Совершенствуйте навыки работы с текстом: готовимся к государственному экзамену = Brush up your text skills: getting prepared for the state exam

C. Ю. СТЕПАНОВА

СОВЕРШЕНСТВУЙТЕ НАВЫКИ

РАБОТЫ С ТЕКСТОМ: 

ГОТОВИМСЯ К ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОМУ

ЭКЗАМЕНУ

BRUSH UP YOUR TEXT SKILLS:

GETTING PREPARED FOR THE STATE EXAM

Учебно-методическое пособие

Москва

2020

Издание 2-е, исправленное

УДК 811.111
ББК 81.432.1
        С794

Рецензенты:

доктор филологических наук Е. А. Никулина

кандидат филологических наук Е. Е. Ходос

С794 Степанова С. Ю. Совершенствуйте навыки работы с текстом: 

готовимся к государственному экзамену. Brush up your text 
skills: Getting prepared for the state exam: Учеб.-методич. 
пособие / С.Ю. Степанова. – Изд. 2-е, испр. – М.: 
Прометей, 2020. – 176 с. 

Учебно-методическое 
пособие 
разработано 
в 
соответствии 
с требованиями Федерального государственного стандарта высшего 
образования 
и 
может 
быть 
использовано 
при 
реализации 
образовательных программ по направлениям подготовки 45.03.02 
Лингвистика (профили «Теория и методика преподавания иностранных 
языков 
и 
культур», 
«Перевод 
и 
переводоведение»), 
44.03.01 
Педагогическое образование (профиль «Иностранный язык»), 44.03.05 
Педагогическое образование (с двумя профилями подготовки).

ISBN  978-5-907244-13-9

© Степанова С. Ю., 2020 
© Издательство «Прометей», 2020

Introduction

This handbook has developed from the author’s experience as a 
teacher and an examiner over many years. It offers practical help to the 
students who are faced with the necessity of brushing up their knowledge before the exam in Text Interpretation, or Stylistics, basically, any 
exam where students are supposed to demonstrate their text interpretation skills. The specifi cally utilitarian aim of this book has predetermined its structure. On the one hand, it is aimed to provide students 
with some hints and tips which may be useful when they are asked to 
analyze a text, be it fi ction or non-fi ction. On the other hand, it helps 
revise (or, if necessary, introduce) some basic terms of text interpretation the students cannot do without if they need to comment on the 
linguostylistic peculiarities of the text in an informed way. Besides, 
the materials presented in the handbook may be applicable in any class 
related to Text Interpretation, or, rather, Text Appreciation. Reference 
materials combined with text-interpretation activities may be used as 
a self-study guide for all devotees of English literature. We hope that 
this handbook will make the process of text analysis enjoyable and 
will encourage students to demonstrate their text skills to advantage 
responding in depth to any text offered at the exam. 

Getting Prepared for the Exam

Text analysis is rightfully considered one of the most challenging 
assignments a student is supposed to handle at the exam. As a student 
of linguistics you should understand that interpretation has nothing to 
do with text retelling which eventually grows into calculations about 
the exact number of metaphors or similes used in the text. 
Ideally, at the exam you should be able to demonstrate that you are 
not only aware of the meaning and the message of the authentic text, 
but you are also capable of carrying out the analysis of its linguistic 
matter. How does the author manipulate language to achieve a desired 
effect? Is the selection of vocabulary items and syntactical patterns affected by the author’s purpose? How does the language, employed by 
the author, contribute to the creation of atmosphere, plot development, 
character drawing, conveying the main idea? You should disclose the 
laws according to which the text is built, you should be able to bring to 
light the unity of its form and the content. In a nutshell, try to answer 
the following three questions: 
— what is it all about, or what is said in the text? (which will lead 
you to the analysis of the subject-matter of the text); 
— how is it said? (which implies the exploration of the language 
means); 
— and why is it said like that? (which reveals the author’s attitude 
to the things described and the representation of his / her world view).
Sometimes it is almost impossible to draw a distinct borderline between these three issues, as they are all interrelated and interconnected, 
but if you have managed to cover at least these three aspects of the text, 
chances are that you have made it. 
Unfortunately at the exam you will have to deal not with a complete piece of fi ction or non-fi ction, but with a fragment taken from 

