Tab 6: Analysis
AP English Language & Composition
Blaber
Analytical Reading Skill: Understanding the Role of Syntax
Composition Skill: Analysis of How Syntax Contributes to the Passage’s Meaning
Text: Excerpt from The Scarlet Letter (Use Passage #1 from Packet)
Syntax Defined
The term syntax refers not only to the structure of sentences, their types, their uses, their
connection, and the variations authors choose, but also to smaller structures within
sentences. Phrases (any group of words) and clauses (groups of words that contain a
subject and a verb) are also syntactic elements that require a reader’s attention.
Sentence Patterns
One of the most important elements of syntax is the way the words, phrases, and clauses
are arranged. This is a key element of the author’s style and can have a marked effect on
meaning. You should become familiar with the following sentence patters and their effect
on the reader.
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A declarative sentence makes a statement: e.g., “The king is sick.”
An imperative sentence gives a command: e.g., “Cure the king!”
An interrogative sentence asks a question: e.g., “Is the king sick?”
An exclamatory sentence provides strong emphasis or expresses strong emotion: e.g.,
“The king is dead! Long live the king!”
A simple sentence contains one independent clause: e.g., “The singer bowed to her
adoring audience.”
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating
conjunction or by a semicolon: e.g., “The singer bowed to the audience, but she sang
no encores.”
A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more subordinate
clauses: e.g., “Because the singer was tired, she went straight to bed after the
concert.”
A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and one or
more subordinate clauses: e.g., “The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but
she sang no encores.”
A loose or cumulative sentence is one in which the main idea (independent clause)
comes first, followed by dependent clauses and phrases; therefore, a loose sentence
makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending: e.g., “We
reached Edmonton that morning after a turbulent flight and some exciting
experiences, tired but still exhilarated, full of stories to tell our friends and
neighbors.” The sentence could end before the modifying phrase without losing its
coherence. Loose sentences are the most natural for English speakers, who almost
always talk in loose sentences: even the most sophisticated English writers tend to use
loose sentences much more often than periodic sentences.
A periodic sentence (also called a period) is a sentence that is not grammatically
complete until its end. Periodicity is accomplished by the use of parallel phrases or
Tab 6: Analysis
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clauses at the opening or by the use of dependent clauses preceding the independent
clause; that is, the kernel of thought contained in the subject/verb group appears at the
end of a succession of modifiers: e.g., “That morning, after a turbulent flight and
some exciting experiences, we finally reached Edmonton.” The periodic sentence has
become much rarer in formal English writing over the past hundred years, and it has
never been common in informal spoken English (outside of bad political speeches).
My own biased opinion is that this is a result of our fast-food approach to
contemporary life and all aspects of culture, including both non-fiction and literature.
In fact, I think this is regrettable, because periodicity is a powerful rhetorical tool. An
occasional periodic sentence is not only dramatic but persuasive: even if the readers
do not agree with your conclusion, they will read your evidence first with open
minds. If you use a loose sentence with hostile readers, the readers will probably
close their minds before considering any of your evidence.Therefore, when it is used
to arouse interest and curiosity, and to hold an idea in suspense before its final
revelation, a periodic sentence is most effective. (Did you notice I used one there?)
In a balanced sentence, the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their
likeness of structure, meaning, or length: e.g., “He maketh me lie down in green
pastures; he leadeth me beside still waters.”
Natural order of a sentence involves constructing a sentence so the subject comes
before the predicate: e.g., “Oranges grow in California.”
Inverted order of a sentence involved constructing a sentence so the predicate comes
before the subject: e.g., “In California grow the oranges.”
Other syntactical elements which we have studied separately include: juxtaposition,
parallel structure, repetition, rhetorical questions and rhetorical fragments, anaphora, and
antimetabole.
Reading Selection by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The prose of earlier centuries tends to be syntactically more complex than contemporary
writing. Hawthorne’s writing in The Scarlet Letter typifies this style—ornate description,
elevated language, frequent use of periodic sentence, and sentences in which several parts
combine to describe the subject or clarify the major action of the verb.
Consider the first sentence of passage #1 from your packet:
The door of the jail being flung open from within there appeared,
in the first place, like a black shadow emerging into the sunshine,
the grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle, with a sword by
his side, and his staff of office in his hand.
Note first the inverted sentence structure. The subject is “the grim and grisly
presence of the town-beadle,” and the verb “appeared” precedes it. The word “there,”
which seems like the grammatical subject, is actually only a place holder, since it doesn’t
tell us what appeared. Consider the effect of this order. Note the reader is first introduced
to the door being flung open, then the tone-laden simile of a shadow emerging into
sunshine, then the “grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle,” and finally his sword
Tab 6: Analysis
and staff. The inverted syntax presents the visual details in the exact sequence Hawthorne
wants the reader to imagine. Within the sentence, in other words, the simile foreshadows
the town-beadle’s impression on the crowd. Likewise, the tone established by the townbeadle’s “grim and grisly presence” anticipates and sets the mood for the character who
follows him (both in the order of the passage and literally through the jail-house door)—
the shame-faced Hester Prynne.
Read the entire passage, paying close attention to the sentence structure. Then,
write several paragraphs analyzing how Hawthorne’s syntax contributes to the meaning
of the passage. Don’t summarize the passage and be sure to include blended quotes to
illustrate your points.