creative writing sentence structures

Sentence Structure: A Complete Guide (With Examples & Tasks)

This article is part of the ultimate guide to language for teachers and students. Click the buttons below to view these.

  A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO SENTENCE STRUCTURE

This article aims to inform teachers and students about writing great sentences for all text types and genres. I would also recommend reading our complete guide to writing a great paragraph here. Both articles will find great advice, teaching ideas, and resources.

WHAT IS SENTENCE STRUCTURE?

When we talk about ‘sentence structure’, we are discussing the various elements of a sentence and how these elements are organized on the page to convey the desired effect of the author.

Writing well in terms of sentence structure requires our students to become familiar with various elements of grammar and the various types of sentences that exist in English.

In this article, we will explore these areas and discuss various ideas and activities you can use in the classroom to help your students on the road to mastering these different sentence structures. This will help make their writing more precise and interesting in the process.

TYPES OF SENTENCE STRUCTURE

In English, students need to get their heads around four types of sentences. They are:

Mastering these four types of sentences will enable students to articulate themselves effectively and with personality and style.

Achieving this necessarily takes plenty of practice, but the process begins with ensuring that each student has a firm grasp on how each type of sentence structure works.

But, before we examine these different types of structures, we must ensure our students understand the difference between independent and dependent clauses. Understanding clauses and how they work will make it much easier for students to grasp the following types of sentences.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING SENTENCE STRUCTURE

This complete  SENTENCE STRUCTURE UNIT  is designed to take students from zero to hero over  FIVE STRATEGIC LESSONS  to improve  SENTENCE WRITING SKILLS  through  PROVEN TEACHING STRATEGIES covering:

SENTENCE CLAUSES

Teaching sentence clauses requires a deep understanding of the topic and an ability to explain it in an engaging and easy way for students to understand. In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of sentence clauses and provide some tips for teaching them to students.

What are Sentence Clauses?

A sentence clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can be a complete sentence on its own or a part of a larger sentence. There are two types of sentence clauses: independent and dependent.

Independent Clauses

Put simply; clauses are parts of a sentence containing a verb. An independent clause can stand by itself as a complete sentence. It expresses a complete thought or idea and includes a subject and a verb  – more on this shortly!

Here’s an example of an independent clause in a sentence:

“I went to the store.”

In this sentence, “I went to the store” is an independent clause because it can stand alone as a complete sentence and expresses a complete thought. It has a subject (“I”) and a verb (“went”), and it can be punctuated with a period.

Dependent Clauses / Subordinate Clauses

Dependent clauses, on the other hand, are not complete sentences and cannot stand by themselves. They do not express a complete idea. To become complete, they must be attached to an independent clause. Dependent clauses are also known as subordinate clauses .

An excellent way to illustrate the difference between the two is by providing an example that contains both.

For example:

Even though I am tired, I am going to work tonight.

The non-underlined portion of the sentence doesn’t work as a sentence on its own, so it is a dependent clause. The underlined portion of the sentence could operate as a sentence in its own right, and it is, therefore, an independent clause. 

Now we’ve got clauses out of the way, we’re ready to look at each type of sentence in turn.

Teaching sentence clauses to students is essential because it helps them understand sentence structure. Understanding the structure of sentences is essential for effective writing and communication. It also helps students to identify and correct common errors in their writing, such as sentence fragments and run-on sentences.

Simple Sentences

Simple sentences are, unsurprisingly, the easiest type of sentence for students to grasp and construct for themselves. Often these types of sentences will be the first sentences that children write by themselves, following the well-known Subject – Verb – Object or SVO pattern.

The subject of the sentence will be the noun that begins the sentence. This may be a person, place, or thing, but most importantly, it is the doer of the action in the sentence.

The action itself will be encapsulated by the verb, which is the action word that describes what the doer does.

The object of the sentence follows the verb and describes that which receives the action.

This is again best illustrated by an example. Take a look at the simple sentence below:

Tom ate many cookies.

In this easy example, the doer of the action is Tom , the action is ate , and the receiver of the action is the many cookies .

Subject = Tom

Object = many cookies

After some practice, students will become adept at recognizing SVO sentences and forming their own. It’s also important to point out that simple sentences don’t necessarily have to be short.

This research reveals that an active lifestyle can have a great impact for the good on the life expectancy of the average person.

Despite this sentence looking more sophisticated (and longer!), this is still a simple sentence as it follows the SVO structure:

Subject = research

Verb = reveals

Object = that an active lifestyle can have a great impact for the good on the life expectancy of the average person.

Though basic in construction, it is essential to note that a simple sentence is often the perfect structure for dealing with complex ideas. Simple sentences can effectively provide clarity and efficiency of expression, breaking down complex concepts into manageable chunks.

MORE SIMPLE SENTENCE EXAMPLES

• She ran to the store.
• The sun is shining.
• He likes to read books.
• The cat is sleeping.
• I am happy.

Simple Sentence Reinforcement Activity

To ensure your students grasp the simple sentence structure, have them read a photocopied text pitched at a language level suited to their age and ability.

On the first run-through, have students identify and highlight simple sentences in the text. Then, students should use various colors of pens to pick out and underline the subject, the verb, and the object in each sentence.

This activity helps ensure a clear understanding of how this structure works and helps to internalize it. This will reap rich rewards for students when they come to the next stage, and it’s time for them to write their own sentences using this basic pattern.

After students have mastered combining subjects, verbs, and objects into both long and short sentences, they will be ready to move on to the other three types of sentences, the next of which is the compound sentence .

EXAMPLES OF SIMPLE, COMPLEX AND COMPOUND SENTENCES

Compound sentence s.

While simple sentences consist of one clause with a subject and a verb, compound sentences combine at least two independent clauses that are joined together with a coordinating conjunction .

There’s a helpful acronym to help students remember these coordinating conjunctions; FANBOYS .

Some conjunctions will be more frequently used than others, with the most commonly used being and , but , or , and so .

Whichever of the conjunctions the student chooses, it will connect the two halves of the compound sentence – each of which could stand alone as a complete sentence.

Compound sentences are an essential way of bringing variety and rhythm to a piece of writing. The decision to join two sentences together into one longer compound sentence is made because there is a strong relationship between the two. Still, it is important to remind students that they need not necessarily be joined as they can remain as separate sentences.

The decision to join or not is often a stylistic one.

For example, the two simple sentences:

1. She ran to the school.

2. The school was closed.

It can be easily joined together with a coordinating conjunction that reveals an essential relationship between the two:

She ran to the school, but the school was closed.

As a bonus, while working on compound sentences, a convenient opportunity arises to introduce the correct usage of the semicolon. Often, where two clauses are joined with a conjunction, that conjunction can be replaced with a semicolon when the two parts of the sentence are related, for example:

She ran to the school; the school was closed.

While you may not wish to muddy the waters by introducing the semicolon while dealing with compound sentences, more advanced students may benefit from making the link here.

MORE COMPOUND SENTENCE EXAMPLES

• I want to go to the beach this weekend, but I also need to finish my homework.
• She loves to sing and dance, so she decided to audition for the school musical.
• I enjoy reading books, and my brother prefers to watch movies.
• The dog barked at the mailman, and the mailman quickly walked away.
• He ate his breakfast, and then he went for a run in the park.

Reinforcement Activity:

A good way for students to practice forming compound sentences is to provide them with copies of simple books from early on in a reading scheme. Books for emergent readers are often written in simple sentences that form repetitive patterns that help children internalize various language patterns.

Challenge your students to rewrite some of these texts using compound sentences where appropriate. This will provide valuable practice in spotting such opportunities in their writing and experience in selecting the appropriate conjunction.

COMPLEX SENTENCES

There are various ways to construct complex sentences, but essentially any complex sentence will contain at least one independent and one dependent clause. However, these clauses are not joined by coordinating conjunctions. Instead, subordinating conjunctions are used.

Here are some examples of subordinating conjunctions:

●     after

●     although

●     as

●     as long as

●     because

●     before

●     even if

●     if

●     in order to

●     in case

●     once

●     that

●     though

●     until

●     when

●     whenever

●     wherever

●     while

Subordinating conjunctions join dependent and independent clauses together. They provide a transition between the two ideas in the sentence. This transition will involve a time, place, or a cause and effect relationship. The more important idea is contained in the sentence’s main clause, while the less important idea is introduced by the subordinating conjunction.

Although Catherine ran to school , she didn’t get there in time.

We can see that the first part of this complex sentence (in bold ) is a dependent clause that cannot stand alone. This fragment begins with the subordinating conjunction ‘although’ which joins it to, and expresses the relationship with, the independent clause which follows.

When complex sentences are organized this way (with the dependent clause first), you’ll note the comma separates the dependent clause from the independent clause. If the structure is reorganized to place the independent clause first, with the dependent clause following, then there is no need for this comma.

You will not do well if you refuse to study.

Complex sentences can be great tools for students to not only bring variety to their writing but to explore complex ideas, set up comparisons and contrasts, and convey cause and effect.

MORE COMPLEX SENTENCE EXAMPLES

• Despite feeling exhausted from a long day at work, she still managed to summon the energy to cook a delicious dinner for her family.
• In order to fully appreciate the beauty of the artwork, one must take the time to examine it closely and consider the artist’s intentions.
• The new student, who had just moved to the city from a small town, felt overwhelmed by the size and complexity of her new school.
• Although he had studied diligently for weeks, he was still nervous about the upcoming exam, knowing that his entire future depended on his performance.
• As the sun began to set, the birds flew back to their nests, signalling the end of another day and the beginning of a peaceful evening.

