Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

control structure
     
         One of the instructions, statements or groups of
        statements in a programming language which determines the
        sequence of execution of other instructions or statements (the
        {control flow}).
     
        In {assembly language} this typically consists of {jumps} and
        {conditional jumps} along with {procedure} call and return
        though some architectures include other constructs such as an
        instruction which skips the following instruction depending on
        some condition ({PDP}?), various kinds of {loop} instructions
        (later {Motorola 680x0}) or conditional execution of all
        instructions (Advanced RISC Machine).
     
        Basic control structures (whatever their names in particular
        languages) include "if CONDITION then EXPRESSION else
        EXPRESSION", the {switch statement}, "while CONDITION do
        EXPRESSION", "gosub", the suspect "{goto}" and the much-feared
        "{come from}".  Other constructs handle errors and
        {exceptions} such as {traps} and {interrupts}.
     
        (1997-09-14)