--- title: Author's choices: why this word, why this way — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Author's choices: why this word, why this way», a lesson of the english course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Authors choose every word on purpose. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/) / Author's choices: why this word, why t… # Author's choices: why this word, why this way Lesson 21 of the english course of Mova's primary school: 23 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/0/) — Authors choose every word on purpose. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/1/) — «The wind screamed through the trees» is not the same as «the wind blew». - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/2/) — Screamed makes the wind sound wild and frightening, like a person in terror. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/3/) — To answer a «why did the author…» question, name the choice, then say what it makes you feel or picture. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/4/) — Shape is a choice too. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/5/) — A chapter that is one word long, «Silence.», is not lazy: it stops you dead, and you feel the quiet. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/6/) — Repeating «closer… closer… closer» slows time down and builds suspense as the danger comes nearer. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/7/) — Italics, the slanted letters in «\*Don't look back,\* she told herself», often show a character's thoughts. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/8/) — The voice tells you who someone is. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/9/) — Mark in Bristol says, «Proper job, the writer made the baddie talk all posh. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/10/) — Why's that, my lover?» («proper job» is West Country for well done, and «my lover» is just a friendly way to say mate.) The posh voice can make the baddie seem cold and powerful. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/11/) — A story told by a dog is not dumb: it shows the world from a new viewpoint. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/12/) — Aanya in Singapore asks, «Teacher, why author write like that one, so many "and then, and then"?» («like that one» is Singapore English for «in that way».) Sometimes it is on purpose: «and then, and then» can make a narrator sound young and breathless. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/14/) — An author's choice is a decision about words, sentences or layout, made on purpose. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/15/) — The effect is what a choice makes the reader feel, picture or think. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/17/) — Very short sentences or paragraphs can build tension or make a moment stand out. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/18/) — Repetition can build suspense and make time feel slow. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/19/) — Italics can show thoughts, a word said with emphasis, or a word from another language. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/20/) — An opening hook, like «It was the worst day of my life», makes the reader want to know more. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/21/) — Headings and bullet points in non-fiction make facts quick to find and easy to read. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/22/) — The narrator is who tells the story, and it can be an animal or an object as well as a person. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/23/) — Onomatopoeia means words that sound like their meaning, like crash, bang, buzz and sizzle. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/21-authors-choices-why-this-word-why-this-way/25/) — The way a character speaks, posh, rough, local or old-fashioned, helps to show what they are like. - ← previous: [Vocabulary in context](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/20-vocabulary-in-context/) - next →: [Reading a story: characters, plot and setting](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting/) - ↑ back to [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/)