2. 1 Simple, compound, complex, compound-complex 2. 2 Declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory 2. 3ces 2. 4 Long and short sentences
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complex sentence: contains one main clause and at least one dependent clause, with a connective word denoting the relation between them. E.g. Although he wanted the job more than anything else in the world, he knew he had little chance of getting it.
English Rhetoric
Chapter Four The Three Levels of Rhetorical Operations: Choice of Sentences
By Song Pingfeng
Contents of This Chapter
• 1. Classification of sentences • 2. Types of Sentences
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1.2 Different standards of classification (4 standards):
grammar, function, rhetoric and length
(1) Grammatical classification groups sentences according to how many and what types of clauses they contain.
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1. Classification of sentences
1.1 Seeking sentence variety
(1) What does sentence variety deal with? Different sentence patterns Varied sentence lengths
(2) What does sentence variety aim at? Avoid monotony in one’s speech or writing “The joy of life is variety.” Samuel Johnson said. So variety of writing or speech is a joy. Without variety, any text can be dull and uninteresting.
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2 Types of sentences
2.1 Grammatical classification:
Simple sentence : consists of only one clause. The subject or the predicate, or both, may be compound. E.g. The trailer is surrounded by a wooden deck. Advantages: clarity and directness compound sentence: consists of two or more independent clauses related to each other in meaning, and linked by a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon without a conjunction. E.g. It is nearly half past five, and we cannot reach town before dark. Advantages: help reduce wordiness and relieve monotony
compound-complex sentence: contains at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause----- a combination of a compound and complex sentence. E.g. Sister Lucy tried her best to help Martin, but he was an undisciplined boy who drove many teachers to despair. Advantage: good for a show of eloquence
(3) Rhetorical classification groups sentences according to where the main idea is located in the sentence.
(4) According to the number of words in a sentence, sentences can be grouped into short and long sentence.
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2.2 Functional classification:
Declarative sentence Interrogative sentence Imperative sentence Exclamatory sentence
(2) Functional classification groups sentences according to whether they make a statement, ask a question, issue a command, or express an exclamation.