Cumulative Sentence

Cumulative Sentence Definition
A cumulative sentence is known as a “flexible sentence”, which begins with an independent clause or main clause, which is simple and straightforward, provides the main idea, and then adds subordinate elements or modifiers. The subject and predicate Writers use these types of sentences when they want to state the main idea first, and then provide details to elucidate the idea later. They use these details in the form of dependent or subordinate clauses or phrases.

These types of sentences work best in various forms of writing, specifically in explaining theories, giving the main idea at the beginning and then adding more information to further build the idea. For example, in the sentence, "Llanblethian hangs nicely, with its white cabins, orchards, and other trees ..." (The Life of John Sterling, by Thomas Carlyle), the main clause is short, independent and direct, while the Subordinate elements further clarify the idea.

Examples of accumulated prayer in the literature
Example # 1: More Die of Heartbreak (by Saul Bellow)
“Radiators give off too much heat, too much, in fact, and old-fashioned sounds and smells arrive. with him, exhalations of the matter that makes up our own mortality, and reminiscences of the intimate gases that we all diffuse ”.

In these lines, the main idea is simply the heat from the radiators. After that, additional information comes, saying how dangerous the smell is. of these radiators could be for humans.

Example # 2: Some dreamers of the golden dream (by Joan Didion)
“The San Bernardino Valley is located just one hour east of Los Angeles on the San Bernardino Freeway, but in In a way it is an alien place: not the coastal California of subtropical twilights and gentle western Pacific winds, but a harsher California, haunted by the Mojave just beyond the mountains, ravaged by the hot, dry Santa wind. Ana who comes na through the steps at 100 miles per hour and groans through the eucalyptus windbreaks and works on her nerves. ”

In this example, the main clause is independent, sets a scene for this essay, and describes the location of the San Bernardino Valley. Modifying elements further enhance this description.

Example # 3: The Life and Times of Chaucer (by John Gardner)
“The heavy supply wagons, draft horses and heavily armed knights kept the advance at nine miles a day, the huge horde was moving in three Parallel columns, cutting wide roads of rubbish and devastation through an already abandoned field, many of the adventurers now traveling on foot, having sold their horses for bread or slaughtered them for meat. ”

This is a perfect description of a cumulative sentence. The main clause deals with cars, and then there are more details that explain how cars move down the road.

Example # 4: Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure (by Michael Chabon)
“He wept silently, according to the custom of embarrassed and angry men, so when the chasing party came Dragging, hitting, crawling through the Path, beyond the crease in which he and Hillel were hidden, he could hear the creak and rattle of their leather armor with their horn scales; and when the Arsiyah returned, just before dawn, at the same hour when all creation seemed to go silent as if fighting tears, Zelikman could hear the rumbling of men's bellies and the sand on their eyelids and the void of failure ringing in their chests. ”

This is another very good example of a cumulative sentence. The main clause is very short and direct, to say that someone has cried; Since then, the author has given a detailed description of why someone, mentioned in the main clause, cried silently.

Cumulative sentence function
Cumulative sentences are easier to understand, direct and simple Additional details in these sentences they become relatively important, as they clarify the main idea, given in a few words at the beginning. They are useful when a writer's goal is clarity rather than suspense. Cumulative sentences give an informal, conversational and relaxed feeling to a work of art.

In addition, one must be judicious when explaining a main clause through subordinate and modifying phrases or clauses. Sometimes readers may not read all the details in the entire sentence, as they have already read the main idea. Also, if a sentence gets too long, they may lose interest or forget the main idea at the end of a sentence.
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