Syntax & Word Order
Cumulative (Loose) Sentence
A sentence that begins with a main clause, then adds modifying phrases or clauses. The additions elaborate on a statement the reader already understands.
"He dipped his hands in the bichloride solution and shook them, a quick shake, fingers down, like the fingers of a pianist above the keys." — Sinclair Lewis
Don't confuse it with Periodic Sentence. The periodic sentence withholds its main clause until the end; cumulative delivers it first and then unspools.
Examples
We stayed by the fire, tired from the journey, grateful for the warmth, unwilling to move.
The main clause is complete before the trailing phrases add details.
Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as cumulative (loose) sentence.
Parallelism 5 Anaphora 5 Passive Voice 4 Asyndeton 4 Metaphor 3 Personification 3
The rest of the family
Hyperbaton Anastrophe Periodic Sentence Parataxis Parenthesis Apposition / Appositive Zeugma Hendiadys Pleonasm Enumeration / Accumulatio Passive Voice Cleft Sentence