Unit 1: Syntax and Sentence Types

Parallelism

Sentences or parts of a sentence that are arranged grammatically similar to one another

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or group of words at the the beginning of successive clauses or sentences

Epistrophe

Repetition of the same word or group of words at the END of successive clauses

Epanalepsis

Repetition where the words at the start of a sentence or clause are repeated at the end of the same clause.

Anadiplosos

Repetition of the last word of one sentence into the next sentence

Epizeuxis

Repetition of words back to back for emphasis

Chiasmus

Reversal in the order of the words in two parallel sentences. “You can take the soldier out of war, but you can’t take the war out of the soldier.”

Polysyndeton

Use of several conjunctions in close succession

Asyndeton

Conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a succession of clauses or series

Loose Sentence

The main clause / independent clause is followed by a subordinate clause

Periodic Sentence

The main clause is withheld until the end of the sentence

Hypotactic Sentence

The placements of clauses one after another with the use of subordinate clauses

Paratactic Sentence

The placing of clauses one after another without the use of conjunctions. “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Inverted Syntax

Reversing the natural subject/predicate order of a sentence

Anacoluthon

Interruption in a sentence. Often used in dialogue.

Litotes

Understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by its opposite.

Zeugma

One word (usually a verb or adjective) applies to two others in different senses. “He lost his coat and his temper.”

Elliptical sentence

one or more words are deliberately left out because they are already understood from the context

Hortative Sentence

a sentence that urges or entreats the listener to take action, often using imperative language.

Segregated Sentence

a sequence of short, independent sentences.

Triadic sentence

a sentence that consists of three clearly defined parts of equal length, importance, or grammatical structure