Reinforcement Activity

A helpful way to practice writing complex sentences is to provide students with a subordinating conjunction and dependent clause and challenge them to provide a suitable independent clause to finish out the sentence.

After returning home for work,…

Although it was late,…

You may also flip this and provide the independent clause first before challenging them to come up with a suitable dependent clause and subordinating conjunction to finish out the sentence.

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COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES

Compound-complex sentences are, not surprisingly, the most difficult for students to write well. If, however, your students have put the work in to gain a firm grasp of the preceding three sentence types, then they should manage these competently with a bit of practice.

Before teaching compound-complex sentences, it’ll be worth asking your students if they can make an educated guess at a definition of this type of sentence based on its title alone.

The more astute among your students may well be able to work out that a compound-complex sentence refers to joining a compound sentence with a complex one. More accurately, a compound-complex sentence combines at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause.

Since the school was closed, Sarah ran home and her mum made her some breakfast.

We can see here the sentence begins with a dependent clause followed by a compound sentence. We can also see a complex sentence nestled there if we look at the bracketed content in the version below.

( Since the school was closed, Sarah ran home ) and her mum made her some breakfast.

This is a fairly straightforward example of complex sentences, but they can come in lots of guises, containing lots more information while still conforming to the compound-complex structure.

Because most visitors to the city regularly miss out on the great bargains available here, local companies endeavor to attract tourists to their businesses and help them understand how to access the best deals the capital has to offer.

A lot is going on in this sentence, but it follows the same structure as the previous one on closer examination. That is, it opens with a dependent clause (that starts with subordinating conjunction) and is then followed by a compound sentence.

With practice, your students will soon be able to quickly identify these more sophisticated types of sentences and produce their own examples.

Compound-complex sentences can bring variety to a piece of writing and help articulate complex things. However, it is essential to encourage students to pay particular attention to the placement of commas in these sentences to ensure readers do not get confused. Encourage students to proofread all their writing, especially when writing longer, more structurally sophisticated sentences such as these.

MORE COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE EXAMPLES

• Despite the fact that he was exhausted from his long day at work, he went to the gym and completed a gruelling hour-long workout, but he still managed to make it home in time for dinner with his family.
• The orchestra played beautifully, filling the concert hall with their harmonious melodies, yet the soloist stole the show with her hauntingly beautiful rendition of the final movement.
• Although the road was treacherous and steep, the hiker persevered through the difficult terrain, and after several hours, she reached the summit and was rewarded with a breathtaking view of the valley below.
• The chef prepared a mouth-watering feast, consisting of a savory roast beef, a colorful array of fresh vegetables, and a decadent chocolate cake for dessert, yet the dinner party was still overshadowed by the heated political debate.
• After a long and tiring day, the student sat down to study for her final exam, but she couldn’t concentrate because her mind was consumed with worries about her future, so she decided to take a break and go for a run to clear her head.

Regenerate response

You could begin reinforcing student understanding of compound-complex sentences by providing them with a handout featuring several examples of this type of sentence.

Working in pairs or small groups, have the students identify and mark the independent clauses (more than 1) and dependent clauses (at least 1) in each sentence. When students can do this confidently, they can then begin to attempt to compose their own sentences.

Another good activity that works well as a summary of sentence structure work is to provide the students with a collection of jumbled sentences of each of the four types.

Challenge the students to sort the sentences into each of the four types. In a plenary, compare each group’s findings and examine those sentences where the groups disagreed on their categorization.

In teaching sentence structure, it is essential to emphasize to our students that though the terminology may seem quite daunting at first, they will quickly come to understand how each structure works and recognize them when they come across them in a text.

Much of this is often done by feel, especially for native English speakers. Just as someone may be a competent cyclist and struggle to explain the process verbally, grammar can sometimes feel like a barrier to doing.

Be sure to make lots of time for students to bridge the gap between the theoretical and the practical by offering opportunities to engage in activities that allow students to get creative in producing their own sentences.

WRITING CHECKLISTS FOR ALL TEXT TYPES

WHAT IS A SENTENCE FRAGMENT?

A sentence fragment is a collection of words that looks similar to a sentence but actually isn’t a complete sentence. Sentence fragments usually lack a subject or verb or don’t express a complete thought. Whilst a fragmented sentence can be punctuated to appear similar to a complete sentence; it is no substitute for a sentence.

Sentence fragment features:

These are the distinguishing features of a sentence fragment:

• Example: Jumped further than a Kangaroo. (Who jumped?)
• Example: My favorite math teacher.  (What did the teacher do or say?)
• Example: For better or worse.  (What is better or worse? What is it modifying?)
• Example: When my mother married my father.  (What happened when “my mother married my father?”)
• Example: Such as, my brother was practising martial arts.  (It is unclear; did something happen when my brother was practising martial arts?)

The methods for correcting a sentence fragment are varied, but essentially it will boil down to three options. Either attach it to a nearby sentence, revise and add the missing elements or rewrite the entire passage or fragment until they are operating in sync with each other.

Let’s explore some of these methods to fix a fragmented sentence. Firstly, one must identify the subject and verb to ensure that the fragment contains the necessary components of a complete sentence. For instance, in the sentence “Running down the street, I saw a dog,” the subject (“I”) and verb (“saw”) are present, making it a complete sentence.

Furthermore, it is important to check for a complete thought within the sentence fragment. In other words, the fragment should express a complete idea; if it doesn’t, it should be revised accordingly. An example of a sentence fragment with a complete thought is “Running down the street, I saw a dog chasing a cat.”

Lastly, combining sentence fragments with independent clauses can help create complete sentences. For instance, “Running down the street, I saw a dog. It was chasing a cat” can be combined into one sentence: “Running down the street, I saw a dog chasing a cat.” This not only creates a complete sentence but also enhances the overall coherence and readability of the text.

In summary, sentence fragments can hinder effective communication and must be avoided in writing. To fix a sentence fragment, one must identify the subject and verb, ensure a complete thought is expressed, and consider combining it with an independent clause. By doing so, writers can create clear, concise, and meaningful sentences that easily convey their intended message.

TOP TIPS FOR TEACHING SENTENCE STRUCTURE

• Start with the basics: Begin by teaching students about the different parts of a sentence, such as subject, verb, and object. Use examples and visual aids to help them understand the function of each part.
• Use varied sentence structures: Show students examples of different sentence structures, such as simple, compound, and complex sentences. Please encourage them to use varied sentence structures in their writing.
• Practice with sentence combining: Give students several short, simple sentences and ask them to combine them into a longer sentence using conjunctions or other connecting words. This exercise will help them understand how to construct complex sentences.
• Use real-life examples: Incorporate examples from everyday life to help students understand how sentence structure affects meaning. For example, “I saw the man with the telescope” and “I saw the man, with the telescope” have different meanings due to the placement of the comma.
• Provide feedback: Give students feedback on their writing, focusing on the structure of their sentences. Encourage them to revise and improve their writing by experimenting with different sentence structures. Please provide specific examples of how they can improve their sentence structure.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE VIDEO TUTORIALS

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7.1 Sentence Variety

Learning objectives.

• Identify ways to vary sentence structure.
• Write and revise sentence structure at the beginning of sentences.
• Write and revise sentence structure by connecting ideas.

Have you ever ordered a dish in a restaurant and been not happy with its taste, even though it contained most of your favorite ingredients? Just as a meal might lack the finishing touches needed to spice it up, so too might a paragraph contain all the basic components but still lack the stylistic finesse required to engage a reader. Sometimes writers have a tendency to reuse the same sentence pattern throughout their writing. Like any repetitive task, reading text that contains too many sentences with the same length and structure can become monotonous and boring. Experienced writers mix it up by using an assortment of sentence patterns, rhythms, and lengths.

In this chapter, you will follow a student named Naomi who has written a draft of an essay but needs to refine her writing. This section discusses how to introduce sentence variety into writing, how to open sentences using a variety of techniques, and how to use different types of sentence structure when connecting ideas. You can use these techniques when revising a paper to bring life and rhythm to your work. They will also make reading your work more enjoyable.

Incorporating Sentence Variety

Experienced writers incorporate sentence variety into their writing by varying sentence style and structure. Using a mixture of different sentence structures reduces repetition and adds emphasis to important points in the text. Read the following example:

During my time in office I have achieved several goals. I have helped increase funding for local schools. I have reduced crime rates in the neighborhood. I have encouraged young people to get involved in their community. My competitor argues that she is the better choice in the upcoming election. I argue that it is ridiculous to fix something that isn’t broken. If you reelect me this year, I promise to continue to serve this community.

In this extract from an election campaign, the writer uses short, simple sentences of a similar length and style. Writers often mistakenly believe that this technique makes the text more clear for the reader, but the result is a choppy, unsophisticated paragraph that does not grab the audience’s attention. Now read the revised paragraph with sentence variety:

During my time in office, I have helped increase funding for local schools, reduced crime rates in the neighborhood, and encouraged young people to get involved in their community. Why fix what isn’t broken? If you reelect me this year, I will continue to achieve great things for this community. Don’t take a chance on an unknown contender; vote for the proven success.

Notice how introducing a short rhetorical question among the longer sentences in the paragraph is an effective means of keeping the reader’s attention. In the revised version, the writer combines the choppy sentences at the beginning into one longer sentence, which adds rhythm and interest to the paragraph.

