1.
anadiplosis: the repetition of the last group of words at the beginning of the following clause (ties the sentence to it's surroundings)
"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." - Yoda, Star Wars Episode I
2.
anaphora: repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses
"Butterflies in the air. Butterflies on my hair. Butterflies everywhere."
3.
antithetical sentence: contains two statements which are balanced, but opposite
"[sigh] Sisters. When you're down, they pull you up. When you're up, they push you down."
4.
asyndeton: deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses
"He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a maniac." - On the Road, 1957
5.
balanced sentence: the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length
"Everything was fine. We had eaten a good lunch."
6.
Chiasmus (Antimetabole): sentence construction in which the arrangement of ideas in the second clause is the reversal of the first
"The purpose of fiction is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
7.
complex sentence: contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses
"While the deer frolicked through the forest, the wolf watched from its cave."
8.
compound sentence: two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon
"The deer ran through the forest, and leaped over the stream."
9.
compound-complex sentence: contains two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses
"While the deer frolicked through the forest, the wolf watched from its cave, but it decided that the deer was too happy to bother at the present time."
10.
declarative: makes a statement or proclamation
"I have a stick."
11.
ellipsis: the deliberate omission of words or words which are readily implied by context, it creates an elegant or daring economy of words
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something."
- Plato
12.
epanalypsis: Word or phrase at the beginning of a clause repeated at the end of a clause
"He's completely unnoticeable, and the only reason people take notice of him is because he's completely unnoticeable."
13.
epistorphe: the repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses; sets up a pronounced rhythm and gains a special emphasis by putting the word at the end of the phrase and by repeating it.
"She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set up to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised... so we're all men of our word really. Except for Elizabeth who is, in fact, a woman." - Capt. Jack Sparrow
14.
exclamatory: provides emphasis or expresses strong emotion
"Good boy! How quickly you fetched the stick!"
15.
imperative: gives a command
"Get the stick, boy!"
16.
interrogative: asks a question
"See the stick?"
17.
Inverted order: construction of a sentence so that the predicate comes before the subject
"Impossible to see is the future."
18.
Juxtaposition: poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, often creating an effect of surprise and wit
"The two angry dogs, my uncle and my father, sat arguing and fighting and gnashing their teeth."
19.
long and involved sentence: sentence with 30 words or more in length
"So, Kimberly told me to tell you that Kendall told her to tell me to tell you to give her the chocolate chip cookie, or she will throw a hissy fit."
20.
loose (cumulative) sentence: makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual end of the sentence.
"I baked Annie Hohlt some cookies after fighting crime, taking a nap, and handing out gift baskets to the furry woodland creatures of the woods who needed some extra foodstuffs for the cold winter ahead."
21.
medium sentence: sentence approximately 18 words in length
"Beatrice Hermann, you give me that cookie right now!"
22.
Natural order: a sentence constructed so that the subject comes before the predicate
"My cat sleeps under my bed."
23.
parallel structure (parallelism): grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence. involves arrangement of words phrases and sentences so that elements of equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased
"He enjoyed dancing, singing, and horse-back riding."
24.
periodic sentence: makes sense fully only when the end of the sentence is reached
"After ending the war between dogs and cats, leaping tall buildings in a single bound, and having a conversation with J Filardo about knitting patterns, I baked Annie Hohlt some cookies."
25.
polysyndeton: the deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis
- to highlight quantity or mass of detail
- to create a flowing, continuous sentence pattern
- slows the pace of the sentence
"Most motor-cars are conglomerations (this is a long word for bundles) of steel and wire and rubber and plastic, and electricity and oil and petrol and water, and the candy wrappers you pushed down the crack in the back seat last Sunday."
26.
repetition: a device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once to enhance rhythm and create emphasis
"We listened to the thunder. We listened to the wind. We listened until we couldn't stand listening anymore, so we listened to Sidney Bechet." (Sidenote- Sidney Bechet is a fantastic trumpeter. Look him up when you have the chance.)
27.
rhetorical fragment: a sentence fragment used deliberately for persuasive purpose or thought provocation
"Something to consider."
or
"I'll find him. And when I do..."
28.
rhetorical question: a question that requires no answer. used to draw attention to a point. generally stronger than a direct statement
"Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who would want to live in an institution?" (I think he means as in a mental institution q.e.d. an asylum. lol.)
29.
short sentence: sentence approximately 5 words in length
"I would like a cookie."
30.
simple sentence: contains one independent clause
"The deer ran through the forest."
31.
Stichomythia: a dialogue in which endings and beginnings of each line echo each other
LADY ANNE: I would I knew thy heart.
GLOUCESTER: 'Tis figured in my tongue.
LADY ANNE: I fear me both are false.
GLOUCESTER: Then never man was true.
LADY ANNE: Well, well, put up your sword.
GLOUCESTER: Say, then, my peace is made.
-Richard III (good play. don't watch it after sundown by yourself, though. get's a lil freaky.)
32.
telegraphic sentence: sentence shorter than 5 words in length
"Give me the cookie."
33.
Zeugma: the use of a verb that has 2 different meanings with objects that complement both meanings
"You are free to execute your laws, and your criminals, as you see fit."
