periodic sentence
a sentence that, by leaving the completion of its main clause to the end, produces an effect of suspense, as in Unable to join the others at the dance because of my sprained ankle, I went to a movie.
Origin of periodic sentence
1- Compare loose sentence.
Words Nearby periodic sentence
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use periodic sentence in a sentence
The philosophy of the periodic sentence has been best stated by Herbert Spencer.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterThe periodic sentence is generally so massed that the end contains words of distinction, and the sentence forms a climax.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterTheoretically the periodic sentence is better than the loose sentence; for it economizes attention.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterDangling participles, trailing relatives, and straggling generalities can find no chance to hang on to a periodic sentence.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterA periodic sentence holds the meaning in suspense till the close.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism | F. V. N. Painter
British Dictionary definitions for periodic sentence
/ (ˌpɪərɪˈɒdɪk) /
rhetoric a sentence in which the completion of the main clause is left to the end, thus creating an effect of suspense
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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