英语修辞学ENGLISH RHETORIC - ichoice of sentences.ppt

From a rhetorical point of view, sentences are loose, periodic, or balanced. I. loose sentence and periodic sentence 1. A loose sentence puts the main idea before all supplementary information; in other words, it puts first things first, and lets the reader know what it is mainly about when he has read the first few words. The reverse arrangement makes a periodic sentence: the main idea is expressed at or near the end of it, and it is not grammatically complete until the end is reached. The reader does not know what it is mainly about until he finishes reading it.( A Handbook of Writing Ding Wangdao) a. She decided to study English though she was interested in music.b. Although she was interested in music, she finally decided to study English. The main idea of both sentences is the fact that she decided to study English. This idea is put at the beginning of the first sentence and at the end of the second, thus making one a loose sentence and the other a periodic one. Besides, the first part of the first sentence is complete in structure, but that of the second is only an adverbial clause and cannot be called a sentence without the second part. Loose sentence main idea is presented at the beginning and the subordinate or dependent constituents are added to it. Such sentences are placed in a natural order like this: subject-verb-complement. The in formation is orderly presentation. It is often simpler, natural, and direct. E.g.. The student sat quietly, trembling at the thought of writing an essay. Periodic sentence II. The difference between the two types of sentences *Loose sentences are easier, simpler, more natural and direct; periodic sentences are more complex, emphatic, formal, or literary. 1. He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed-from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull. His voice was deep, loud, and his manner dis