Syntax Flashcards
Sentence length
Refers to the number of words in a sentence
Ex. 1 - Different lengths are needed for different stories.
Ex. 2 - She ran.
Anaphora
The repetition of words or phrases in a group of sentences, clauses, or poetic lines
Ex. 1 - I have a dream speech
Ex. 2 - The bible
Antithesis
Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure
Ex. 1 - Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind
Ex. 2 - Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like her
Asyndeton
Figure of omission in which normally occurring conjunctions (and, or, but, for, nor, so, yet) are intentionally omitted in successive phrases, or clauses
Ex. 1 - He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a maniac
Ex. 2 - The air was thick, warm, heavy, sluggish
Polysyndeton
Figure of addition and emphasis which intentionally employs a series of conjunctions (and, or, but, for, nor, so, yet) not normally found in successive words, phrases, or clauses
Ex. 1 - Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers
Ex. 2 - I don’t want this or this or that or this
Parallel sentence
A rhetorical device that consists of repetition among adjacent sentences or clauses
Ex. 1 - Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle
Ex. 2 - The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game.
Loose sentence
A sentence in which the principal clause comes first and subordinate modifiers or trailing elements follow
Ex. 1 - I went to the movies yesterday, bought candy, and shopped at the mall.
Ex. 2 - I knew I had found a friend in the woman, who herself was a lonely soul, never having known the love of man or child.
Periodic sentence
A usually complex sentence that has no subordinate or trailing elements following its principal clause
Ex. 1 - In spite of heavy snow and cold temperatures, the game continued
Ex. 2 - Yesterday while I was walking down the street, I saw him
Rhetorical question
A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer
Ex. 1 - Who wouldn’t want to be a millionaire?
Ex. 2 - Wouldn’t you feel happier if you could wear what you wanted to school?
Inverted syntax
A style of writing that places unexpected emphasis on objects or verbs in sentences
Ex. 1 - Down the street lived the man and his wife without anyone suspecting that they were really spies for a foreign power
Ex. 2 - Never again will you do that
Alliteration
Repetition of the same letter or sound within nearby words. Most often, repeated initial consonants
Ex. 1 - Why not waste a wild weekend at Westmore Water Park?
Ex. 2 - Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Assonance
Repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words
Ex. 1 - The sergeant asked him to bomb the lawn with hotpots.
Ex. 2 - He eats the sweet treats
Consonance
The repetition of consonants in words stressed in the same place (but whose vowels differ).
Ex. 1 - I will crawl away with the ball
Ex. 2 - Mike likes his new bike