Effective writers often implement the “rule of three,” which is basically the thought that things that contain three elements are more memorable and more satisfying to readers than any other number. Try to use a series of three when providing examples, grouping adjectives, or generating a list.

Combine each set of simple sentences into a compound or a complex sentence. Write the combined sentence on your own sheet of paper.

• Heroin is an extremely addictive drug. Thousands of heroin addicts die each year.
• Shakespeare’s writing is still relevant today. He wrote about timeless themes. These themes include love, hate, jealousy, death, and destiny.
• Gay marriage is now legal in six states. Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine all permit same-sex marriage. Other states are likely to follow their example.
• Prewriting is a vital stage of the writing process. Prewriting helps you organize your ideas. Types of prewriting include outlining, brainstorming, and idea mapping.
• Mitch Bancroft is a famous writer. He also serves as a governor on the local school board. Mitch’s two children attend the school.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

Using Sentence Variety at the Beginning of Sentences

Read the following sentences and consider what they all have in common:

John and Amanda will be analyzing this week’s financial report.

The car screeched to a halt just a few inches away from the young boy.

Students rarely come to the exam adequately prepared.

If you are having trouble figuring out why these sentences are similar, try underlining the subject in each. You will notice that the subject is positioned at the beginning of each sentence— John and Amanda , the car , students . Since the subject-verb-object pattern is the simplest sentence structure, many writers tend to overuse this technique, which can result in repetitive paragraphs with little sentence variety.

Naomi wrote an essay about the 2008 government bailout. Read this excerpt from Naomi’s essay:

This section examines several ways to introduce sentence variety at the beginning of sentences, using Naomi’s essay as an example.

Starting a Sentence with an Adverb

One technique you can use so as to avoid beginning a sentence with the subject is to use an adverb. An adverb is a word that describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb and often ends in – ly . Examples of adverbs include quickly , softly , quietly , angrily , and timidly . Read the following sentences:

She slowly turned the corner and peered into the murky basement.

Slowly, she turned the corner and peered into the murky basement.

In the second sentence, the adverb slowly is placed at the beginning of the sentence. If you read the two sentences aloud, you will notice that moving the adverb changes the rhythm of the sentence and slightly alters its meaning. The second sentence emphasizes how the subject moves—slowly—creating a buildup of tension. This technique is effective in fictional writing.

Note that an adverb used at the beginning of a sentence is usually followed by a comma. A comma indicates that the reader should pause briefly, which creates a useful rhetorical device. Read the following sentences aloud and consider the effect of pausing after the adverb:

Cautiously, he unlocked the kennel and waited for the dog’s reaction.

Solemnly, the policeman approached the mayor and placed him under arrest.

Suddenly, he slammed the door shut and sprinted across the street.

In an academic essay, moving an adverb to the beginning of a sentence serves to vary the rhythm of a paragraph and increase sentence variety.

Naomi has used two adverbs in her essay that could be moved to the beginning of their respective sentences. Notice how the following revised version creates a more varied paragraph:

Adverbs of time—adverbs that indicate when an action takes place—do not always require a comma when used at the beginning of a sentence. Adverbs of time include words such as yesterday , today , later , sometimes , often , and now .

On your own sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences by moving the adverbs to the beginning.

• The red truck sped furiously past the camper van, blaring its horn.
• Jeff snatched at the bread hungrily, polishing off three slices in under a minute.
• Underage drinking typically results from peer pressure and lack of parental attention.
• The firefighters bravely tackled the blaze, but they were beaten back by flames.
• Mayor Johnson privately acknowledged that the budget was excessive and that further discussion was needed.

Starting a Sentence with a Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that behaves as an adjective or an adverb, modifying a noun or a verb. Prepositional phrases contain a preposition (a word that specifies place, direction, or time) and an object of the preposition (a noun phrase or pronoun that follows the preposition).

Table 7.1 Common Prepositions

Read the following sentence:

The terrified child hid underneath the table .

In this sentence, the prepositional phrase is underneath the table. The preposition underneath relates to the object that follows the preposition— the table . Adjectives may be placed between the preposition and the object in a prepositional phrase.

The terrified child hid underneath the heavy wooden table .

Some prepositional phrases can be moved to the beginning of a sentence in order to create variety in a piece of writing. Look at the following revised sentence:

Underneath the heavy wooden table , the terrified child hid.

Notice that when the prepositional phrase is moved to the beginning of the sentence, the emphasis shifts from the subject—the terrified child—to the location in which the child is hiding. Words that are placed at the beginning or end of a sentence generally receive the greatest emphasis. Take a look at the following examples. The prepositional phrase is underlined in each:

The bandaged man waited in the doctor’s office .

In the doctor’s office , the bandaged man waited.

My train leaves the station at 6:45 a.m .

At 6:45 a.m. , my train leaves the station.

Teenagers exchange drugs and money under the railway bridge .

Under the railway bridge , teenagers exchange drugs and money.

Prepositional phrases are useful in any type of writing. Take another look at Naomi’s essay on the government bailout.

Now read the revised version.

The underlined words are all prepositional phrases. Notice how they add additional information to the text and provide a sense of flow to the essay, making it less choppy and more pleasurable to read.

Unmovable Prepositional Phrases

Not all prepositional phrases can be placed at the beginning of a sentence. Read the following sentence:

I would like a chocolate sundae without whipped cream .

In this sentence, without whipped cream is the prepositional phrase. Because it describes the chocolate sundae, it cannot be moved to the beginning of the sentence. “Without whipped cream I would like a chocolate sundae” does not make as much (if any) sense. To determine whether a prepositional phrase can be moved, we must determine the meaning of the sentence.

Overuse of Prepositional Phrases

Experienced writers often include more than one prepositional phrase in a sentence; however, it is important not to overload your writing. Using too many modifiers in a paragraph may create an unintentionally comical effect as the following example shows:

The treasure lay buried under the old oak tree, behind the crumbling fifteenth-century wall, near the schoolyard, where children played merrily during their lunch hour, unaware of the riches that remained hidden beneath their feet.

A sentence is not necessarily effective just because it is long and complex. If your sentence appears cluttered with prepositional phrases, divide it into two shorter sentences. The previous sentence is far more effective when written as two simpler sentences:

The treasure lay buried under the old oak tree, behind the crumbling fifteenth-century wall. In the nearby schoolyard, children played merrily during their lunch hour, unaware of the riches that remained hidden beneath their feet.

Writing at Work

The overuse of prepositional phrases often occurs when our thoughts are jumbled and we are unsure how concepts or ideas relate to one another. If you are preparing a report or a proposal, take the time to organize your thoughts in an outline before writing a rough draft. Read the draft aloud, either to yourself or to a colleague, and identify areas that are rambling or unclear. If you notice that a particular part of your report contains several sentences over twenty words, you should double check that particular section to make certain that it is coherent and does not contain unnecessary prepositional phrases. Reading aloud sometimes helps detect unclear and wordy sentences. You can also ask a colleague to paraphrase your main points to ensure that the meaning is clear.

Starting a Sentence by Inverting Subject and Verb

As we noted earlier, most writers follow the subject-verb-object sentence structure. In an inverted sentence , the order is reversed so that the subject follows the verb. Read the following sentence pairs:

• A truck was parked in the driveway.
• Parked in the driveway was a truck.
• A copy of the file is attached.
• Attached is a copy of the file.

Notice how the second sentence in each pair places more emphasis on the subject— a truck in the first example and the file in the second. This technique is useful for drawing the reader’s attention to your primary area of focus. We can apply this method to an academic essay. Take another look at Naomi’s paragraph.

To emphasize the subject in certain sentences, Naomi can invert the traditional sentence structure. Read her revised paragraph:

Notice that in the first underlined sentence, the subject ( some economists ) is placed after the verb ( argued ). In the second underlined sentence, the subject ( the government ) is placed after the verb ( expects ).

On your own sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences as inverted sentences.

• Teresa will never attempt to run another marathon.
• A detailed job description is enclosed with this letter.
• Bathroom facilities are across the hall to the left of the water cooler.
• The well-dressed stranger stumbled through the doorway.
• My colleagues remain unconvinced about the proposed merger.

Connecting Ideas to Increase Sentence Variety

Reviewing and rewriting the beginning of sentences is a good way of introducing sentence variety into your writing. Another useful technique is to connect two sentences using a modifier, a relative clause, or an appositive. This section examines how to connect ideas across several sentences in order to increase sentence variety and improve writing.

Joining Ideas Using an – ing Modifier

Sometimes it is possible to combine two sentences by converting one of them into a modifier using the – ing verb form— singing , dancing , swimming . A modifier is a word or phrase that qualifies the meaning of another element in the sentence. Read the following example:

Original sentences: Steve checked the computer system. He discovered a virus.

Revised sentence: Checking the computer system, Steve discovered a virus.

To connect two sentences using an – ing modifier, add – ing to one of the verbs in the sentences ( checking ) and delete the subject ( Steve ). Use a comma to separate the modifier from the subject of the sentence. It is important to make sure that the main idea in your revised sentence is contained in the main clause, not in the modifier. In this example, the main idea is that Steve discovered a virus, not that he checked the computer system.

In the following example, an – ing modifier indicates that two actions are occurring at the same time:

Noticing the police car, she shifted gears and slowed down.

This means that she slowed down at the same time she noticed the police car.

Barking loudly, the dog ran across the driveway.

This means that the dog barked as it ran across the driveway.

You can add an – ing modifier to the beginning or the end of a sentence, depending on which fits best.

