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 independent clause; that is, the kernel of thought contained in the subject/verb group appears at the end of a succession of modifiers. It is the opposite of a nuclear sentence. The periodic sentence is effective when it is used to arouse interest and curiosity, to hold an idea in suspense before its final revelation. A phrase is a group of words that functions as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. ... A clause is a group of words consisting of a subject (often just a single noun) and a predicate (sometimes just a single verb). ... A clause is a group of words consisting of a subject (often just a single noun) and a predicate (sometimes just a single verb). ... See subject (grammar) for the linguistic definition of subject. ... A verb is a part of speech that usually denotes action (bring, read), occurrence (decompose, glitter), or a state of being (exist, stand). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice. ...

“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 garments shaken,” “brown and bare,” “forsaken,”). However, the thought is not grammatically complete until the subject/verb group “Descends the Moon” finalizes the statement. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807–March 24, 1882) was an American poet who wrote many poems that are still famous today, including The Song of Hiawatha and Evangeline. ... See subject (grammar) for the linguistic definition of subject. ... A verb is a part of speech that usually denotes action (bring, read), occurrence (decompose, glitter), or a state of being (exist, stand). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice. ...

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: Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Cicero at about age 60, from an ancient marble bust Marcus Tullius Cicero January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was an orator, statesman, political theorist, and philosopher of Ancient Rome. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

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

It is this type of sentence, taught in oratory classes, from which derives the American use of the word "period" to mean the punctuation mark that the Britons call a full stop.^{[citation needed]} Sir Thomas Browne (October 19, 1605 – October 19, 1682) was an English author of varied works that disclose his wide learning in diverse fields including medicine, religion, science and the esoteric. ... Joseph Addison, the Kit-cat portrait, circa 1703–1712, by Godfrey Kneller. ... Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). ... Samuel Johnson circa 1772, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. ... Jeremy Taylor is depicted in this portrait at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University. ... Thomas de Quincey from the frontispiece of Revolt of the Tartars, Thomas de Quincey (August 15, 1785 – December 8, 1859) was an English author and intellectual. ... This article is becoming very long. ... A full stop or period (sometimes stop, full point or dot), is the punctuation mark commonly placed at the end of several different types of sentences in English and several other languages. ...