Does the sentence length fit the
subject matter; what varieties of lengths are present? Why is the sentence
length effective?
2. Examine sentence patterns. Some elements to be
considered are:
A declarative
(assertive) sentence makes a statement, e.g., The king is sick. An imperative
sentence gives a command, e.g., Off with their heads.
An interrogative sentence asks a question, e.g., Why is the
king sick?
An exclamatory sentence makes and exclamation, e.g., The king
is dead!
A simple sentence
contains one subject and one verb, e.g., The singer bowed to her adoring
audience.
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a
coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), or by a semicolon, e.g., The singer bowed
to the audience, but she sang no encores.
A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or
more subordinate clauses, e.g., You said that you would tell the truth.
A compound-complex sentence contains two or more principal
clauses and one or more subordinate clauses, e.g., The singer owed while the
audience applauded, but she sang no encores.
A loose sentence makes complete sense if brought to a close
before the actual ending, e.g., We reached Edmonton/that morning/after a
turbulent flight/and some exciting experiences.
A periodic sentence makes sense only when the end of the
sentence is reached, e.g., That morning, after a turbulent flight and some
exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton.
In a balanced sentence, the phrases or clauses balance each other by
virtue of their likeness or structure, meaning, and/or length, e.g., 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, e.g., Oranges grow in California. Inverted
order of a sentence (sentence inversion) involves constructing a sentence
so the predicate comes before the subject, e.g., In California grow oranges.
This device, in which normal sentence patterns are reversed, creates an
emphatic or rhythmic effect.
Split order of a
sentence divides the predicate into two parts with the subject coming in the
middle, e.g., In California oranges grow.
Juxtaposition is a poetic and rhetorical device which normally
unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating
an effect of surprise and with, e.g., The apparition of those faces in the
crowd;/Petals on a wet, black bough (“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra
Pound).
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 or
equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased, e.g., He was
walking, running, and jumping for joy.
Repetition is a device in which words, sounds, and ideas are
used more than once for the purpose of enhancing rhythm and creating emphasis,
e.g., ...government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not
perish from the earth (“Address at Gettysburg” by A. Lincoln). Also:
Anaphora – repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of
successive clauses, e.g. 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. (Winston Churchill)
A rhetorical question is a question which expects no answer.
It is used to draw attention to a point and is generally stronger than a direct
statement, e.g., If Mr. Ferchoff is always fair, as you have said, why did he
refuse to listen to Mrs. Baldwin's arguments?
3. Examine the sentence
beginnings. Is there a good variety or does a pattern emerge?
4. Examine the arrangement
of ideas in a sentence. Are they set out in a special way for a
purpose?
5. Examine the arrangement
of ideas in a paragraph to see if there is evidence of any pattern or
structure.