Beginning: Conducting a survey among her friends , Amanda found that few were happy in their jobs.

End: Maria filed the final report, meeting her deadline .

Dangling Modifiers

A common mistake when combining sentences using the – ing verb form is to misplace the modifier so that it is not logically connected to the rest of the sentence. This creates a dangling modifier . Look at the following example:

Jogging across the parking lot, my breath grew ragged and shallow.

In this sentence, jogging across the parking lot seems to modify my breath . Since breath cannot jog, the sentence should be rewritten so that the subject is placed immediately after the modifier or added to the dangling phrase.

Jogging across the parking lot, I felt my breath grow ragged and shallow.

For more information on dangling modifiers, see Chapter 2 “Writing Basics: What Makes a Good Sentence?” .

Joining Ideas Using an – ed Modifier

Some sentences can be combined using an – ed verb form— stopped , finished , played . To use this method, one of the sentences must contain a form of be as a helping verb in addition to the – ed verb form. Take a look at the following example:

Original sentences: The Jones family was delayed by a traffic jam. They arrived several hours after the party started.

Revised sentence: Delayed by a traffic jam, the Jones family arrived several hours after the party started.

In the original version, was acts as a helping verb —it has no meaning by itself, but it serves a grammatical function by placing the main verb ( delayed ) in the perfect tense.

To connect two sentences using an – ed modifier, drop the helping verb ( was ) and the subject ( the Jones family ) from the sentence with an – ed verb form. This forms a modifying phrase ( delayed by a traffic jam ) that can be added to the beginning or end of the other sentence according to which fits best. As with the – ing modifier, be careful to place the word that the phrase modifies immediately after the phrase in order to avoid a dangling modifier.

Using – ing or – ed modifiers can help streamline your writing by drawing obvious connections between two sentences. Take a look at how Naomi might use modifiers in her paragraph.

The revised version of the essay uses the – ing modifier opting to draw a connection between the government’s decision to bail out the banks and the result of that decision—the acquisition of the mortgage-backed securities.

Joining Ideas Using a Relative Clause

Another technique that writers use to combine sentences is to join them using a relative clause. A relative clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and describes a noun. Relative clauses function as adjectives by answering questions such as which one? or what kind? Relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun, such as who , which , where , why , or when . Read the following examples:

Original sentences: The managing director is visiting the company next week. He lives in Seattle.

Revised sentence: The managing director, who lives in Seattle, is visiting the company next week.

To connect two sentences using a relative clause, substitute the subject of one of the sentences ( he ) for a relative pronoun ( who ). This gives you a relative clause ( who lives in Seattle ) that can be placed next to the noun it describes ( the managing director ). Make sure to keep the sentence you want to emphasize as the main clause. For example, reversing the main clause and subordinate clause in the preceding sentence emphasizes where the managing director lives, not the fact that he is visiting the company.

Revised sentence: The managing director, who is visiting the company next week, lives in Seattle.

Relative clauses are a useful way of providing additional, nonessential information in a sentence. Take a look at how Naomi might incorporate relative clauses into her essay.

Notice how the underlined relative clauses can be removed from Naomi’s essay without changing the meaning of the sentence.

To check the punctuation of relative clauses, assess whether or not the clause can be taken out of the sentence without changing its meaning. If the relative clause is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, it should be placed in commas. If the relative clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence, it does not require commas around it.

Joining Ideas Using an Appositive

An appositive is a word or group of words that describes or renames a noun or pronoun. Incorporating appositives into your writing is a useful way of combining sentences that are too short and choppy. Take a look at the following example:

Original sentences: Harland Sanders began serving food for hungry travelers in 1930. He is Colonel Sanders or “the Colonel.”

Revised sentence: Harland Sanders, “the Colonel,” began serving food for hungry travelers in 1930.

In the revised sentence, “the Colonel” is an appositive because it renames Harland Sanders. To combine two sentences using an appositive, drop the subject and verb from the sentence that renames the noun and turn it into a phrase. Note that in the previous example, the appositive is positioned immediately after the noun it describes. An appositive may be placed anywhere in a sentence, but it must come directly before or after the noun to which it refers:

Appositive after noun: Scott, a poorly trained athlete, was not expected to win the race.

Appositive before noun: A poorly trained athlete, Scott was not expected to win the race.

Unlike relative clauses, appositives are always punctuated by a comma or a set commas. Take a look at the way Naomi uses appositives to include additional facts in her essay.

On your own sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentence pairs as one sentence using the techniques you have learned in this section.

• Baby sharks are called pups. Pups can be born in one of three ways.
• The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south.
• Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics. He is a champion swimmer.
• Ashley introduced her colleague Dan to her husband, Jim. She speculated that the two of them would have a lot in common.
• Cacao is harvested by hand. It is then sold to chocolate-processing companies at the Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange.

In addition to varying sentence structure, consider varying the types of sentences you are using in a report or other workplace document. Most sentences are declarative, but a carefully placed question, exclamation, or command can pique colleagues’ interest, even if the subject material is fairly dry. Imagine that you are writing a budget analysis. Beginning your report with a rhetorical question, such as “Where is our money going?” or “How can we increase sales?” encourages people to continue reading to find out the answers. Although they should be used sparingly in academic and professional writing, questions or commands are effective rhetorical devices.

Key Takeaways

• Sentence variety reduces repetition in a piece of writing and adds emphasis to important points in the text.
• Sentence variety can be introduced to the beginning of sentences by starting a sentence with an adverb, starting a sentence with a prepositional phrase, or by inverting the subject and verb.
• Combine ideas, using modifiers, relative clauses, or appositives, to achieve sentence variety.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Creative Writing: 10 Ways to Write Better Sentences

Creative writing is a craft that takes time and effort to master. Whether you are a novelist, a poet, a screenwriter, or any other type of creative writer, your sentences are the building blocks of your work. They need to be both clear and engaging to hold your reader’s attention.

In this article, we will present you with ten different ways to write better sentences as a creative writer! So let’s begin.

1 Avoid Passive Voice

Passive voice is a common pitfall for many writers, and avoiding it is essential for creating engaging and impactful sentences.

In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon, rather than performing the action itself. This can create a sense of distance between the reader and the action, making the writing feel flat or uninspired.

For example, consider the difference between these two sentences:

Passive voice: The cake was eaten by Tom.

Active voice: Tom ate the cake.

The active voice sentence places the subject (Tom) at the center of the action, creating a sense of immediacy and urgency. Your writing will feel stronger if you focus on the person doing the action.

Of course, there may be some rare situations when you want to use passive voice purposefully, to create a certain effect. For example, passive voice can be used to emphasize the action or object being acted upon, rather than the person performing the action. This can be useful when the object is more important than the person performing the action.

For instance:

Passive voice: The painting was stolen from the museum.

Active voice: Someone stole the painting from the museum.

In this example, the passive voice emphasizes the painting as the object of the action, rather than the person who stole it.

How to identify passive voice

To identify passive voice, look for the use of “to be” verbs (such as “was,” “is,” or “were”) followed by a past participle verb (such as “eaten,” “stolen,” or “written”). To correct passive voice, simply switch the object and subject of the sentence or rephrase the sentence entirely to use active voice.

Passive voice: The report was written by Jane.

Active voice: Jane wrote the report.

By avoiding passive voice and focusing on active voice, you can create more dynamic, engaging, and memorable sentences that draw readers in and keep them engaged with your writing.

2 Cut Unnecessary Similes in Creative Writing

Similes are a great way to add descriptive language and make your writing more vivid and engaging. However, using too many or unnecessary similes can be distracting for readers. It can even come across as clichéd or overdone.

Here’s an example of unnecessary use:

“The sun rose over the mountains like a giant glowing orb.”

In this sentence, the simile does not add any additional information or create a new perspective on the sunrise. The reader already knows what the sun looks like and doesn’t need the added comparison to a giant glowing orb.

Instead, the writer could simply describe the sunrise in a way that feels fresh and evocative, such as:

“The sun slowly peeked over the jagged peaks, casting a golden glow over the landscape below.”

This description captures the beauty and majesty of the sunrise without relying on a clichéd simile.

While this simile may be effective in some contexts, in others it can seem overused and unoriginal. It’s important to consider the purpose of each simile and whether it truly adds to the meaning and impact of the sentence.

To avoid overusing similes, focus on using them only when they add something important to the writing. Similes can be particularly effective when they create a connection between something abstract and concrete, or when they provide a fresh perspective on something familiar.

For example: “She stood in the rain, feeling like a drowning flower in a sea of water.”

In this simile, the writer creates a vivid image of someone feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable in a way that feels impactful.

By cutting unnecessary similes and focusing on the ones that truly add value to your writing, you can create engaging sentences that capture your reader’s attention and hold it until the very end!

3 Avoid Complex Sentences

In writing, it’s essential to strike a balance between engaging your reader with rich and varied sentences and making sure your writing is easy to understand.

One common mistake is to cram too much information into a single sentence. When a sentence has too many clauses and phrases, it can become difficult to follow. Instead, aim for shorter sentences that communicate one idea at a time. This approach can help keep your writing clear and concise.

However, do not be afraid to vary your sentence length and structure! Mixing up sentence patterns can create a dynamic rhythm and keep readers engaged. Just make sure the meaning of each sentence is clear and easy to follow.

To identify and correct complex sentences, try reading your writing aloud. If you find yourself running out of breath or stumbling over words, it may be a sign that your sentences are too long or complicated. Break them down into shorter sentences that are easier to follow. Remember, your goal is to engage your reader while keeping your writing accessible. Strive for clarity , and use sentence complexity sparingly and intentionally.

