Eli Shipley

SWA: Sentence Openers and Branching

due Sunday, February 14 at 8:00 p.m.

Task: Choose two paragraphs from your academic writing sample and copy each individual sentence into the table below. For each sentence, write the type of
opener in the labeled column. Then, in the next column, enter a Y if branching is present, and an N if not. In the case of a Y, note if the branching is left, middle,
right, or a combination. Write a brief, description of these patterns presence in your sentences without making judgments about whether the patterns are good or
bad.

Write
Sentence Opener Type Branching? Type?
This fear of abuse is repeated throughout the poem. Demonstrative Determiner N
It is even stated quite overtly, as when the speaker relates that she feels “fear,/ tying her as Inversion Y, Right Branch
with iron.” (Brooks ll. 124-125) after her husband hits one of their children.
Physical abuse stemming from her husband is present in the home—in the poem, he hits Noun Phrase Y, Right branching
one of the children in the face for a mild infraction.
The speaker can feel the lack of power she has against him. Determiner N
A few lines later, the speaker relates that “The children were whimpering now./ Such bits of Preposition Y, Left Branching
tots. And she, their mother,/ Could not Protect them.” (Brooks 127-128).
Her children are “bits of tots”—as in they are just small pieces of small children (as the Possessive Determiner Y, Right Branching
term “tots” refer to very young children).
They are vulnerable, and she has no power to protect them from their abusive father. Pronoun Determiner N
She is depicted as being helpless against him. Possessive Determiner N
This another clear depiction of misogynistic abuse. Demonstrative Determiner N

The speaker is under such pressure that she feels that she must rush before breakfast “with Determiner N
her comb and lipstick” because “It was necessary/ To be more beautiful than ever…He must
never conclude/ That she had not been worth It” (Brooks 11. 64-75).
She is fearful of her husband and feels the need to emphasize her beauty and femininity—to Possessive Determiner Y, Right Branching
apply makeup to accent her appearance, so that she will not face consequences.
The word phrase “must never” shows the urgency of the fear she feels. Determiner N
Must is a word meaning that something is necessary—it is necessary that her husband never Y, Right Branching
think that she isn’t worth it, isn’t feminine enough.
This word, and the urgency of the rest of the stanza makes shows the desperation of the Demonstrative Determiner Y, Mid Branching
speaker. (should’ve been a
comma after “stanza”)
This is another example of the misogynistic oppression the speaker is facing. Demonstrative Determiner N
She is forced into beautifying and feminizing herself not because she wants to, but because Possessive Determiner N
she fears what will happen if she does not.
Her husband is in total control of even how looks. Possessive Determiner N
 She is totally subjugated to him. Possessive Determiner N

Every one of my sentences, except one, begins with the subject of the sentence. Almost every one of my sentences starts with a determiner, be it a
possessive or demonstrative or definite articles demonstrator (I think that these things are all grouped together under the term determiner, though I am not certain).
That one exception that didn’t begin with the subject was the one left branching sentence, which started with a preposition in order to orient the sentence. Most
sentences were Right branching, in that they introduced and explained the subject, and then added some more information on the right side.