Syntax is a fascinating topic because what it's really about is the manipulation of "big parts" in a sentence to show relationships and hierarchy
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7B. Explain how writers create, combine, and place independent and dependent clauses to show relationships between and among ideas.
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The Power of the Main Clauses
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Course Corrections and Sneaky Whispers
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One cool thing you can do is use dashes or parentheses to set off elements in a sentence. Dashes tend to act as quick modifcations to what you just said, like a mid-sentence course correction, while parentheses convey the idea that you're sort of whispering behind your hand to the reader, like "Hey! Psst!"
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Repetition of "Big Chunks"
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I am deliberately avoiding technical terms in this section. Students often focus on what a syntax pattern is called and not on what it does, but bottom line, it's better to be operated by a surgeon who can't name a tool that they can use brilliantly than one who can name it but can't explain what it's for.
Repetition of the Same Things at the Beginnings of a Sentence, Phrase, or Clause
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Repetition of the Same Things at the Ends of a Sentence, Phrase, or Clause
Repetition of the End Chunk at the Beginning of the Next Chunk
Same Word at the Beginning and the End
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Cool Flipped Elements
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Flipped elements in a sentence can mean that you start off with a particular pattern of words or ideas--let's say ideas X, Y, and Z--and then "flip" them in the next phrase or sentence, so now they're Z, Y, and X.
Repeated Words or Phrases but in Reverse Order
The Mirror Image Setup: Reversal of Parallel Elements
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Parallel Structure, or Matchy-Matchy
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