1. AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION Syntax

2. Definition Also referred to as sentence structure How sentences are used Requires you to look at the passage as a whole Analysis requires that you say what the sentences do

3. How to analyze for Syntax Look at the whole passage Look at syntax indicators  Sentence function  Declarative  Interrogative  Imperative  Exclamatory Grammatical Classification—simple, compound, complex, compound complex Sentence Length

4. How to analyze for Syntax (cont.) Kinds of Sentences  Periodic sentence—main idea comes at the end of the sentence  Sitting in her lounge chair, sunglasses shielding her eyes, head tilting to the side, her book lying open on her lap, Susan patiently waited.  Cumulative sentence—begins with the main idea which is followed by phrases and clauses which elaborate upon the main idea  Susan patiently waited, sitting in her lounge chair, sunglasses shielding her eyes, head tilting to the side, her book lying open on her lap.  Rhetorical Question—question which doesn’t require an answer

5. How to analyze for Syntax (cont.) Punctuation—other than periods or commas  “’May she wake in torment!’ he cried, with frightful vehemence, stamping his foot, and groaning in a sudden paroxysm of ungovernable passion. ‘Why, she’s a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there—not in heaven—not perished— where? Oh! You said you cared nothing for my sufferings! And I pray one prayer—I repeat it till my tongue stiffens—Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you—haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe—I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!’”

6. How to analyze for Syntax (cont.) Repetition—use of same words, phrases, or clauses more than one time for emphasis: anaphora— repetition of beginning phrases or clauses Parallel structure—repetition of same grammatical structure in phrases and clauses; match a noun with a noun, a verb with a verb, etc.  Antithesis—shows contrast—”Be not the first by whom the new are tried,/ Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.” – Pope Rhythm, beat or movement—tempo through a pattern of sounds throughout the work—often parallel structure and/or repetition

7. How to analyze for Syntax (cont.) Inversion—sentence elements placed out of their normal order Purpose—WHY does an author use a particular sentence structure to deliver his/her message  Build excitement/intensity  Build to make a point  Explain a point  Pull the reader into the passage  Add complexity  Create rhythm  Build an emotion

8. Acronym Help! TVAC Type—structure of sentences Variety—loose, periodic, balanced, repetition, parallel structure, rhetorical question, rhetorical fragment, anaphora, stichomythia, natural and inverted word order, etc.) Arrangement—pattern? Change—Do you notice a shift?

9. Beauty, true Beauty!!!!! “This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five- word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.” ― Gary Provost

10. Examples "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.“ (Linguist Noam Chomsky created this sentence--which is grammatically correct but incomprehensible--to demonstrate that the rules governing syntax are distinct from the meanings words convey.)

11. Polysyndeton “…we are the origins of war -- not history’s forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government -- not any other thing. We are the killers.” (from the movie The Lion in Winter)

12. Asyndeton Be one of the few, the proud, the Marines. (Marine Corps advertisement)

13. Anaphora This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England (from Shakespeare’s Richard II)

14. Parallel Structure Some cried, some wept, some remained hushed, but all felt the loss.

15. Loose Sentence Bells rang, filling the air with their clanging, startling pigeons into flight from every belfry, bringing people into the streets to hear the news.

16. Periodic Sentence Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the lovable cat scratched Sally.

17. Juxtaposition He slouched gracefully. (Wikipedia) This was the culture from which I sprang. This was the terror from which I fled. (Black Boy)

18. Parallel, Anaphora, Juxtaposition It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair….” -Dickens