta, muestras de chocolate, o la parte fnal de un embutido de
hgado. Generalmente, antes de salir, Antonapoulos se acercaba contonendose
suavemente al escaparate de la tienda donde se guardaban las carnes y los quesos. Abra el
cristal de la parte trasera del escaparate y su regordeta mano palpaba amorosamente en
busca de algn bocado exquisito que haba llamado su atencin. A veces, su primo, el
propietario del negocio, no lo vea. Pero si se daba cuenta, miraba a su primo con expresin
de advertencia en su tenso y plido rostro.
Entonces, con tristeza, Antonapoulos, se limitaba a cambiar de lugar el bocado en cuestin.
En tales ocasiones, Singer adoptaba una postura muy envarada, con las manos en los
bolsillos, y miraba en otra direccin. No le gustaba ser testigo de estas escenitas entre los
dos griegos. Porque, exceptuando la bebida y cierto placer secreto y solitario, a
Antonapoulos lo que ms le gustaba en el mundo era comer.
Al atardecer, los dos mudos regresaban juntos lentamente al hogar. En casa, Singer no
dejaba de hablarle a Antonapoulos. Sus manos formaban rpidas secuencias de palabras.
En su cara haba ansiedad, y sus ojos, de un tono gris verdoso, centelleaban. Con aquellas
delgadas pero fuertes manos le contaba a Antonapoulos todo lo ocurrido durante el da.
Versin en espaol - El corazn es un cazador solitario
In the case of this text, I marked the subject and underlined the comments. The same thing
could be said about the reason why these adjuncts are located in front of the sentence. It is
interesting though, that the sentences marked in red are the sentences that in the English
version have the subject in the second place, and in the Spanish version don't show it at all.
That is because in English is necessary to mark the subject. While in Spanish it is not.