The addition of phrases and clauses not strictly required constitutes
_looseness_ of sentence structure.
A periodic sentence is one which is not grammatically or logically
complete till the end. If the sentence is somewhat long,
the mind is held in suspense until the last word is uttered.
_Example_. The following is a loose sentence: "I stood on the bridge
at midnight, as the clocks were striking the hour." The same sentence
becomes periodic by transposition of the less important predicate
modifiers, thus---"At midnight, as the clocks were striking the hour,
I stood on the bridge."
It will be observed that the periodic form is adapted to oratory and
similar forms of eloquent writing in which the mind of the reader or hearer
is keyed up to a high pitch of expectancy; while the loose sentence is the
one common in all simple narrative and unexcited statement.
Qualities of Style. Writers on rhetoric note three essential qualities
of style, namely _clearness, force,_ and _elegance_.
Clearness of style is the direct result of clearness and simplicity of
thought. Unless we have mastered our thought in every particular before
trying to express it, confusion is inevitable.
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