In rare situations when a complex sentence is necessary, it’s important to ensure that each clause is clear and serves a distinct purpose. Using punctuation, such as commas or semicolons, can help break up complex sentences into more manageable chunks.

Here’s an example:

Complex Sentence: While I was walking in the park, I saw a group of children playing and laughing, and I couldn’t help but smile, remembering the carefree days of my own childhood.

Simplified Sentence: I saw children playing and laughing in the park and it made me smile, remembering my own carefree days.

In the simplified version, unnecessary details and clauses are removed, making the sentence easier to read and follow.

4 Avoid Body Parts Taking Action

Another common mistake that amateur writers often make is using body parts as the subjects of sentences.

For example, instead of saying “The hand grabbed the book,” it’s better to say “I grabbed the book,” or “He grabbed the book.”

This is important because it helps to create a stronger sense of agency and personal connection between the reader and the characters or narrator in the writing.

When body parts are used to take action, it can create a sense of detachment and objectivity that can be jarring to the reader. By using people as the subjects of your sentences, you can create a more engaging and emotionally resonant narrative that draws readers in and keeps them invested in the story.

So, next time you are writing a sentence, remember to keep the focus on the characters or narrators themselves, rather than on their body parts.

5 Avoid starting actions

Starting sentences with actions is a common habit among many writers. However, it can be an easy trap to fall into. Having a character start or begin actions, reduces the immediacy of the action and rarely enhances understanding.

For example:

“Anna started to smile ” is an example of a sentence that could be simplified and made more engaging by removing unnecessary words. Instead, you could simply say “Anna smiled.” Both will convey the same meaning. But, “Anna smiled” feels much stronger and more immediate.

By removing the unnecessary phrase “started to,” the sentence becomes more direct and impactful, putting the focus on the action itself rather than the build-up to it. This creates a stronger sense of immediacy and engagement, drawing the reader into the moment and making them feel more connected to Anna and the story as a whole.

When every sentence starts with an action, it can create a sense of monotony that can bore readers and make your writing feel flat. Instead, try varying the structure of your sentences to keep your writing interesting and engaging.

You could start with descriptive language , dialogue , or even a question to pique the reader’s interest and draw them into the story. By using a variety of sentence structures, create a more dynamic and compelling narrative – it will keep readers interested and invested.

6 Set the Tone with Word Choices

The words you choose to use in your creative writing can have a profound impact on the tone and mood of your piece. By carefully selecting the right words, you can create a sense of atmosphere and emotion that draws the reader into your story and helps to immerse them in your world. Whether you are aiming for a lighthearted and humorous tone, a dark and brooding atmosphere, or something in between, your word choices can help to set the tone and create the right emotional impact for your readers.

 •  The car crept down the narrow street.

 •  The car raced down the narrow street.

 •  The car meandered down the narrow street.

In the first sentence, the word “crept” creates a sense of caution and slowness, suggesting that the driver is navigating the street with care. In the second sentence, the word “raced” creates a sense of urgency and excitement, suggesting that the driver is in a hurry. In the third sentence, the word “meandered” creates a sense of leisure and relaxation, suggesting that the driver is taking their time and enjoying the scenery.

By choosing different words to describe the same action, you can create a wide range of impressions and moods in your writing, helping to set the tone and create a more engaging and immersive experience for your readers.

7 Remove Filtering

Filtering is a writing technique where the author uses words or phrases to “filter” the reader’s experience of the story, rather than allowing them to experience it directly. This can take the form of phrases like “I saw,” “I heard,” “I felt,” or “I thought,” which can create a sense of distance between the reader and the story, making it harder for them to become fully immersed in the world and the characters.

To create a more engaging and immersive reading experience, it is important to remove filtering from your writing as much as possible. Instead of telling the reader what the character saw or heard, show them the experience directly through sensory details and vivid descriptions.

For example, instead of saying “I heard a loud noise,” you could say “A deafening crash echoed through the room, making me jump in my seat.” By showing, rather than telling, you create a more engaging and immersive reading experience for your audience.

8 Reduce “was -ing” Construction

Using too many “was -ing” constructions in your writing can make sentences feel passive and unengaging, as it often emphasizes the action rather than the character performing the action. This can make your writing feel flat and lifeless, rather than dynamic and engaging.

To avoid this, reduce the use of “was -ing” constructions and instead opt for more active sentence structures. This can involve using stronger, more descriptive verbs, or reworking your sentences to put the emphasis on the character performing the action.

For example, consider these two sentences:

He was walking down the street.

He sauntered down the street.

In the first sentence, the “was -ing” construction makes the action feel passive and uninteresting. In the second sentence, however, the more descriptive verb “sauntered” creates a sense of purpose and intentionality, making the action feel more engaging and dynamic.

Focusing on more active sentence structures, you can create writing that feels more dynamic, engaging, and alive, helping to draw your readers into the story and keep them hooked.

9 Keep the Wording Natural

When writing, use language that feels natural and organic, rather than stiff or stilted. This means avoiding overly formal language or phrases that do not sound like something a real person would say.

One way to keep your wording natural is to read your writing aloud and listen for any phrases or sentences that feel awkward or clunky. You can also ask yourself if a real person would actually say the words you have written, or if they would use different phrasing or word choices.

“It is imperative that we arrive at the designated location by the appointed time.”

“We need to get there on time.”

The first sentence is overly formal and does not sound like something a real person would say in everyday conversation. The second sentence, on the other hand, is more natural and to the point.

10 Use of Vocabulary Level

A vocabulary level can be great for conveying characterization, values, etc. However, it is important to consider how the level of vocabulary impacts reading speed . More advanced vocabulary can slow down the reader, so it is important to use it strategically.

Different target reader groups may have different preferences for the pace of reading. Some readers enjoy savoring each word and reading at a slower pace, while others prefer a faster pace that keeps them engaged and moving through the text quickly. As a writer, you must consider the impact of your word choices on the reading speed and experience of your audience.

While it can be tempting to showcase your extensive vocabulary, try to use it in moderation and only when it adds value to the writing. Ultimately, your goal as a writer is to engage your audience and keep them interested in your story or message. Keeping your readers in mind when selecting your vocabulary can help ensure that your writing is effective and impactful.

Advanced vocabulary: The erudite professor began pontificating about the intricacies of the esoteric subject, inundating his audience with a plethora of abstruse terminology.

Simplified vocabulary: The knowledgeable professor started explaining the complexities of the obscure topic, using lots of difficult terms that were unfamiliar to most people.

Both sentences convey the same message, but the first one uses more advanced vocabulary that may slow down the reader. The second sentence uses simpler vocabulary that is easier to understand and moves the reader through the text more quickly.

Improving your sentence writing skills is a vital component of becoming a better writer. By using active voice, avoiding passive voice, cutting unnecessary similes, simplifying complex sentences, removing filtering, setting the pace with sentence length, and strategically using vocabulary level, you can create more engaging and impactful sentences and capture your readers’ attention.

Remember, the goal is not to impress with fancy words or convoluted phrasing. The goal is to effectively communicate your ideas and stories in a way that resonates with readers. Try following these ten tips. You will be on your way to crafting powerful, memorable sentences that elevate your writing to the next level!

Northern Illinois University Effective Writing Practices Tutorial

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• Sentence Structure

Vary sentence structure in writing so that what you write doesn't look like a list of things on the one hand or a long winding sentence that might never end on the other hand.

Varying sentence structure keeps your writing alive and readers interested . As Andrea Lunsford indicates, "Constant uniformity in anything, in fact, soon gets tiresome, while its opposite, variation, is usually pleasing to readers. Variety is important in sentence structures because too much uniformity results in dull listless prose" (189).

Monotonous tone can be avoided by varying:

• sentence types
• sentence openings
• sentence length (Lunsford, 190-191).

Sentence Types

The easiest way to bore readers is to use simple Subject + Verb structure in all sentences. Consider the following example:

Vincent van Gogh was born in the southern Netherlands in 1853 to the family of a Dutch church minister. He started working as an art dealer at the early age of fifteen. He worked there for five years. Vincent fell in love with one of the girls at his boarding house. He finally decided to confess his love for her, but she rejected him. He was devastated. Vincent quit the art gallery and decided that his true passion was to become a pastor.

He lived with his relatives for a while in Amsterdam and prepared to study theology at the university. Vincent failed in his studies. He then worked as a missionary in a coal-mining village in Belgium for a year. His missionary work unfortunately didn't bring him closer to becoming a pastor. Vincent often turned to drawing when life proved hard. He liked to portray the everyday life of ordinary people. In this period, he produced one of his early famous paintings "The Potato Eaters."

Here's a revised version which has a combination of simple , compound , and complex sentences:

Born to the family of a Dutch church minister in the southern Netherlands in 1853, Vincent van Gogh received his first exposure to art at the age of fifteen when he started working as an art dealer. Saddened by unrequited love, Vincent quit the gallery after only five years and turned to religion, setting his goals on becoming a pastor.

For a while, he lived with his relatives in Amsterdam preparing for the study of theology. Despite his passion and hard work, Vincent failed at his studies. Undeterred by his failure to get into the university, Vincent continued his pursuit of religion as a missionary in a coal-mining village in Belgium. He often drew to escape the harsh reality of life in this impoverished region. The everyday life of ordinary people seemed to attract his attention the most. It was during this period that he produced one of the most famous paintings of his early career, "The Potato Eaters."

A combination of simple, compound, and complex sentences not only makes the flow of information more interesting, but it also improves the readability of the passage.

If sentences in a paragraph begin with the same opening subject, the writing becomes monotonous.

In the previous example, we saw a lot of repetitions of the pronoun he . To avoid this monotonous effect, start the sentences with adverb modifiers or clauses, transitional expressions, prepositional or infinitive phrases .

Rule to Remember

Vary your sentences by starting them with adverb modifiers or clauses, transitional expressions, prepositional or Infinitive phrases.

Adverb modifier

Relentlessly , the artist worked on his sketching technique until it was perfected.

Adverb Clause

Until his style improved , the artist spent most of the time perfecting his sketching technique.

Infinitive Phrase

To achieve perfection , the artist worked relentlessly on his sketching technique.

Transitional Expressions

He was a promising artist. However , he still needed to work a lot on his sketching technique.

Sentence Length

Varying sentence length can help keep the rhythm in writing. A succession of long sentences should be interrupted from time to time with a few short ones to keep readers' interest alive.

On the other hand, don't keep all your sentences short or your paragraph will look like a list. Consider the following example:

The Renaissance was a cultural movement. It lasted from the 14th until the 17th century. Its biggest representatives were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

There are many ways to combine short sentences. You can use either a coordinating or a subordinating conjunction, introduce a dependent clause, a participial or prepositional phrase, or use an appositive.

Combining clauses by introducing a dependent clause :

The Renaissance was a cultural movement which lasted from the 14th until the 17th century . Its biggest representatives were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

Combining sentences using an appositive :

The Renaissance, a cultural movement between the 14th and 17th century , produced some of most famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

In summary, vary your sentence structure to avoid monotony and keep your readers' interest.

• Punctuation
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• List of Sources
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How to write a good sentence (and how it will work wonders for your creative writing!)

Latest posts.

Sentences are the basic building blocks of any writing, so it’s a good investment to learn how to write them so they tell your story effectively

Books are made up of chapters, which are made up of paragraphs, which are made up of sentences. This means every sentence you write has to serve a purpose, as it is a building block for your story. Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, each sentence you write should in some way move your narrative forward: impart a new piece of information, or convey something to the reader that adds to what they already know about the story.

That’s the basic function of a sentence in writing. But sentences do more than that. If we go back to our ‘brick’ analogy, you need to choose the right bricks for a particular project. All bricks build walls, but what would be best for the job in hand? Stone bricks? Red bricks? Textured bricks? Making the right choice of bricks is vital to the structural development of the project – if you use a cheap job-lot of shoddy bricks the wall might collapse before it’s been completed. It’s exactly the same with the sentences in your writing. They need to be the best possible sentences for the job.

What makes a good sentence?

We could go on about crafting beautiful sentences, being grammatically correct and making ideal word choices. And of course all these things matter. But the most important aspect of a good sentence is that it engages the reader. It makes them want to read on. This means every sentence you write needs to be the best sentence it can be. It sounds as if the pressure’s on, but for a writer, why wouldn’t you want every sentence you write to be as good as you can make it to entice your reader to carry on to your next sentence?

Here are two sentences that tell us the same thing in slightly different ways.

• Jake went downstairs in the middle of the night and got some food from the fridge.

• Jake’s growling stomach sends him creeping downstairs to the fridge in the middle of the night.

There’s nothing wrong with the first sentence. It sets out the information it needs to convey clearly and concisely. It uses the right words in the right places. But it’s a little bit flat, and distinctly prosaic.

In our second sentence, the use of the present tense gives the sentence a sense of immediacy. Jake’s ‘growling stomach’ tells us he’s hungry and the verb ‘creeping’ coupled with ‘middle of the night’ suggests he doesn’t want to wake anyone up. The words have been carefully chosen to create a particular atmosphere: Jake wanting to make sure he doesn’t get caught on his fridge-raid. There’s nothing flowery or attention seeking about this sentence, but everything in it works to reveal something about Jake and his actions. Because of a few careful word choices, the reader of sentence two has been experiencing, on a micro-level, story. It’s an effective sentence.

Read more about the pros and cons of writing in the present tense here

How to write a good sentence. And then follow it with another one.

Good sentences contain facts, but that’s not all. ‘Marcus got a new car’ is a functional sentence. ‘Marcus’s new car is a Porsche’ tells us more. ‘Marcus upgraded to his first Porsche’ adds yet another layer of story. These are very simple sentences – but good sentences don’t need to be complicated. They can be stripped down to the bare essentials and still convey layers of meaning if the writer makes skilled word choices instead of using nuts-and-bolts vocabulary.

The next sentence should build on the impression generated by the first one: Marcus upgraded to his first Porsche. Now Lin’s clique would see he wasn’t just another loser.

As a reader, what impression do you have of Marcus? Socially aspirant, materalistic? That’s certainly the impression the first sentence gives. A good sentence allows the writer to control not just what the reader knows, but how they feel about it.

Read on to sentence two, and might you add insecure, anxious about social status to your impressions? You might not initially like Marcus (‘upgraded to his first Porsche’ is not the hallmark of a sympathetic character) but by sentence two you are likely to be interested in him and curious to know the reasons for his anxiety around Lin and not being a ‘loser’.

Good sentences create impressions and generate emotions

A good sentence appeals on visual levels (by making the reader ‘see’ a thing) and on emotional levels (by making them ‘feel’ a thing). Take this one: Be the writer you always wanted to be . The reader, in their mind’s eye, can picture exactly who that writer is and what the success is that they’re aiming to reach. And on an emotional level, it’s charged with feelings relating to achieving your goal and living your dream.

Look at these sentences. What can you ‘see’? What do they make you feel?

• From the cliff top, they watched the sun set over a tranquil jade sea.

• Mia was the only one who ever noticed that their mother always served herself last.

• Her clothes and hair were too neat.

• I’ve tried not caring but I can’t do that.

How to construct good sentences

• Remember craftmanship. Writing good sentences, like any aspect of writing, takes practice. Write lots of sentences. Look at them. Take them apart. Write some more. Practice may not make perfect, but it does help.

• Get in the habit of remembering that each sentence has at least one job to do, and probably more.

• Shape each sentence as if it were a mini creative writing project in its own right.

• Make sure every word in your sentence is earning its place there. Cut out any ‘padding’ words that get in the way of your meaning.

• Make sure your sentences are well constructed. If they are, readers will not notice, but if they’re grammatically incorrect, or there are typos or words used wrongly, readers will notice immediately, and their attention will be diverted from what you are saying to the (failed) mechanics of your writing. No-one means to make mistakes, but when they’re spotted they take the reader out of your constructed world.

• We’re not discussing prose style here, but make sure that whatever prose style you write in, you write your sentences in your voice.

Good sentences can be any length.

Sentences don’t need to be long to be effective. No. and Yes . can be very effective sentences if they’re properly placed in your work. Be aware that the longer your sentences, the more material you need to be in control of. You don’t want your sentences running away with you. And your sentences definitely don’t all want to be the same length, because that creates a monotonous effect for the reader. Varying your sentence lengths is a good way to keep readers interested.

Basic grammar for good sentences

Using correct grammar in your sentences is like good manners: it makes it easy for a reader to follow what you’re saying. If readers have to unravel what you mean because you aren’t in control of your sentence structure, they won’t be able to concentrate on your story and you will lose their patience, and probably their interest.

• Make sure your sentences are clear and easy to comprehend. You might be writing something with a complicated meaning but your job as a writer is to ensure that a reader can understand what you have written.

• It’s better to use an active voice than a passive one (‘Marcus drove the Porsche’ rather than ‘The Porsche was driven by Marcus’).

• Use a consistent verb tense. ‘Marcus drives the Porsche to work and it was the first time he drove it’ mixes present and past tenses to confusing effect.

• Keep your clauses under control. If your sentence needs to contain additional information, like this, then be aware of how to set it out so the reader doesn’t get lost.

• Punctuate correctly. If in doubt, keep sentences short and punctuation simple. In a properly punctuated sentence, the punctuation will be invisible to readers, but they will spot immediately if you use a rogue semi-colon.

• Don’t use words unless you are sure of their meaning. Or words that you wouldn’t normally use in conversation. Or words that you think make you sound ‘writerly’. These words will destroy your sentences and reduce them to rubble.

• It’s OK to use sentence fragments in your writing. But complete sentences do require a subject, a verb and an object.

Unsure of when to use ‘a’ and ‘an in your sentences? Check out this back-to-basics grammar advice .

Now it’s your turn.

• Write a short sentence about a character called Greg that tells the reader what he wants.

• Write another sentence describing how the thing he wants could change his life.

• Now write a longer sentence telling the reader what is stopping Greg from getting what he wants.

• Write a fourth sentence describing how this makes Greg feel.

• Finally, write a sentence setting out what Greg is going to do about the situation you have put him in.

With a bit of luck, that’s five good sentences you’ve written! By now you should be inspired to do some more creative writing. Why not write more of Greg’s story? If you think it might be the start of a longer piece of fiction, read this guide to plotting your novel to help you (and Greg!) on the way.

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• Knowledge Base
• Sentence structure

Sentence Structure in English | Explanation & Examples

Sentence structure determines how the different parts of a sentence are put together, from its punctuation to the ordering of its words. As well as following basic word order rules , there are many other things you have to consider to write correctly and clearly structured sentences.

There are two especially common sentence construction mistakes:

• Run-on sentences : incorrect punctuation used to join different parts of a sentence
• Sentence fragments : missing necessary components to form a full grammatically correct sentence

Sentence structure is not just a matter of grammar, but also of style and flow. Strong academic writing uses a variety of sentence lengths and structures. It’s important to avoid overly long sentences that can be confusing for readers, but too many very short sentences can make your text feel choppy and disjointed. If you struggle with this, you could consider a proofreading and editing service .

Table of contents

Avoid run-on sentences, avoid sentence fragments, split up overly long sentences, link together overly short sentences, fix sentence structure with a paraphrasing tool, other sentence structure tips.

An independent clause is a group of words that could stand as a full sentence on its own. There are various ways to join independent clauses, but a run-on sentence occurs when they are joined without proper punctuation.

Run-on sentences are a matter of grammar rather than length—even relatively short sentences can contain this error. There are two common mistakes that result in run-on sentences.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone. This form of sentence is called a comma splice .

• The project ran over the deadline, data processing was extensive.

There are three ways to fix this error. You can split the clauses into two separate sentences.

• The project ran over the deadline. Data processing was extensive.

You can replace the comma with a semicolon or (if appropriate) a colon .

• The project ran over the deadline; data processing was extensive.

Alternatively, you can use a conjunction to create a connection between the clauses.

• The project ran over the deadline because data processing was extensive.

Comma splices can also appear in longer sentences with multiple clauses. In this context they are especially likely to cause confusion.

• Jimmy likes to take cream and sugar with his coffee, when he drinks it warm, he also likes it black.

Here it is not clear which part of the sentence should be connected to the clause  when he drank it warm.  Does he like cream and sugar when he drinks coffee warm, or does he like coffee black when he drinks it warm? A semicolon, period or conjunction clarifies the meaning of the sentence, which changes in meaning depending on where the punctuation is placed.

• Jimmy likes to take cream and sugar with his coffee; when he drinks it warm, he also likes it black.
• Jimmy likes to take cream and sugar with his coffee when he drinks it warm. He also likes it black.
• Jimmy likes to take cream and sugar with his coffee, but when he drinks it warm, he also likes it black.

Missing comma with a coordinating conjunction

There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (you can remember them with the acronym FANBOYS). When you use one of these conjunctions to join two independent clauses, you need to use a comma before it.

• Data was gathered through questionnaires and selected respondents participated in interviews .

The missing comma creates a run-on sentence, and like the comma splice , it can often cause confusion. Because we use these conjunctions so often and for so many purposes, it’s useful to know how they are being used when we encounter them.

The comma before and helps the reader navigate the sentence by signalling that the next part is a new, related, and complete thought.

• Data was gathered through questionnaires, and selected respondents participated in interviews.

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A fragment is a group of words that doesn’t contain all the components of a grammatically correct sentence. For a string of words to be considered a sentence, it has to contain a subject and a predicate.

Note that sentence fragments are often used stylistically in journalism and creative writing, but they are rarely appropriate in academic or other formal writing.

Subjects and predicates

The  subject  of the sentence tells us about the person or thing that acts, while the predicate tells us about what the subject does or is. Put another way, the subject is the noun part of a sentence, and the predicate is the verb part.

Some sentences have more than one subject-predicate combination, but the subject position always comes first. No matter how many subject-predicate pairs come in a sentence, the ratio is always 1:1—every subject needs a predicate, and every predicate needs a subject.

• Ducks fly .
• Haggard and elderly ducks and geese fly slower, lower, and with more caution.
• Haggard and elderly ducks and geese fly slower, lower, and with more caution, perhaps because of rheumatism .
• Haggard and elderly ducks and geese fly slower, lower, and with more caution , perhaps because their rheumatism hinders them .
• Ducks fly ; dogs walk .
• Ducks fly faster than geese when dogs run and bark .
• The dog catches the ball .
• The dog catches the ball , which is covered in slobber .
• The dog catches the ball , which we bought .
• The ball is caught .
• The ball now has the following characteristics: a slipperiness, a smelliness, and a chewiness .
• The ball now has the following characteristics : it is slippery , it is smelly , and it is chewy .
• The ball now has the following characteristics : it is slippery, smelly, and chewy .

Missing predicate

The simplest form of sentence fragment is a sentence missing a main verb. A noun phrase alone is not a sentence—it needs a predicate to be grammatically correct.

• After they settled the argument , they became friends . A fortunate turn of events .

The fragment can be revised either by using appropriate punctuation to join it to the preceding sentence, or by rewriting the sentence to include a predicate.

• After they settled the argument , they became friends: a fortunate turn of events .
• After they settled the argument , they became friends . It was a fortunate turn of events .

Dependent clause on its own

A dependent clause has a subject and a predicate, but it does not express a complete thought. It has to be attached to an independent clause to form a full sentence.

Dependent clauses are often formed with subordinating conjunctions , which include words such as when, after, since, while, although, if, unless, because, while , and whereas . When one of these words is added to the beginning of an independent clause, it turns into a dependent clause.

• The coast was clear .
• When the coast was clear .

The first sentence is an independent clause that can stand as a full sentence on its own. The subordinating conjunction when transforms it into a dependent clause. On its own, this is a sentence fragment. It needs to be correctly connected to another clause to form a full sentence.

• They would go to safety . When the coast was clear .
• They would go to safety ; when the coast was clear .
• They would go to safety when the coast was clear .
• When the coast was clear , they would go to safety .

Note that these clauses cannot be joined with a semicolon . A semicolon can only join two independent clauses.

Misuse of the present participle

The present participle is the form of a verb that ends with  -ing (e.g. running, researching, being ). Sometimes it is misused where a present or past simple form should be used instead. An -ing verb on its own can be part of a modifier  that refers to another part of the sentence, but it can’t mark the beginning of a predicate.

The most common verb abused with this mistake is to be , which is conjugated as being when it should be conjugated is  or was .

• He argued all night long . The point being important .

The point being important is a sentence fragment. It needs to be connected to another clause or revised with a properly conjugated verb.

• He argued all night long . The point was important .
• He argued all night long, the point being important .

Sometimes a long sentence is grammatically correct, but its length makes it difficult to follow. To make your writing clearer and more readable, avoid using too many overly long sentences.

The average sentence length is around 15–25 words. If your sentence starts to exceed 30–40 words, you might want to consider revising it. Removing redundancies and inflated phrases is a good way to start, but if all the words in the sentence are essential, try to split it up into shorter sentences.

This sentence doesn’t contain any grammatical errors, but the information can be presented more clearly by revising its structure.

Another issue to watch out for is overly long introductory phrases or clauses. If your sentence starts by repeating material that has already been presented, it can bury the new information you want to communicate.

The main point of the sentence is that none of the findings were significant , but the long introductory clause distracts us from this information. To clarify the point and shorten the sentence, focus on reducing repetition .

Shorter sentences are generally clearer and more readable, but using too many very short sentences can make a text feel choppy, disjointed or repetitive. Try to use a variety of sentence lengths, and use transition words to help readers see how your ideas fit together.

While all of these are grammatically correct sentences, the text reads more smoothly if they are merged.

At the end of the day, you want your writing to be natural and easy to understand. And we get it. When you’re in the middle of writing your paper, you might not remember all the rules for making sentences.

Why not use new technology to make your sentence structure flow more smoothly? With the AI-powered paraphrasing tool , you can easily copy your sentences into the tool, choose “fluency”, and fix your sentence structure. It only takes one click.

Apart from these basic rules, there are some other techniques you can use to improve your sentence structure.

Use parallel structure   Fix dangling modifiers Fix misplaced modifiers

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Why Your Writing Sounds Weird (And What You Can Do About It)

by Joe Bunting | 23 comments

Sentence structure matters, no matter who you are.

You might be a student trying to get a passing grade on an essay, a guy trying to text to a smart girl without humiliating yourself, an employee writing a company-wide memo, or a writer working on your next book. When sentence structure gets out of whack, there can be consequences (no passing grade, no first date, no raise, no publishing contract, no bueno ).

Photo by Nawal Al-Mashouq (Creative Commons)

Bad Sentence Structure Makes for Weird Sounding Sentences

When you write, you use a different part of the brain than when you speak. That's why writing can be so hard for many of us, myself included. You might communicate perfectly when you talk, but when you write, you stare at the screen for fifteen minutes trying to figure out what to say.

Many people especially struggle with sentence structure. Most of us are taught sentence structure in the third and fourth grade, but we usually forget it just as quickly.

Who really needs to know what a subject and predicate is or why you shouldn't use comma splices?

Who needs to know?  You do! That is, if you don't want to your writing to sound ridiculous. If you don't structure your sentences correctly, your writing will sound strange, like there's something “off” about it. This might not matter in a text message to your friends, but it could definitely matter when you're writing that essay for English class or sending an important email for work.

Here's the point: Smart people use correct sentence structure. ( Tweet that ?)

Sentence Structure Basics: Subject and Predicate

To begin, let's talk about the basics of sentence structure. If you're serious about sentence structure, you probably already know what a subject and predicate is. For everyone else, here are the simple definitions:

Subject.  The subject is what the sentence is about. For example:  John drove his car off the bridge. Is John crazy?

Predicate . The predicate is what the subject is up to. In other words, the predicate “completes an idea about the subject,” according to Wikipedia . For example:  John got out of the ruined car , and he laughed uproariously .  A subject almost always includes a noun (there are some exceptions), but a predicate must include a verb.