some prosaic work. As a result, you won’t be able to identify the message, or the central idea of the whole work. The good news is that the 
extract offered still must be complete in form and idea, so it will enable 
you to identify the subject-matter of the text under analysis without 
much trouble. Besides, your text is sure to possess some individual 
characteristic, something unique and outstanding. Try to fi nd this special thrill of the text and build your analysis around it. The following 
questions will help you out, but do not treat them as a strait-jacket; feel 
free to deviate from the offered procedure of the assignments. Text appreciation is a creative process, after all. 
One more piece of advice: try to sincerely enjoy the text you are 
analyzing (which is easier said than done), and the best of luck!

A Winning Beginning

Finally, you are face to face with a text and you have no idea how 
to approach it. The safest way is to introduce the text you are going to 
analyze and specify its status, commenting on its author as well as the 
source it is taken from, and these set-phrases and clichés are sure to 
help you out.
The text under analysis / under study / under consideration is…
 
 
|
a fragment / a passage / an extract / an excerpt

! The meaning of ‘abstract’ is something different, so avoid it in 
this context

 
 
|
taken from the short story / the novel / (or, to be on the safe side), the 
book entitled (give the title) written by (here comes the name of the 
author).
 
 
| 
 
 
 
|
It is a good specimen of fi ction /
emotive prose / belles-lettres. 
It is a good specimen of non- 
 
 
 
 
 
fi ction / political journalism /  
 
 
 
 
 
the publicistic style. 
Eventually you will formulate the beginning of your analysis which 
will sound as follows:
The text under analysis is an extract taken from the novel by Campbell 
Nairne “One Stair Up”, which is a nice specimen of emotive prose. 
In some cases you can go even further and identify the genre of 
the text, e.g. a romantic story / a realistic story / a humorous story/ a 
psychological story.

If you have doubts about the proper status of your text in terms 
of ‘fi ction / non-fi ction’ parameter, go to Block 1 ‘Fiction vs. 
Non-fi ction’

Your second step is to identify the subject-matter of the fragment 
under analysis and to present it in two-three well-motivated sentences. 
Never ever retell the contents of the text! The trick here is not to say 
either too much or too little. You should be able to demonstrate your 
ability to drop all the irrelevant and insignifi cant information and concentrate on the fragment’s theme. In other words, you should display 
your summarizing skills to advantage. Summarizing is a skill used in 
almost every major fi eld of study because it shows your ability to understand and express the essence of the text and cover its main points 
adequately. At this stage of your analysis you are likely to use the following phrases and clichés:
The text is concerned with the diffi culties a young teacher faces.
The focus of the author’s attention is on the personality of Mrs. 
General.
In the text the author exposes the confl icts and problems Rosa and 
Andrew are experiencing.
The author shares his impressions of a short visit to Africa.
It deals with …
It presents / concerns /describes / depicts / portrays…
It is centred on…
The text is devoted to (the description of) … 
The text relates the story of …
The scene is laid in / set in …
The setting of the story is… / dates back to …
The author brings into focus / to light…
The author reveals / discloses …
The author penetrates into the inner world of … 

If you are unclear on specifying the subject-matter, have some 
practice in Block 2 ‘Theme and topic. Meaning and message’

And now it is time to characterize one more parameter of the text, 
which is its type. Each text is purposeful, in other words, it must serve 
a defi nite aim. When we classify texts pragmatically, that is, according to the writer’s main intentions, we should bear in mind that the 

communicative intention of the author manifests itself in the choice of 
language forms, which may logically lead you to the analysis of the linguistic features of the text. The following phrases may come in handy:
The text is a piece of narration / wholly narrative.
The text is a piece of description / wholly descriptive.
The text is a piece of argumentation / wholly argumentative. 
The text combines narration with description and elements of dialogue. 
The text is a successful combination of description and narration. 

