Syntactical

Syntactical Cues and Conventions

In English, writers often use cues and conventions to convey meaning and alert the reader to the direction of the text. There are many types of cues and conventions, including textual, morphological, and syntactical.

Syntactical cues include word order, grammar, and punctuation. All of these elements of a sentence impact how people read and hear sentences.

Syntactical Rules

Syntactical rules are the rules that govern word order and the arrangement of phrases in sentences. The main syntactical rules in English are as follows:

1. Sentences must have a subject and a verb.

2. The subject of a sentence must come before the verb.

3. Objects come after the verb.

4. Adverbs and adjectives go before the words they describe.

All writers in the English language have to follow the above syntactical rules. However, after following these rules, writers can play with word order and sentence structure. How writers vary sentences within these rules can convey a great deal of meaning about the text at hand or the author's style.

Fig. 2 - Syntactical rules help writers, readers, and speakers clearly understand each other.

The 4 Main Types of Sentence Structures

The following are the main types of sentences writers can choose from when making syntactical choices. To understand the differences between the two types of sentences, review the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause below.

Punctuation

Written punctuation refers to the use of signs to denote how writing is interpreted. This type of punctuation functions as a syntactical cue that helps readers understand how the words in a sentence are meant to come across. For example, if a reader reads an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence, they will read the sentence with more emphasis than if they see a period.

Oral Punctuation

Punctuation is not just about the written symbols at the end of a sentence. The term oral punctuation refers to the cues people send through the way they change their voice during and at the end of the sentence. People articulate oral punctuation through pauses, changes in rhythm, and modulation in voice.

For example, read the following sentence aloud and make your voice go up at the end.

Even though the listener cannot see the punctuation, making one's voice higher at the end implies that there is an exclamation point and the speaker is excited.

Now reread the sentence, but make your voice go down at the end. This implies sarcasm or disappointment rather than excitement and suggests to the listener that there is a period at the end. This reveals information about the speaker's emotions.

Syntactical Functions

Syntactical elements like punctuation and word order help fulfill the four main functions of sentences.

Imperative

Imperative sentences are sentences that give commands, invitations, or advice. Sometimes imperative sentences do not explicitly state their subject because it is implied. This is the slightest exception to rule one.

Declarative

People use declarative sentences to make a statement, express an opinion, explain a concept, or state a fact. Declarative sentences are the most common type of sentence used in writing.

Interrogative

Notice how the word "interrogative" looks like the word "interrogate." An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question. The interrogative sentences thus end with a question mark.

Fig. 3 - Interrogative sentences typically end in a question mark.

Exclamatory

An exclamatory sentence expresses intense emotions. For example, people use exclamatory sentences when they are mad, surprised, or excited. Exclamatory sentences usually end with an exclamation mark.

Syntactical Choices

Writers make different syntactical choices to impact the meaning of their text. Take a look at the following examples to see the impact of syntactical choices. For example, notice how the meaning of these sentences changes as the word order changes.

In the above example, the placement of the word "only" impacts the sentence's implications. In the first sentence, the writer suggests that Thursday is the only day of the week they wear purple. In the second sentence, the writer indicates that purple is the only color they wear on Thursdays, though they may also wear purple on other days.

Syntactical choices can also impact what the writer draws the reader's attention to. For instance, consider the following examples:

The first sentence draws the reader's attention to when the experience happened. In the second sentence, the reader's attention first goes to the terrible experience, which places extra emphasis on it.

Fig. 4 - The example sentences about Paris demonstrate the impact of syntactical choices.

Syntactical Choices in Literature

The American author Ernest Hemingway made unique syntactical choices that came to define his distinctive writing style. For example, in his novel A Farewell to Arms (1929), Hemingway uses declarative sentences to make the reader face the harsh realities of loss. At the end of the novel, the love of the main character's life dies. He narrates the scene and says:

Hemingway's word order here impacts how the reader understands the sentence and feels the message. For instance, consider what the second sentence would look like if it were arranged differently, like this:

The movement of phrases changes the rhythm and implications of the sentence. For instance, the way Hemingway ends with the phrase "in the rain" emphasizes the gloomy nature of the scene and the cold, harsh reality of the event. However, if this phrase was earlier in the sentence, like in the above example, it would not create such a definitive mood.

Hemingway's use of declarative sentences in this excerpt also helps him get straight to the point. He does not sugarcoat the experience with excessive description or exclamation. Instead, he matter-of-factly states that the dead woman looked like a statue and that the narrator leaves. There is nothing else the man can do but leave. His life must go on. These short sentences create cold, terse prose, which allows Hemingway to explore the painful, brutal reality of love and loss.