Language

Style of language

The short story “I Spy” by Graham Greene is written in a formal style. The narration does not use slang or contractions; for instance: “It was too dark to see his way, and he did not dare touch the switch.” (p. 41, ll. 12-13). The vocabulary is also fairly advanced, with words rarely used in everyday conversation, such as “wraith” (p. 40, l. 19) – here meant to express his father’s vague presence, “spasmodically” (p. 40-41, ll. 19-1), or“boisterous” (p. 41, l. 2).

The language in the text is often used to create suspense. There are a lot of verbs of action, such as “crept down” (p. 41, l. 8), “grab” (p. 41, l. 17), “dive” (p. 41, l. 18). The atmosphere of suspense is also created by Charlie’s feelings of fear and uncertainty: he had “no sense of safety” (p. 41, l. 8), he “sat in despair” (p. 41, l. 13), he “held his breath (...) heart beating, and he clutche...