Syntax - Sentence Structure

Parallelism EX

-The company is looking for a candidate who is friendly, organized, meticulous, and punctual. -The participants in the workshop learned how to communicate, negotiate, and work collaboratively for the most effective outcome.

Anecdote

A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event. A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

Complex Sentence

A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Declarative

A sentence that makes a statement, provides a fact, offers an explanation, or conveys information.

Listing Syntax

A sentence with multiple phrases that create a list. (at least three).

Anaphora

the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences, commonly in conjunction with climax and with parallelism:

Chiasmus

the reversing of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases or sentences. This rhetorical device is also referred to as reverse parallelism or syntactical inversion

Asyndeton EX

-On his return he received medals, honors, treasures, titles, fame. -They spent the day wondering, searching, thinking, understanding. -He was a winner, a hero.

Basic Syntax

"Jillian hit the ball."

Epistrophe (also called antistrophe)

(also called antistrophe) forms the counterpart to anaphora, because the repetition of the same word or words comes at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences:

Epanalepsis EX

-"Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answer'd blows." (King John, II, i) -"As fire drives out fire, so pity pity—" -"The will, the will! we will hear Caesar's will." (Julius Caesar, III, ii)

Chiasmus EX

-"By day the frolic, and the dance by night." - Samuel Johnson -"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -"Those who have been left out, we will try to bring in. Those left behind, we will help to catch up." - Richard Nixon

Assonance EX

-"Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks." (Romeo and Juliet, V, iii) -The old man diminishes as he nears his finish.

Diascope EX

-"Put out the light, and then put out the light." (Othello, V, ii) -Diminish your anger, and then diminish your anger.

Hyperbaton EX

-"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." (Measure for Measure, II, i) -Fly not; stand stiff (Julius Caesar, III, i)

Epimone EX

-"Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him I have offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If any speak; for him have I offended." (Julius Caesar, III,ii)

Periodic Syntax EX

-Despite the blinding snow, the freezing temperatures, and the heightened threat of attack from polar bears, [the team continued]. (In this example, the main independent clause [shaded] is at the end.) -When I was shopping in the town yesterday, [I saw Mike!] (Here, the main clause is at the end and the key word is the last word. This is deliberate as it creates impact.)

Simple Sentences EX

-I cannot drink warm milk. -A day without sunshine is like night. -Only the mediocre are always at their best.

Compound Sentence EX

-I want the sporty red car, but I will lease the practical blue one. -She did not cheat on the test, for it was the wrong thing to do. -It was a difficult assignment; however, Kelly was up to the challenge.

Inverted Syntax EX

-In the woods I am walking -A pie Mary baked.

Anadiplosis EX

-The question next arises, How much confidence can we put in the people, when the people have elected Joe Doax? -This treatment plant has a record of uncommon reliability, a reliability envied by every other water treatment facility on the coast. -Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,/ Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain

Cumulative/Loose Syntax EX

-The student sat quietly, trembling at the thought of writing an essay. -The hounds continued to bray—uncontrollably, maddeningly, horribly. -Nothing could deflect that wall of water, sweeping away trees and boulders, engulfing streets and villages, churning and roaring like a creature in pain.

Polysyndeton EX

-They read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and played and talked and flunked. -The water, like a witch's oils, / Burnt green, and blue, and white.

Anaphora EX

-To think on death it is a misery,/ To think on life it is a vanity;/ To think on the world verily it is,/ To think that here man hath no perfect bliss. -In books I find the dead as if they were alive; in books I foresee things to come; in books warlike affairs are set forth; from books come forth the laws of peace.

Epistrophe (also called antistrophe) EX

-Where affections bear rule, there reason is subdued, honesty is subdued, good will is subdued, and all things else that withstand evil, for ever are subdued. -And all the night he did nothing but weep Philoclea, sigh Philoclea, and cry out Philoclea.

Compound-Complex Sentence EX

-While I was sleeping, my daughter woke me up because she had a nightmare. -I went shopping, but I forgot my shopping list even though it was next to my car keys. -I got angry when my boss yelled at me, so I quit, yet I should have remained calm.

Complex Sentence EX

-[Stay in the bath] until the phone rings. -[Both the cockroach and the bird would get along very well without us], although the cockroach would miss us most. -When I lost all my friends, [I became a people-watcher]. -[I became a people-watcher] when I lost all my friends.

Compound-Complex Sentence

A compound-complex sentence has two or more independent clause(s) and at least one dependent clause. This sentence type can be a bit confusing to identify since compound-complex sentences are pretty long.

Cumulative/Loose Syntax

A cumulative sentence (also sometimes called a loose sentence) is an independent clause followed by one or more modifiers. Essentially, you use words, phrases, and clauses to expand on or refine the main idea of the sentence. A cumulative or loose sentence is a type of parallel sentence which builds through parallel constructions (dependent phrases or clauses) after a main clause. Remember: in the cumulative sentence, the main clause (with the subject and verb) comes first.

Simple Sentences

A sentence that consists of just one independent clause. A simple sentence has no dependent clauses. (An independent clause (unlike a dependent clause) can stand alone as a sentence.)

Interrupted Syntax

A sentence that is interrupted by a parenthetical aside

Appeal to Ethos

An appeal to a person's character, credibility, sincerity, or trustworthiness; an appeal to ethics

Ellipsis Omission

An ellipsis that indicates the omission of one or more words within a sentence consists of three spaced dots.

Appeal to Pathos

Appeal to emotion, an appeal to feelings rather than to strict reason; a legitimate ploy in an argument as long as it is not excessively or exclusively used.

Interrogative

Asks a direct question and is punctuated at the end with a question mark.

Asyndeton

Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list of items, it gives the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account

Epimone

Frequent repetition of a phrase or question; dwelling on a point

Compound Sentence

Has at least two independent clauses that have related ideas. The independent clauses can be joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or by a semicolon. In either case, each half of the sentence must be able to stand on its own as a complete sentence. That means each half needs a subject and a verb.

Exclamatory

Makes a statement that conveys strong emotion or excitement.

Parallelism

Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other. On the word level, a noun should be grouped with other nouns, an adjective with other adjectives, and so on.

Anadiplosis

Repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next. it can be generated in series for the sake of beauty or to give a sense of logical progression:

Epanalepsis

Repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning of the clause

Diascope

Repetition broken up by one or more intervening words or phrases

Assonance

Repetition or similarity of the same internal vowel sound in words of close proximity

Inverted Syntax

Reversing the normal word order of a sentence. A sentence constructed so that the predicate comes before the subject

Hyperbaton

Separation of words which belong together, often to emphasize the first of the separated words or to create a certain image.

Antithesis EX

That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

Basic Syntax

The basic spelling and grammar of a language that must be carefully paid attention to in order for code to properly execute. Syntax is the order or arrangement of words and phrases to form proper sentences. The most basic syntax follows a subject + verb + direct object formula.

Polysyndeton

The use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton. The rhetorical effect of polysyndeton, however, often shares with that of asyndeton a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up.

Imperative

Used to issue a command or instruction, make a request, or offer advice. Basically, they tell people what to do.

Appeal to Logos

When a writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics, facts, and reasons. An appeal to logic

Antithetic Parallelism

a form of parallelism where the meaning of two or more excerpts of text are observed, although directly linked by providing the same meaning from differing perspectives

Periodic Syntax

s a sentence that has been deliberately structured to place the main point at the end. Therefore, a periodic sentence will have its main clause or predicate as the last part.

Antithesis

two elements of a sentence are placed in contrast to one another. This opposition is clearest when a writer puts the ideas in parallel positions.