| Term | Definition |
|---|
| syntax | the manner in which a speaker or author constructs a sentence to effect what the audience understands |
| telegraphic sentence | less than 5 words |
| short sentence | around 5 words |
| medium sentence | about 18 words |
| long sentence | 30 or more words |
| declaritive sentence | making a statement; ends in a period |
| imperitive sentence | gives a command; ends in an exclamation or period |
| interrogative sentence | asks a question; ends in a question mark |
| exclamatory sentence | provides emphasis or expresses strong emotion; ends in an exclamation |
| simple sentence | contains 1 independent clause |
| compound sentence | 2 independent clauses |
| complex sentence | contains 1 independent clause & 1 or more subordinate clauses |
| compound complex sentence | 2 or more independent clauses & 1 or more subordinate clauses |
| cumulative or loose sentence | makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending |
| periodic sentence | only makes sense when the end of the sentence is reached |
| balanced sentence | phrases & clauses balance each other through their likenss in structure, meaning, and length |
| natural order | a sentence in which the subject comes before the predicate |
| inverted order | a sentence in which the predicate comes before the subject |
| juxtaposition | a poetic & rhetorical devise in which normally unassociated ideas, words or phrases are placed next to one another creating an atmosphere of surprise or wit |
| parallel structure | gramatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence; involves a very specific arrangement of words, phrases, sentences, and paragrapshs so that each element gets equal importance and are equally developed and are similary phrased |
| repetition | a device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once to inhance rhythm and create emphasis |
| rhetorical question | a question that requires no answer; draws attention to a point and is more powerful than a statement |
| rhetorical fragment | sentence fragment used for a persuasive purpose or to create a desired affect |
| anaphora | the repitition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses |
| asyndaton | a delibrate ommission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses |
| chiasmus | the arrangements of the ideas in the second clause is a reversal of the first |
| polysyndaton | exact opposite of asyndaton; highlights mass of detail or creates a flowing pattern |
| stichomythia | dialogue in which the endings and beginnings of each line echo each other by using the same words |
| zeugma | where a verb has 2 different meanings with objects that compliment both meanings |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace