Syntax Cheat Sheet

Declarative

Declarative

assertive - a statement

Imperative

authoritative - command

Interrogative

asks a question

Exclamatory

expresses emotion

Simple Sentence

one subject and one verb

Example: The dog barks.

Effect: child-like quality; highlights certain things as important against a background of other things (when used after a string of longer sentences)

Compound Sentence

more than one subject and/or verb (no dependent clauses)

Example: The dog barks, and then it goes to sleep. OR The dog barks; I want earplugs.

Effect: balance; makes two ideas equal in importance

Complex Sentence

one independent and 1+ clauses

Example: After the dog barks, it goes to sleep.

Effect: orders ideas into main and subordinate ideas: the main or most important idea is the independent (main) clause while the subordinate idea is the dependent (subordinate) clause

Compound-Complex Sentence

2+ independent clauses and 1+ dependent clauses

Example: After the dog barks, it goes to sleep, and I remove my earplugs.

Effect: readers see 2 independent clauses are of equal importance, while one or both are further qualified by the dependent clause

Ellipses ...

a trailing off; going off into a dreamlike state

Dash --

Informal interruption of a thought; an interjection of a thought into another (parenthesis are more formal)

Semicolon ;

parallel ideas; equal ideas; a piling up of detail

Italics

for emphasis

Colon :

a list; a definition or explanation; a result

Capitalization

for emphasis; to personify

Exclamation Point !

for emphasis; for emotion

Telegraphic

Five words or less

Effect: blunt or a brief insight.

Loose (Cumulative) Sentence

details after the subject and verb, which are at the beginning

Effect: reader knows the main action from the beginning; all the modifiers (description) serve to elaborate; also allows the writer to mass attributes/ideas that seem to "sprout" from the main clause

Periodic (Climactic) Sentence

details before the subject and verb, which are at the period

Effect: builds up to a climax with meaning unfolding slowly

Parallelism

show equal ideas; for emphasis; for rhythm

Faulty parallelism

If this is ignored, the grammar and coherence of the clause is ruined. (The author uses this intentionally: In the Catcher in the Rye, Salinger used poor grammar to represent how Holden did not fully develop.)

Isocolon

Exists when parallel structures have the same number of words and sometimes of syllables.

Parenthesis & Dashes

Insertion of some verbal unit in a position that interrupts the normal flow of the sentence.

Climax

Exists when the arrangement of parallel words, phrases, or clauses is in an order of increasing importance. (=the most important/impactful things in the list)

Antithesis

"The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure" (Corbett 429). Conjunctions that express it include but, yet, and while.

It can occur when the wording contrasts, when the sense of the statement contrasts, or when both contrast.

Juxtaposition

Normally unassociated--often opposite ideas, words or, phrases placed together, often in parallel structure, to emphasize their differences.

Anaphora

"Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginnings of successive clauses" (Corbett 437).

Antimetabole

"Repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order" (Corbett 442).

Chiasmus

"Reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses " (but without the repetition of words) (Corbett 443).

Polyptoton

"Repetition of words from the same root" of or the same word used as a different part of speech (Corbett 443).

Polysyndeton

the repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses

anastrophe or inversion

The inversion of natural word order--Natural word order means: subject + predicate + object. (poetic)

Apposition

Placing side by side two nouns, the second of which serves as an explanation of the first.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between a series of related clauses.

Ellipsis

Deliberate omission of a word or words implied by context

Rhetorical question

A question that conveys a point rather than expects an answer.