If you are not sure how to treat the type of the text, go to Block 3 
‘Text Types’

The Body of Your Analysis 

At this point you have commented on the basic characteristics of 
the text and now you should concentrate on such elements of the text 
as point of view, characterization, plot and structure. When covering 
these issues you will have to specify how their choice affects the linguistic matter of the text. The study of the linguistic peculiarities of 
the text will take you to the next phase — the analysis of expressive 
means and stylistic devices of the language employed by the author for 
his / her artistic purposes, which is most likely to form the basic part 
of your analysis.
Point of view is a literary technique that an author handles with a 
specifi c purpose. For successful interpretation of a piece of fi ction it is 
vitally important to recognize various points of view and understand 
why a particular point of view is preferred. In other words, you have to 
identify the angle or perspective from which the story is told. It can be 
done with the help of the following phrases:
The story is told in the fi rst / third person singular.
The story is told from the point of view of …
The story is narrated by …
The events in the story are described / presented through the eyes 
of …
The events in the story are described / presented from the perspective of … 

If you do not quite understand this aspect of the literary text, 
address Block 4 ‘Point of View’

Another peculiarity of the text may be interlinked with the previous 
parameter and concerns means of characterization of the personages 
in literary contexts, or people in real-life contexts. If you are working 
with a piece of non-fi ction, chances are that the characters are presented explicitly; but in the art of fi ction character is probably the most 
diffi cult aspect to be discussed in technical terms, since there are different types of character and different ways of representing them. This 
can be demonstrated by a great variety of phrases aimed to help you:
The character is drawn / depicted / portrayed / shown….
The character is presented explicitly / implicitly. 
The character is rendered from inside his mind.
The character is viewed from outside by others. 
The character is presented from within / from without.
The character is presented against the background of the Second 
World War.
The author examines / explores / observes the character of …
The author reveals / unfolds the character of …
The author gives a psychological insight into the character.
The author employs a direct/ an indirect method of character 
drawing. 
The author opposes / juxtaposes his characters. 

Study the materials in Block 5 ‘Character and Characterization’ 
if you are confused about some of the terms

Even when you deal with an incomplete piece of work, it should 
be analyzed as a self-contained structural unit. The study of the structure and composition of the text, in other words, its architecture, is an 
important stage of your analysis. Structure is vital in both fi ction and 
non-fi ction because it satisfi es our need for order, balance and proportion. The design, or the form of the text, which the author has chosen 
to shape his or her ideas, can provide us with a clue to a better understanding of the author’s ideas. Thus, when examining the structure, we 
should concentrate on the patterns and repeated elements, since repetition signals important connections and relationships in the text. If you 
are interpreting a literary text based on action, it may be possible to 

identify the action elements of the work and even the stages of its plot. 
You may use the following phrases:
The action takes place in pre-war London.
The scene is laid in / set in … 
The setting of the story is … / dates back to … .
The action is fast-moving / slow-moving.
The events unfold dynamically / fast / slowly. 
The text / story is coherent; its elements are ordered / presented 
chronologically.
The exposition / opening paragraph introduces the scene/ sets the 
tone / mood for the whole story. 
The climax / turning-point occurs / is prepared by / immediately 
followed by …
The story has a surprise ending / a happy end / is open-ended.
The author keeps the reader in suspense.
The tension is growing... 
Even if it is impossible to trace the elements of the plot in the analyzed work, which refers to non-fi ction in particular, the structure and 
composition of the text should be identifi ed. Start with the phrase
The text falls / can be divided into … parts
and see where it will lead you to. You may continue with the specifi cation of the focus of each part. After that try to establish the links 
and the patterns of thought between the parts, this can result in some 
interesting observations, for instance, if you reveal that the ideas are 
presented in contrast.
The fi rst paragraph leads into a topic… / outlines the problems of …
The second paragraph outlines the possible solutions…
The third paragraph summarizes what has been said and makes a 
fi nal comment

For more information about the elements of the plot and rules of 
text-building, go to Block 6 ‘Architecture of the Text’

The central part of your analysis will be undoubtedly given to the 
use of expressive means and stylistic devices in the text. It is the 
particular manner of handling the language means which determines 
the effect of the whole work on the reader, since the choice and arrangement of all the linguistic elements of the text enables the author 
to communicate his ideas most successfully and controls the readers’