Final answer:
Altering the tense, structure, or wording of a sentence can change its meaning. Consistency in verb tense and precision in structure preserve the sentence's intended message. Understanding subject, verb, and object roles helps in analyzing sentence meaning and tone.
Step-by-step explanation:
Identifying changes in sentences and explaining how these changes affect the meaning is a key skill in English language comprehension. In the example sentence 'It had a long strap and she carried it slung across her shoulder,' a change to this sentence could involve altering the tense, the structure, or the wording, which can significantly change its meaning.
For instance, changing the verb tense from past to present (e.g., 'It has a long strap and she carries it slung across her shoulder') shifts the timeframe in which the action occurs. Likewise, changing the sentence structure by adding a modifier or additional information (e.g., 'It had a long, frayed strap, and she carried it slung casually across her shoulder') provides more detail and could suggest a different attitude or situation involving the strap and its use. Therefore, consistency in verb tense and precision in structure are crucial for preserving the intended meaning of a sentence.
When analyzing sentences, like those in the comparison-and-contrast paragraph provided, it's important to think about the subject, verb, and object, along with any modifiers and their effects. This careful consideration allows for a better understanding of the underlying message and variations in tone that different sentence constructions can convey.