periodic sentence
Suspense-building syntax structure
A periodic sentence withholds its main point until the end, building through subordinate clauses or phrases before delivering the complete thought.
The structure creates suspense and emphasis: After years of struggle, countless setbacks, and moments of doubt, she finally succeeded.
The opposite of a loose sentence, which states its point first and then elaborates.
Following strict protocol
- literaryOf written works
- elevatedRaised above usual level
- academicRelating to education or theory
- scholarlyMarked by serious learning
elaborate · ornate · eloquent · sophisticated · polished · crafted · deliberate · artful
Rules for arranging words
- structureArrangement of interconnected parts
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- culminationHighest or final point
- main clauseSelf-sufficient sentence portion
subordination · delay · buildup · payoff · resolution · conclusion · Ciceronian · oratorical
State of awaiting something
- tensionStretched or strained state
- withholdingKeeping from another
- delayEnforced waiting period
- protractionLengthening in duration
buildup · uncertainty · expectation · dramatic · reveal · postponement · deferral · prolongation
Matching structural elements
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- anaphoraRepeated opening words
- chiasmusInverted parallel construction
- tricolonThree-part rhetorical structure
polysyndeton · amplification · accumulation · copiousness · rhetorical device · scheme · figure of speech
Clause requiring another clause
- dependent clauseIncomplete grammatical unit needing support
- main clauseSelf-sufficient sentence portion
- embeddedSet firmly within something
- inversionReversal of position
front-loading · modification · appositive · grammatical · compound-complex · word order · parsing
formal
Following strict protocol
scholarly · elaborate · ornate · eloquent · sophisticated · polished · crafted · deliberate · artful · measured
syntax
Rules for arranging words
- structureArrangement of interconnected parts
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- culminationHighest or final point
main clause · subordination · delay · buildup · payoff · resolution · conclusion · Ciceronian · oratorical · eloquence
anticipation
State of awaiting something
- tensionStretched or strained state
- withholdingKeeping from another
- delayEnforced waiting period
protraction · buildup · uncertainty · expectation · dramatic · reveal · postponement · deferral · prolongation · suspenseful
parallelism
Matching structural elements
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- anaphoraRepeated opening words
- chiasmusInverted parallel construction
tricolon · polysyndeton · amplification · accumulation · copiousness · rhetorical device · scheme · figure of speech
subordinate clause
Clause requiring another clause
- dependent clauseIncomplete grammatical unit needing support
- main clauseSelf-sufficient sentence portion
- embeddedSet firmly within something
inversion · front-loading · modification · appositive · grammatical · compound-complex · word order · parsing
- rhetoricrhetoric, persuasion, oratory, argumentation, debate
- sentencesdeclarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, statement
- Greek rhetoricDemosthenes, Antiphon, rhetor, ethos, pathos
- sentence structurecompound-complex, declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory
- grammardeclension, pronouns, adjectives, conjugation, nouns
- grand stylegrandeur, sublime, splendor, majestic, magnificence
periodic sentencefragments
Incomplete broken pieces
sentence fragment · incomplete sentence · run-on sentence · comma splice
period, sentence, periodic, periods, sentenced, sentences, periodically, periodical, sentencing