Read the following passage:
i had waited so long for robert to return home, and i
realized that his coming come would likely take a miracle. i
should have been thrilled. but it wasn't robert who
returned from vietnam. he had become someone else.
ghosts had followed him home and turned him into
something he wasn't before. there was no fire in his eyes,
no warmth in his touch. just an angry, hollow shell that
looked like someone i used to know.
what is one way the author's word choice contributes to the tone of this
passage?

repetition is used to emphasize a feeling or idea, create rhythm, and/or develop a sense of urgency.

the sentence does not violate the phrase structure second rule (introduced by noam chomsky) because noun phrases consist of a determiner such as a, the or every, and a noun. in the sentence, the noun phrase the cake includes a determiner (the) and a noun (cake).

on the other hand, the first rule indicates that a sentence encloses a noun phrase, followed by a verb phrase. the example sentence can be analysed as follows:

john (n) + ate (v) + the (det) + cake (n).