Syntax Definition:
Syntax in literature refers to the actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in
the writing. Usually in the English language the syntax should follow a pattern of subject-verbobject agreement but sometimes authors play around with this to achieve a lyrical, rhythmic,
rhetoric or questioning effect. It is not related to the act of choosing specific words or even
the meaning of each word or the overall meanings conveyed by the sentences
**Your purpose - or why you write - is going to determine how structured and formal your syntax must be
Things to look for with syntax:
1. Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound/Complex
a. This deals with sentence length—short, long
b. The flow and set up of sentences.
2. Fragments—Uses with purpose
3. Declarative, Imperative, Interrogatory
4. Use of Parallelism
5. Use of repetition (like the rhetoric used)