Five minutes slow

Text: an original contemporary opinion-column-style practice extract.

The clock in our rehearsal room was five minutes slow. On my first evening, the conductor tapped his baton beneath it and announced, “We begin at seven, not at seven according to that optimist.” Around the room, musicians raised their phones to consult brighter and more reliable numbers. Above them, the clock’s red second hand marched onwards, confidently wrong in public.

Nobody repaired it. Instead, we repaired our behaviour. Cases began to open when the wall clock showed ten to seven. Music started when it reached the hour, although every phone in the room insisted that the time was already five past. Gradually, the phones stayed inside pockets and bags. The clock’s error became a meeting place: we all knew where and when we meant, even if the rest of the town would have disagreed.

Then the caretaker replaced it. The new clock was exact. At seven precisely, half the chairs were empty. Players arrived five minutes later, glanced upwards and apologised. The conductor laughed, but waited for them before lifting his baton. The following week, the rehearsal notice gave the starting time as 7.05. We did not miss the old clock because it had been right. We missed it because we had learned one another around its mistake.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to interest and engage the reader.

In your answer, consider:

• language features and techniques
• structural techniques
• the effect on the reader.

Support your views with detailed reference to the extract.