Loose/cumulative sentence
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The most common sentence
structure in English
Information accumulates in the
sentence until it reaches a period
Structure starts with a SUBJECT and
VERB and continues with
modifiers
EXAMPLE
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A car hit a shoulder and
turned over at midnight
last night on the road from
Las Vegas to Death Valley
Junction.
Periodic/Climactic Sentence
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Reserves the main idea for the
end of the sentence
Tends to draw in the reader as it moves
toward the period
If overused, however, periodic
sentences lose their punch.
EXAMPLE
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At midnight last night, on
the road from Las Vegas to
Death Valley Junction, a car
hit a shoulder and turned
over.
EXAMPLE 2
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“Drowsy, clumsy, unable to fix a bicycle
tire, throw a baseball, balance a grocery
sack, or walk across the room, he was
stripped of his true self by drink.”
from Under the Influence
by Scott Russell Sanders
EXAMPLE 3
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“Over this rocky area relieved by a few
shady tall persimmon trees the
graduating class walked.”
from Graduation
by Maya Angelou
Parallel Sentence
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Occurs when you write words, phrases, or
clauses within a sentence to match in their
grammatical forms.
Several advantages
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Express ideas of equal weight in your writing
Emphasize important information or ideas
Add rhythm and grace to your writing style
EXAMPLE
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“Left alone, our father prowls the
house, thumping into furniture,
rummaging in the kitchen, slamming
doors, turning the pages of the
newspaper with a savage crackle,
muttering back at the late-night drivel
from television.”
from Under the Influence
by Scott Russell Sanders
Balanced Sentence
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Type of parallelism in which contrasting
content is delivered.
The two parallel structures are usually , but
not always independent clauses.
A balanced sentence uses coordination.
The two coordinate structures are
characterized by opposites in meaning,
sometimes with one structure cast in the
negative.
EXAMPLES
 Mosquitoes don’t bite; they stab.
 By night, the litter and
desperation disappeared as the
city’s glittering lights came on; by
day, the filth and despair
reappeared as the sun rose.
EXAMPLES (cont.)
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“Poetry is seldom useful, but always
memorable.”
from The Town Dump
by Wallace Stegner