CONSTRUCTING EFFECTIVE SENTENCES. Basic Patterns Sentence Variety Sentence Strategies Parallel Structure Coordination & Subordination

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1 CONSTRUCTING EFFECTIVE SENTENCES Basic Patterns Sentence Variety Sentence Strategies Parallel Structure Coordination & Subordination

2 BASIC PATTERNS Simple sentences: they have only one main clause. Ex: Squiggly ran. The tall, hairy bear scared the inexperienced campers. Compound sentences: are made by joining main clauses. Ex: Squiggly ran, and Aardvark stood his ground. The bear scared the campers; he was tall and hairy. Complex sentences: have at least one main clause and one dependent clause. Ex: If Santa makes all the toys, the elves won t have enough work. I want cheesecake because it is my birthday. Compound-complex sentences: are formed when you have at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause. Ex: Squiggly got matches; Aardvark needed help with the fire because he was afraid of the dark. I had 20 friends over because it was my birthday, and I wanted everyone to have cheesecake.

3 SENTENCE VARIETY Sentence Variety means using assorted sentence patterns, lengths, and rhythms. Sentence Variety is what gives your writing better rhythm and flow; it makes your writing more mature.

4 SENTENCE VARIETY Combine sentences. Don t use all simple sentences. This makes your writing choppy. Choppy: We went to the movies. We went out to eat. We came home. We went to bed. Combine independent and dependent clauses to create compound and complex sentences. Also, use transitions! We went to the movies, and then we went out to eat. After that, we came home and went to bed.

5 SENTENCE VARIETY Join ideas using an ing verb form. Two sentences: She studied all night. She passed the exam. Combined: Having studied all night, she passed the exam.

6 SENTENCE VARIETY Join ideas using an ed verb form. Two sentences: The student ran through the hall screaming. The student was amazed at his grade. Combined: Amazed at his grade, the student ran through the hall screaming.

7 SENTENCE VARIETY Join ideas using an appositive What is an appositive? An appositive is a noun phrase that renames a noun. Two sentences: Ms. Bonnie helped me with my paper. Ms. Bonnie is our experienced class tutor. Combined: Ms. Bonnie, our experienced class tutor, helped me with my paper.

8 SENTENCE VARIETY Join ideas using an absolute phrase What is an absolute phrase? An absolute phrase combines a noun and a participle with any accompanying modifiers or objects. Two sentences: We devoured Aunt Lenora's carrot cake. Our fingers scraped the leftover frosting off the plates. Combined: We devoured Aunt Lenora's carrot cake, our fingers scraping the leftover frosting off the plates.

9 SENTENCE STRATEGIES Some possible strategies that a writer might use to craft a thoughtful sentence. Generalize: All human beings have some faults. Summarize: All four of the stories mentioned in the article are about exceptional children who face challenges and overcome them. Compare: Orange juice is much sweeter than grapefruit juice. Contrast: The last book we read was too short and simple; this one is much longer and more detailed.

10 SENTENCE STRATEGIES Give Cause and Effect: If you bring only light clothing with you on your trip to the Antarctic, you will be very uncomfortable during your stay there. Give an Opinion: Hockey is the most exciting sport. Define Something: A sonnet is a very structured poem that has exactly fourteen lines. Describe a Procedure: Grease the pan first, then knead the dough, place it in the pan, and let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour.

11 SENTENCE STRATEGIES Pose a Problem and Give Its Solution: I need to lose weight, so I think I ll go on a diet. Construct a Simile: Joan has a face like a flower. Construct a Metaphor: She s a real peach of a girl. Make a List or Give Examples: The toy store carried beautiful handmade dolls, finely crafted train sets, games from all over the world, and huge stuffed animals.

