The clock in the square

Text: an original contemporary personal-account-style practice extract.

The chime began while I was still unfolding the programme. One note, then another, each arriving with the confidence of a door being shut. I checked my watch. It was four minutes fast; I checked it again anyway. The square’s clock had been silent since winter, and now a man in a work jacket stood beneath it with a clipboard, looking less like someone who had brought back time than someone waiting for it to behave.

A woman beside me lifted her phone, then lowered it before recording. The man made a mark on his clipboard. The notes came unevenly, with a gap where I expected the next one. A child counted under her breath. I had meant to cross the square before the chime finished, but found myself moving towards the railings, where the clock face was easier to see. The hands held their position while the sound picked its way through the hour.

When the final note came, I was already at the crossing. I did not turn round. At the kerb, I checked my watch: still four minutes fast. The traffic passed; the square behind me had gone quiet. I waited there until the clock began again.

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.