periodic sentence — n. a sentence in which the essential elements, in the main clause, are withheld until the end or separated as by modifiers or subordinate clauses (Ex.: stock prices, as he had warned, had collapsed): cf. LOOSE SENTENCE … English World dictionary
Periodic sentence — A periodic sentence (also called a period) is a sentence that is not grammatically complete until its end. Periodicity is accomplished by the use of parallel phrases or clauses at the opening or by the use of dependent clauses preceding the… … Wikipedia
periodic sentence — /pear ee od ik, pear / 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. Cf. loose sentence.… … Universalium
periodic sentence — pe′ri•od′ic sen′tence [[t]ˈpɪər iˈɒd ɪk, ˌpɪər [/t]] n. gram. pro rht a sentence that, by leaving the completion of its main clause to the end, produces an effect of suspense, as in All alone in the world, without any money, he died[/ex] Compare… … From formal English to slang
periodic sentence — noun Date: circa 1928 a usually complex sentence that has no subordinate or trailing elements following its principal clause (as in “yesterday while I was walking down the street, I saw him”) … New Collegiate Dictionary
periodic sentence — noun A sentence whose main clause appears at its end … Wiktionary
periodic sentence — /pɪəriˌɒdɪk ˈsɛntəns/ (say pearree.odik sentuhns) noun a sentence in which the completion of the main clause is left to the end, with subsidiary clauses interspersed …
Sentence (linguistics) — In the field of linguistics, a sentence is an expression in natural language, and often defined to indicate a grammatical unit consisting of one or more words that generally bear minimal syntactic relation to the words that precede or follow it.… … Wikipedia
Periodic — Pe ri*od ic, Periodical Pe ri*od ic*al, a. [L. periodicus, Gr. ?: cf. F. p[ e]riodique.] 1. Of or pertaining to a period or periods, or to division by periods. [1913 Webster] The periodicaltimes of all the satellites. Sir J. Herschel. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Periodic comet — Periodic Pe ri*od ic, Periodical Pe ri*od ic*al, a. [L. periodicus, Gr. ?: cf. F. p[ e]riodique.] 1. Of or pertaining to a period or periods, or to division by periods. [1913 Webster] The periodicaltimes of all the satellites. Sir J. Herschel.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
