Synthesis Terms quiz

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