telegraphic sentence
shorter than 5 words
short sentence
approximately 5 words in length
medium sentence
approximately 18 words in length
long sentence
long and involved – 30 words or more length
declarative sentence
Makes a statement, assertive
declarative sentence example
The king is sick.
imperative sentence
gives a command,
authoritative,
imperative sentence example
Cure the king!
interrogative sentence
asks a question,
questioning
interrogative sentence example
Is the king sick?
exclamatory sentence
makes an exclamation,
emotional
exclamatory sentence example
The king is dead; long live the king!
simple sentence
contains one subject and one verb
has only one main, complete thought
simple sentence example
The singer bowed to her adoring audience.
compound sentence
contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinate conjunction (and, but, or) or by a semicolon
has two or more main, complete thoughts. Two or more simple sentences are joined, usually with or, but, or and.
compound sentence example
The singer bowed to the audience, but she sang no encores.
complex sentence
has one simple sentence and one or more clauses. These clauses are connected to the simple sentence with words like because, while, when, if, as, although, since, unless, after, so, which, who, and that.
contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses
complex sentence example
After she bowed to the audience, the singer sang an encore.
compound-complex sentence
a combination of the above
contains two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses
compound-complex sentence example
The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores.
Loose sentence
makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending
Loose sentence example
We reached Edmonton that morning after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences.
Periodic sentence
makes sense only when the end of the sentence is reached
Periodic sentence example
That morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton.
Balanced sentence
the phrases and clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length
Balanced sentence example
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters
Natural order of a sentence
involves constructing a sentence so the subject comes before the predicate
Natural order of a sentence example
Oranges grow in California.
Inverted order of a sentence (sentence inversion)
involves constructing a sentence so the predicate comes before the subject (this is a device in which normal sentence patterns are reversed to create an emphatic or rhythmic effect)
Inverted order of a sentence (sentence inversion) example
In California grow oranges.
Split order of a sentence
divides the predicate into two parts with the subject coming in the middle
Split order of a sentence example
In California oranges grow.
Juxtaposition
a poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit
Juxtaposition example
The apparition of these faces in the crowd; /Petals on a wet, black bough.
Parallel structure (parallelism)
refers to a grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence; it involves an arrangement of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs so that elements of equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased
Parallel structure (parallelism) example
He was walking, running and jumping for joy.
Repetition
a device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once to enhance rhythm and create emphasis
Repetition example
“…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”
Rhetorical question
a question that expects no answer; it is used to draw attention to a point and is generally stronger than a direct statement
Rhetorical question example
If Mr. Ferchoff is always fair, as you have said, why did he refuse to listen to Mrs. Baldwin’s arguments?
Rhetorical fragment
a sentence fragment used deliberately for a persuasive purpose or to create a desired effect
Rhetorical fragment example
Something to consider.
Anaphora
the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses
Anaphora
“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills.”
Asyndeton
a deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses
Asyndeton example
“I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Chiasmus/
Antimetabole
a sentence strategy in which the arrangement of ideas in the second clause is a reversal of the first
Chiasmus/Antimetabole example
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”
Polysyndeton
the deliberate use of many conjunctions for special emphasis to highlight quantity or mass of detail or to create a flowing, continuous sentence pattern
Polysyndeton example
The meal was huge – my mother fixed okra and green beans and ham and apple pie and green pickled tomatoes and ambrosia salad and all manner of fine country food – but no matter how I tried, I could not consume it to her satisfaction.
Stichomythia
dialogue in which the endings and beginnings of each line echo each other, taking on a new meaning with each new line
Stichomythia example
“Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended.
Mother, you have my father much offended.”
Zeugma
the use of the verb that has two different meanings with objects that complement both meanings
Zeugma example
He stole both her car and her heart that fateful night.
Ellipses
a trailing off; equally etc.; going off into a dreamlike state
Dash
interruption of a thought; an interjection of a thought into another
Semicolon
parallel ideas; equal ideas; a piling up of detail
Colon
a list; a definition or explanation; a result
Italics
for emphasis
Capitalization
for emphasis
Exclamation Point
for emphasis; for emotion