Syntax

What Is Syntax?

• The word “syntax” comes from the Ancient

Greek for “coordination” or “ordering
together.” In spoken and written language,
syntax refers to the set of rules that
determines the arrangement of words in a
sentence.
4 Essential Rules of Syntax in the English Language

1. A complete sentence requires a subject and a

verb and expresses a complete thought. This is
also called an independent clause. A sentence
without a subject and a verb is considered a
fragment.
4 Essential Rules of Syntax in the English Language

2. Separate ideas generally require separate

sentences. A sentence containing multiple
independent clauses that are improperly
joined is considered a run-on sentence.
.
4 Essential Rules of Syntax in the English Language

3. English word order follows the subject-verb-

object sequence. (It’s usually the same in
French and Spanish.)
.
4 Essential Rules of Syntax in the English Language

 4. A dependent clause contains a subject and a

verb—but it doesn’t express a complete
thought.
4 Sentence Types in the English Language
 Simple sentences

• Simple sentences. Simple sentences consist of

a single, independent clause. For example:

• “The girl hit the ball.”

 Complex sentences
• Complex sentences consist of an independent
clause and one or more dependent clauses
joined by a subordinating conjunction. Some
subordinating conjunctions are “although,”
“because,” “so,” “that,” and “until.”
• For example: “When the girl hit the ball, the
fans cheered.”
 Compound-complex sentences
• Compound-complex sentences consist of
multiple independent clauses as well as at
least one dependent clause.

• For example: “When the girl hit the ball, the

fans cheered, and the ball flew out of the
park.”
3 Ways to Use Syntax in Literature
• Produce rhetorical and aesthetic
effects. By varying the syntax of their
sentences, writers are able to produce
different rhetorical and aesthetic effects. How
a writer manipulates the syntax of their
sentences is an important element of writing
style
• Control pace and mood.
Manipulating syntax is one of the ways writers
control the pace and mood of their prose. For
example, the writer Ernest Hemingway is
known for his short, declarative sentences,
which were well-suited to his terse, clear style
of writing. These give his prose a forceful,
direct quality.
•Create atmosphere. By
contrast, Hemingway’s fellow story writer and
novelist William Faulkner is famous (or infamous) for
his meandering, paragraph-long sentences, which
often mimic the ruminative thinking of his characters.
These sentences, which often ignore the standard
rules of punctuation and grammar, help create an
atmosphere as much as they convey information.