The clock above the hall
Text: an original contemporary personal-essay-style practice extract.
The village clock had lost four minutes a day for as long as anyone could remember. I noticed this only when I arrived early to help the caretaker wind it. Its face looked certain from the square; beside the mechanism, with its brass wheels and one stubborn hand, certainty seemed less convincing.
The caretaker showed me where to turn the key. I expected the clock to begin keeping perfect time at once. Instead, its next chime sounded thin and late, and the caretaker tapped the casing as if greeting an old colleague. We adjusted the mechanism by degrees, then waited. There was no clever shortcut: the clock had to be checked again the following morning.
A week later, the chime reached the square almost on time. Nobody stopped to congratulate us. A child crossed the road at the sound, and the caretaker put the key away. I had thought the task was to make the clock exact. Now I listened for the small difference between a machine that worked and one that had become part of the village’s day.
Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to interest and engage the reader.
In your answer, consider:
Support your views with detailed reference to the extract.