A series of short, simple sentences with the same basic structure quickly becomes repetitive and boring. I call them "Spot, Dick, and Jane" sentences.

Example:

Spot was Jane's favorite dog. Jane threw Spot the tennis ball. Spot caught the ball. Then Spot barked at Tom. Tom called to Jane. He wanted to join the game.

Syntax is a word for the structure or organization of a sentence. There are basically two types of syntax: coordinate (the classical name is "parataxis") and subordinate (the classical name is "hypotaxis").

In coordinate syntax, a writer places concepts or people or objects on an equal level and joins them with conjunctions like "and" or "or." A simple sentence states one idea with a subject and a verb. A compound sentence is when a writer joins two simple sentences with a connecting word (a conjunction like "and" or "but").

Here are two examples of coordinate syntax, one from the Bible and one from The King Must Die.

"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night."

"She closed her eyes, but now she opened them. 'Children and men want everything for nothing. Life will have death, and you will not change it.'"

What is the effect of coordinate syntax in connecting ideas?

Write two simple sentences-two short sentences with a subject and a verb. Then connect them by using a comma and a conjunction.

Often writers want to connect two or more ideas that do not have equal value because one idea is more important than the other. The writer states the more important idea in an independent clause (a group of words with a subject and a verb that express a complete idea) and the less important idea in a dependent clause.

Here are examples of subordinate syntax:

[Because he worked hard on his essay,] he felt that he had done a good job.

The lesson [that Mr. Fisher taught about Pericles and Athenian democracy] helped us understand the significance of Greek civilization.

[Even though Creon enforced an unjust law,] he still needed to keep order in his community.

In these two sentences, the bracketed words form a dependent clause that modifies a part of the independent clause.

There are two types of dependent clauses: an adverbial clause and an adjective clause. When a writer uses an adverbial clause, the clause modifies the verb of the main clause. Adverbs generally answer one of the following questions about the verb: when, where, how, and why.

Underline the adverbial clause in the following statements by Haimon to Creon and by the chorus:

Because I am your son I must keep watch on all men's doings.

When people sing the dirge for their own deaths ahead of time, nothing will break them off if they can hope that this will buy delay.

One way to vary the syntax of short, simple sentences is to begin the sentence with an adverbial clause. Write two more sentences that begin with an adverbial clause.

Adjective clauses are dependent clauses that serve as an adjective modifying a noun, often answering a "which" question about the noun.

In the first sentence below, underline the adjectives modifying the nouns. In the second sentence below, underline the adjective clause modifying the noun that is the subject of the sentence. Be able to explain why what you have underlined is an adjective.

You speak of my darkest thought, my pitiful father's fame.

And all the cities that you fought in war move against you now.

Sentences with an independent and a dependent clause are called complex sentences.

Write two compound sentences and two complex sentences, one with an adverbial clause and one with an adjectival clause.

A verb states an action or a condition.

Example:

Go, free the maiden from that rocky house.

Underline the two active verbs in that sentence.

My mind is torn. To yield is dreadful.

Underline the two inactive (or "intransitive") verbs in those two sentences.

A verbal is what we call a verb that is being used as an adjective or noun.

A participle is a verb (usually ending in "ing" or "ed") being used as an adjective. A participial phrase is a group of words beginning with a participle that serves as an adjective modifying a noun.

Find and underline the participles or participial phrases in the excerpts from Antigone cited below. Be prepared to explain why what you have underlined is a participle or participial phrase.

Call him a breathing corpse.

In the far corner of the tomb we saw her, hanging by the neck, caught in a noose of her own linen veiling.

Wandering hope brings help to many men.

One way to vary the syntax of your sentences is to begin a sentence with a participial phrase.

Examples:

Absorbed in his handball game, the students was oblivious to the teachers.

Darting past the defender, he scored the winning goal.

RULE: PLACE A COMMA AFTER AN INTRODUCTORY PARTICIPIAL PHRASE THAT IS MORE THAN A FEW WORDS LONG.

Write two sentences with an introductory participial phrase.

Dangling Participles

Dangling participles (DP) are participles or participial phrases that are too distant from the nouns that they modify.

Example:

Running down the street, the safe fell on his head.

Correct a dangling participle (DP) in one of two ways:

Turn the participial phrase into an adverbial clause

Example:

As he ran down the street, the safe fell on his head.

Rearrange the sentence so that the participial phrase is next to the word modified

Running down the street, he was struck by the safe.

Write two sentences with dangling participles. Then correct these sentences.