12 SENTENCE STRATEGIES Construct a Bridge Between One Idea and Another: My friend John was just finishing his lunch as I arrived to pick him up for the basketball game. While he was wolfing down the last of his sandwich, I made conversation with his mother. Even though his mom was really nice, I was happy when John finally completed his meal and was ready to go. Notice how the transition sentence picks up elements of both the sentence that precedes and the sentence that follows it

13 PARALLEL STRUCTURE Whenever you include a list of actions or items, you must use equal grammatical units. Example: Incorrect: Students capped their pens, were closing their notebooks, and zipped their book bags as they tried to alert Professor Jones, rambling at the lectern, that the end of class had arrived. Correct: Students capped their pens, closed their notebooks, and zipped their book bags as they tried to alert Professor Jones, rambling at the lectern, that the end of class had arrived. Correct: Students gathered their pens, notebooks, and book bags as they tried to alert Professor Jones, rambling at the lectern, that the end of class had arrived.

14 PARALLEL STRUCTURE Not only... but also, either... or, and neither... nor all require special attention when you are proofreading for parallelism. These correlative conjunctions require equal grammatical units after both parts of the conjunction. You can have two main clauses like this: Not only did Professor Jones give the class a withering look, but he also assigned 20 extra pages of homework as punishment for their impatience to leave. Or you can use two verbs: Professor Jones not only gave the class a withering look but also assigned them 20 extra pages of homework as punishment for their impatience to leave. Or you can have two nouns as this version does: Professor Jones gave the class not only a withering look but also 20 extra pages of homework as punishment for their impatience to leave.

15 COORDINATION & SUBORDINATION Coordination: A coordinated sentence is also well balanced because it balances two complete thoughts (or clauses: subject + verb combinations) in which the information is of equal value. The key words (coordinating conjunctions) we use to create coordinated sentences are the following: and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so Punctuation note: In a coordinated sentence, a comma always precedes the coordinating conjunction. It is not an option; it is a requirement of the sentence structure.

16 COORDINATION Examples: Grandma lost her eye sight. Her hearing sharpened over time. Grandma lost her eye sight, but her hearing sharpened over time. You can say you re sorry. You can go to your room. You can say you re sorry, or you can go to your room. The tornado hit. The town was leveled. The tornado hit, and the town was leveled.

17 COORDINATION Coordination can also be created by joining two complete sentences that are closely related in meaning with a semi-colon (;). Semi-colons do not connect phrases or subordinate clauses to a sentence. They can only connect complete thoughts that can stand on their own. Punctuation note: Notice that if you add a transition word after the semi-colon (words like however, therefore, consequently, etc.), you must add a comma after the transition word.

18 COORDINATION Example: Original sentence: Many web sites are interesting. Some are inaccurate. Fix #1: Many web sites are interesting, but some are inaccurate. Fix #2: Many web sites are interesting; some are inaccurate. Fix #3: Many web sites are interesting; however, some are inaccurate.

19 SUBORDINATION When we call someone a subordinate, we mean that she/he is lower in rank than we are and we, therefore, have more power than she/he has. Alone, it has no power. A subordinated sentence also contains a power structure and reflects a complex level of thinking. The independent clause (subject + verb combination) is a complete thought/idea with meaning that can stand on its own. The subordinate clause is not; it depends on the independent portion of the sentence to give it meaning. Alone, it is just a fragment.

20 SUBORDINATION Example: Original sentence: I can t float. I just sink. I even hold my breath. Fix #1: Even though I hold my breath, I seem to sink rather than float. Fix #2: I seem to sink rather than float even though I hold my breath. Note: Subordinate/dependent clause is underlined.

21 SUBORDINATION The key words (subordinating conjunctions) we use to create subordinated sentences are the following: After Until Although Unless As (far/soon) Whenever / when As Wherever / where As if as though Whether Because While Before Even if Even though /though How If In that In as much as In far as Since

22 SUBORDINATION Punctuation note: When a subordinate (or complex) sentence begins with the subordinate clause, a comma always follows the subordinate clause. It is not an option; it is a requirement of the sentence structure. Example: Because I wanted to pick the best seat, I needed to get to class early.

23 SUBORDINATION However, notice that when the sentence begins with the independent clause a comma is not inserted into the middle of the sentence. Example: I needed to get to class early because I wanted to pick the best seat.

Compound Sentences and Coordination

Compound Sentences and Coordination Mary Westervelt Reference: Ann Hogue (2003) The Essentials of English: A Writer s Handbook. New York, Pearson Education, Inc. When two sentences are combined in a way