periodic sentence

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A periodic sentence is a sentence that is not grammatically complete until the final clause or phrase. Accomplished by the use of parallel phrases or clauses at the opening, or by the use of a succession of dependent clauses as modifiers preceding the independent clause, the periodic sentence unfolds gradually, so that the pollen of thought contained in the subject/verb group shows itself in full only at the sentence's end. It is the opposite of the continuous or running style, which adds phrase onto phrase, and clause onto clause, with each new thought following the last, like a string of pearls, but without any hint in what came before of what might follow, rather than being embedded within each other in a hierarchical structure, as happens in a fugue. Periodic sentences often rely on hypotaxis whereas running sentences are typified by parataxis.

The periodic style, used by ancient Greek writers like Hecataeus of Miletus and Herodotus, and popularized by Sophists like Lysias and especially the rhetorician Isocrates, due to the excesses of all these ancient practitioners, ultimately fell out of favor. This style, because it delays the completion of its meaning for rhetorical effect (like suspense or amplification), runs counter to current preferences for brevity and simplicity and is best used sparingly, like Gentleman's Relish. Today, the term "period" is an American term for the punctuation mark generally known as the full stop.

Rhetorical and literary usage

The periodic sentence is effective when it is used to arouse interest and curiosity, to develop an argument or embellish an image, or to hold an idea in suspense before its final revelation.

“Out of the bosom of the Air,

Out of the cloud-folds of her garment shaken,

Over the woodlands brown and bare,

Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

Silent and soft, and slow,

Descends the snow.”

This, the first stanza of Longfellow’s “Snowflakes,” is a periodic sentence. It begins with a succession of parallel adverbial phrases (“Out of the bosom”, “Out of the cloud-folds,” “Over the woodlands,” “Over the harvest-fields”), each followed by parallel modification (“of the air,” “of her garment shaken,” “brown and bare,” “forsaken,”). However, the thought is not grammatically complete until the subject/verb group “Descends the snow” finalizes the statement.

Periodic sentences are common in Greek and Latin writers such as Cicero, who is generally considered to be the Western world's master in this rhetorical device. English writers whose works are famous for their well-crafted periodic sentences include:

• Joseph Addison
• Sir Thomas Browne
• Sir Winston Churchill
• Edward Gibbon
• Samuel Johnson
• John Milton
• Thomas de Quincey
• Jeremy Taylor

In Russian, Tolstoy excels at the periodic sentence. In this example from War and Peace, translated by Aylmer and Louise Maude, Tolstoy creates a sentence that has periods on the word why:

Only Countess Helene, considering the society of such people as the Bergs beneath her, could be cruel enough to refuse such an invitation. Berg explained so clearly why he wanted to collect at his house a small but select company, and why this would give him pleasure, and why though he grudged spending money on cards or anything harmful, he was prepared to run into some expense for the sake of good society—that Pierre could not refuse, and promised to come.

See also

• Euphuism