Sentence Composition
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Ancient Sentence Composition
Ancient rhetoricians used different terms than those used in modern times. While today we think in terms of clauses and sentences, they thought in terms of periods, colons and commas.
Periods
A period was a simple string of words that could stand on its own and still have meaning. The parts, called members, were considered to make up a whole. For example, I like pink. "I like pink" is able to stand on its own and retain the same meaning it would if it were attached to another period--I like pink; it is my favorite color.
Colon
A colon was a sentence with parts or sections that make sense when taken as a whole but lose meaning when taken separately. For example, On one hand you are helping your friend and on the other hand you are helping your enemy.
Commas
A comma was a part of a sentence that contained phrases or words that were set apart by pauses. This included lists along with simple pauses. In modern English, "commas" are set apart by punctuation, whether it be a comma or a semicolon.
For example: This class uses twitter, a wiki, and other forms of modern technology.
In the above example, "twitter", "a wiki", and "and other forms of modern technology" are all separate commas.
Styles of Sentences
Paratactic
Paratactic sentences are also referred to as loose sentences. These sentences, as noted in class, often use natural word order that a speaker is comfortable with. Aristotle thought that a style consisting of only loose sentences seemed like the parts were just tacked together and had no natural pauses. He also thought that the sentences only stop because the speaker or writer has no more to say about a subject.
This style is used today for conversation, informal letters, and many electronic forms of communication.
Periodic
Periodic sentences are tighter and more carefully constructed, with individual units of speech clearly set apart from each other. These sentences have a clear, definite structure. When reading a periodic sentence, readers feel as if the sentence is rounded off as opposed to just cut off. The main point of the sentence doesn't come at the beginning, as with loose sentences, but is distributed throughout several different parts. Some later rhetoricians felt that the meaning or point of a periodic sentence should be held off until the final member. They also specified that a period should contain no more than four members, because while it is possible to have an infinite number of members, it would be excessive to do so.
Types of Sentences
There are four different types of sentences.
- Declarative
- Interrogative
- Imperative
- Exclamative
Declarative
These sentences are used to make a statement. The speaker is usually committed to the truth of the sentence.
Example:
The dog is running.
It was raining yesterday.
Interrogative
These sentences are used to elicit information. There are several types of interrogative sentences.
- Yes/No Questions
These are questions that ONLY require a yes/no answer. They are created by putting an aux. verb at the beginning of the sentence.
Example:
Will you leave?
Do you like dancing?
- Wh Questionshttp://emuonline.edu/re/DotNextLaunch.asp?courseid=3994322The
These are questions that require more than a yes/no answer. They are created by beginning the sentence with who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Example:
What time are we leaving?
Who do you want to go with to the movies?
- Rising Intonation Questions
These are regular declarative sentences that are turned into a question by putting rising intonation in the last word.
Example:
You are going with "me".
That is what you are "wearing".
Imperative
These sentences are commands. The speaker wants something done and the listener is implied to be the one doing it, which is why the subject is left out of the sentence.
Example:
Clean your room.
Go to bed.
Exclamative
These sentences are used to make an exclamation.
Example:
What big nose you have!
Oh, what an amazing party!
Modern Sentence Composition
Sentence Composition
A sentence consists typically of two parts: a noun and a verb. The grammatical rules for combining these individual parts into sentences is called syntax.
Noun
A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Jack, Seattle, dishwasher, and kangaroo are all examples of nouns. WHile some nows refer to things we can physically see and there, there are other nouns called abstract nouns. The distinction arises from a question of tangibility. We can physically interact with standard nouns--we can shake hands with Jack, explore Seattle, load a dishwasher, and pet a kangaroo (hypothetically speaking). When dealing with subjects such as philosophy, mathematics, or even noun, we're talking about abstract concepts. They are still nouns, just a different class.
Verb
We commonly think of a verb as any action asserted by the subject or a state of being. "Jack drives." is a perfectly adequate example of a simple noun-verb composition. And while verbs do denote an action of some sort, we distinguish between three different types[1]:
- Actions, as in "Jack drives."
- Events/Occurrences , as in "The caterpillar changes into a butterfly."
- States of being, as in "I am the walrus."
Sentence Types
Simple
A simple sentence is one that contains no conjunction and has a single clause. For example, Sam likes coffee.
Compound
A compound sentence joins two or more thoughts using a conjunction. For example, Grace likes coffee and tea.
Complex
A complex sentence is one that contains one or more independent clause and a dependent clause. For example, Grace likes tea although Sam does not.
References
Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. N.p.: n.p., 2008. 237-41. Print.
