Introduction

This is not such a silly question as it might at first appear. Some people say Shakespeare wasn't clever enough to write them. Some say they were written by Francis Bacon.

Several centuries ago two people, Madison and Hamilton, wrote some essays about the American constitution. At the time they did not tell other people who wrote which essay.

A few years later they fell out, and there were disputes as to who wrote which essay.

Statistics can help, and in this unit you will learn how to look for statistical clues.

You will study two passages and see what they can tell us about the way the authors wrote.

You will compare the lengths of the words in each passage. You will also compare the lengths of the sentences used. The first passage is analysed for you. The second passage you will do yourself.

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