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A loose sentence has a main statement followed by subordinate clauses that modify or expand its meaning. Writers use it to break up simple sentences. It differs from periodic sentences, which interrupt the main thrust. Varying sentence structures keeps readers engaged. Loose sentences add detail to the main idea, while periodic sentences disrupt the flow. Writers can use both for complex sentences.
A loose sentence is an English grammatical term referring to a sentence that contains a main statement followed by one or more subordinate clauses. Subordinate clauses can directly modify the main statement or add further details that expand its meaning and intent. Writers and speakers may use a loose sentence as a way to break up the simplicity of the basic subject-verb format of a simple sentence. Loose sentences are related to but differ somewhat from periodic sentences, which have subordinate clauses interrupting the main thrust of the sentence.
The best writers have the ability to keep readers interested by varying their style throughout their prose. They can do this with the language they use or the tone of their content, or they can use different grammar techniques to keep readers constantly surprised and engaged. Varying the sentence structures available to them is an effective way to do this. One of the techniques available to writers is the free sentence, which takes a basic subject-verb construction and builds layers on top of it.
It is important to understand that the loose sentence always has a main statement at the beginning which can stand on its own as a sentence. For example, the underlying thrust of one of these sentences might be “The birds flew away.” To expand on the simplicity of this sentence, the writer might add: “The birds flew away, for they knew that winter was fast approaching.” The writer could then go even further by saying: “The birds flew away, for they knew that winter was fast approaching, threatening to freeze their beautiful feathers.”
As the example shows, a loose sentence can add a lot of detail to the main idea at the beginning of the sentence. Conversely, a periodic sentence also adds detail, but it does so by disrupting the flow of that main idea. Turning the above example into a periodic sentence might produce the following: “The birds, knowing that winter was fast approaching, threatening to freeze their beautiful feathers, flew away.”
Taking advantage of the slight difference between a loose sentence and a periodic sentence can give a writer several options for how to approach complex sentences. Loose sentences can have a powerful effect as more and more sentences are piled onto the main idea, allowing a writer to really hammer his point down. Conversely, a periodic sentence can keep the reader in suspense by holding off the completion of the main thought for several sentences before finally coming to a strong conclusion.
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