Further Practice 4

Task
Extract taken from BBC Website ‘Writing Scotland’

John Buchan 1875-1940

As well as a writer, John Buchan was a published historian, lawyer, editor, war correspondent,
government administrator, MP and director of a successful publishing house. He sought to make his
name in the wider arena of British imperial politics as he regarded writing as an inferior career.
During the war Buchan worked as a war correspondent for The Times newspaper.

1. Comment on the form and meaning/use of ‘as’ in the extract above.

2. Comment on the features of connected speech in this extract from the text:

He sought to make his name in the wider arena of British imperial politics.

When you have finished, scroll down for the Answers on the next page.
Answers
Question 1
a) As well as
Form:
As = adverb
Part of fixed/lexical phrase ‘as well as’
Part of preposition ‘as well as’
Introduces prepositional phrase ‘as well as a writer’
Use:
Part of preposition ‘as well as’ meaning ‘in addition to’
Introduces a further item to a list (here of complements to verb ‘was’
Introduces known/shared information (‘a writer’) hence its position at the start of the sentence

b) as he regarded writing
Form:
subordinating conjunction
followed by subordinating clause ‘he regarded writing’
Use:
conjunction of reason
means ‘because’
formal

c) regarded writing as an inferior career

Form:
preposition
followed by noun phrase ‘an inferior career’
part of prepositional phrase ‘as an inferior career’
part of pattern following the verb ‘regard’ ie: ‘regard X as Y’
introduces an object complement (ie: complement of ‘writing’, which is the object of ‘regard’)

Use:
meaning ‘the same as’
links/equates ‘writing’ and ‘an inferior career’

d) worked as a foreign correspondent

Form:
preposition
followed by noun phrase a war correspondent
part of prepositional phrase as a war correspondent
part of pattern following the verb work as X (X = job)
introduces a subject complement (ie: complement of Buchan,which is the subject of worked)

Meaning/Use:
meaning ‘in the role of’, ‘in the form of’

Question 2
Elision of /t/ between ‘sought’ and ‘to’ - /sɔːtə/.
Possible elision of initial /h/ in ‘He’ to /ɪ/ or /iː/.
Elision of initial /h/ in ‘his’ - /ɪz/.
Weak forms: possible /iː/ to /ɪ/ in ‘He’ /hɪ/ or /ɪ/; schwa in ‘to’- /tə/; ‘the’ - /ðə/; ‘of’ - /əv/.
Consonant vowel linking between ‘make’ and ‘his’ - /meɪkɪz/; ‘name’ and ‘in’ /neɪmɪn/; ‘British’ and
‘imperial’ /brɪtɪʃɪmpɪərɪəl/ or /brɪtɪʃɪmpɪrɪəl/.
Linking ‘r’ between ‘wider’ and ‘arena’ - /waɪdərəriːnə/
Stresses on ‘sought’/’name’/’wider’/’arena’/’British’/’imperial’/’politics’