Sometimes, a subject isn't included in the sentence but just implied. For example,  Don't  drive off bridges!  Here, there is no subject, but it's implied by the context.

For more complex explanations, use the following links ( subject , predicate ).

The 4 Types of Sentences

When you put a subject and a predicate together, you get a clause ! (Yes, like Santa.) The fun thing is you can combine clauses together to form different types of sentences.

Good writers vary the types of sentences they use. For example, don't use too many simple sentences. You might sound childish. However, if you use too many compound-complex sentences, your writing might be too difficult to understand.

Here are the four types of sentences:

Simple Sentences

Simple sentences contain a single clause (i.e. one subject, one predicate). Here are a few examples:

• John had broken his toe.
• John shouted in pain.
• John was very stupid.

Compound Sentences

Compound sentences contain two independent clauses (independent because they could be their own sentences) which are joined together with a coordinating conjunction (i.e. and, but, or, so). Here are a few examples:

• I didn't know why John drove off the bridge, but Mark did.
• I asked him why, but he wouldn't tell me.
• I stopped asking, but I still wondered.

Complex Sentences

Complex sentences contain one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses (dependent because they couldn't be their own sentence) which are joined together by a subordinating conjunction (e.g. that, because, if, etc.*)

• Everything changed when John drove off the bridge.
• Whenever I drove across that bridge, I would think about driving off, too.
• Even though I would never do it, I thought about it all the time.

*Here's a full list of subordinating conjunctions .

Compound-Complex Sentences

Compound-complex sentences contain at least two independent clauses and one dependent clauses. Here's a long compound-complex example:

Sometimes, when I drove over the bridge, my hand would start to turn the steering wheel toward the edge, but I would quickly stop myself because even I didn't want to die.

When Sentence Structure Goes Wrong

You've seen how sentences are supposed to look, but what happens when sentences go wrong? And how can you avoid sounding like an idiot by structuring a sentence incorrectly? Here are four common ways sentence structure goes wrong:

1. Comma Splices

What if you decided to take two sentences and join them with a comma instead of a period? (Or, for the grammarphiles, what if you joined two independent clauses with a comma but left out the subordinating conjunction?)

Well, you would have a comma splice, and  comma splices  are bad.

Here's an example of a comma splice:

John broke his toe, he shouted in pain.

See what I mean? Don't do that.

Instead, just put in a conjunction (and, but, or, so) or replace the comma with a period.

John broke his toe, and he shouted in pain.

John broke his toe. He shouted in pain

Isn't that better?

2. Fragments

A fragment is an incomplete sentence. It might have a subject. It might have a predicate. It never has both.

Here are a few examples:

• John broke his toe. And shouted in pain.  (no subject)
• Everything changed. When John drove off the bridge.

Fragments are against the rules, but in certain situations, they can be used effectively as a stylistic choice. However, unless you know what you're doing, it's a good idea to avoid them.

3. Run-on sentences

A run-on sentence is kind of like a comma splice except you take out the comma. Here's what I mean:

John broke his toe he shouted in pain.

Run-on sentences are bad. Put a period in between those clauses!

Why You Should Care About Sentence Structure?

You probably aren't going to diagram every sentence from now on. However, by becoming familiar with correct sentence structure, you will  become a better writer, and becoming a better writer could help you pass your next class, get a job, and avoid humiliation on Facebook. It sounds like a good choice to me!

Write a story about a guy who drove off a bridge. In your story, use at least one example of each of the four types of sentences we talked about above. Avoid the sentence-structure pitfalls.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you finish, post your practice in the comments section. And if you post, be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers.

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

23 Comments

I once knew this guy named John. He was a real show-off; he’d do all kinds of stupid things to attract attention. Some of John’s stunts weren’t very funny. You could say John acted like a jerk at times and you’d be right.

However, John’s mother and father doted on their only child even though he didn’t always use every corner of his brain on all occasions. Can you guess what they did? John’s parents bought their darling son a car. They gave it to him for his eighteenth birthday, hoping it might teach John some responsibility, but they were in for a major disappointment.

As I said, John can be a real show-off, so one day he decides to try flying over the Stone Creek Bridge and then taking the sharp right turn at the other side on two wheels. He tried this stunt after a few drinks and a day of rain. He failed to take into account the fact that the pavement might be a mite slippery, furthermore, a passing farm tractor had left some mud on other side, which greased the road nicely.

Can you imagine? John goes flying over the bridge all right and took the turn as planned, but when his wheels hit that mud his car started doing a figure 8. The last thing it did was to slip off the road and down the bank into the creek, making a nice splash for effect as it hit the water and sank.

John was lucky; the creek water was low right then. He managed to open the side window and climb out onto the roof, then he jumped into the water and waded to shore. And wouldn’t you know it? The first one to come along and give him a ride home was the preacher at his parents’ church.

John’s father told him that after this stunt there was no way he was going to co-sign a loan so John could get another car, so he’d just have to buckle down and work until he’d earned enough money to buy one himself. And since John’s uncle was the loans manager at our local bank, it was several years later before John got his second car.

Very witty and entertaining. I especially liked the line: “One evening he decides to try flying over the Stone Creek Bridge.” Keep up the good work! : )

My best bud was called John. He loved to make lots of jokes, because he liked to make people smile. The moment anyone met John, they became friends instantaneously. You could say he was the best. But one day that all changed. I was home, waiting for Josh to come over. I had invited him to come over for a beer. I sat on the couch, watching today’s hockey match. Waiting for the familiar beeping of his truck, and the slam of the door. I heard somebody knocking on my door, and I rushed to it, thinking Josh had arrived. But when I opened it, I found a burly police officer in uniform. I felt my heart squeeze. Why was he here?

“May I come in?, I need to talk to you.” Asked the burly police officer somberly. “Make yourself at home.” I told him, stepping back to let him in. The police officer walked in and sat at the dinning table. He motioned me to sit across him. I walked nervously towards the chair and sat, turning to face the officers eyes.

“What is this about?” I asked him, feeling a pit open in my stomach. I felt something wasn’t right. “Its about your friend, Josh.” The police officer answered slowly and gravely. I felt dread rise up inside of me. What was going on? What happened to Josh? Is he safe? I was about to ask all those questions before he raised his hand. “His car slid off the bridge and crashed. The bridge was covered in too much ice.” The officer said as a tear rolled down his cheek. “Josh is… gone.” I felt my heart sink, along with all my hopes. Josh, gone forever? I couldn’t believe it. I could not accept this hideous reality. It was as if somebody telling a little kid Santa was made up. Tears rolled down my cheeks freely. I hated myself for crying, but I couldn’t stop myself. The officer put his hand on my shoulder, as if trying to comfort me. And so I lay there, crying as the officer held my shoulder. I cried for a long time.

You’re story is good but I think you need to add some longer sentences. Most of yours are about the same length, quite short. “Make yourself at home” sounds too off-hand, not like what you’d say to a police officer standing at your door looking grave.

Ahh, thanks for catching that mistake/error. I winged it more or less, But thank you for your feedback! it helps :3

I have a bad habit of making my sentences overly complex. I’ve never really thought about different types of sentence structure, but here goes nothing. ~~~ I was six when John drove off the bridge. He did it exactly two days after he stabbed his best friend Niko to death, and about six hours after he woke up from one of the supervisors smashing him in the head with his baseball bat. I remember the way he looked then, the back of his head painted and stiff with dry blood, and I remember the scream when he saw Niko. I mostly remember the empty, dead look in his eyes as he just sat in the corner of the Orphanage lobby for hours. He didn’t eat, and no one tried to make him; it meant more for everyone else. The meaning of ‘selfless’ was lost on the lost, beaten children of the foster house. I watched him. I thought about asking him why he had stabbed Niko like that, but I was scared– what if he stabbed me, too? When he disappeared, no one called the authorities; I think they were relieved that he was gone. But the Miss got a call from the police saying that one of her ‘children’ had stolen a car, and then later that he had driven it off of the Bade Bridge. Turns out he didn’t die, but he’s paralyzed for life. I almost envied him– at least he got out of this stinking place that had the audacity to call itself a foster home. It didn’t foster anybody; it only broke them. Broke them and beat them and left them for dead. Now, seven years later, I still remember, and I still wonder why he did it. My naivety gone, I wonder if he was high when he stabbed him, and then was so distraught when he woke that death was welcome. Well, death was welcomed by many people in this house, whether they stabbed their best friend to death or not. I stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom, and listened to the breathing of the ten or so other girls that slept. Moonlight stuttered through the grimy window that I slept beneath, and I lifted up my arm, inspecting the newest of a multitude of injuries. It had been three days since the guard had slashed open the soft skin on the bottom of my forearm for staying out past curfew– it wasn’t because he really cared that I’d stayed out late that he cut me, but because he was looking for an excuse to hurt someone. I could see it in his eyes when I walked inside. It was deep and long, and it was throbbing in a worrisome manner. If I squinted at it it looked like it might be swelling, too. I gnawed on my lip and cast by gaze around the room and sighed. I stood up. I was going to go steal a car.

I have to admit, there’s almost nothing more annoying than reading a book that has sentences such as the dreaded: “He jumped off a cliff, screamed.” “She picked up a hammer, threw it.” The only thing that bothers me more is “Tears streamed down his face. He was obviously sad.” Sorry, had to vent. : )

ya big turkey

Cruz your a big turkey

george is a big turkey

David is a big turkey

david im watching you yeah big turkey

you big chicken

remi you big turkey

i like turkeys ;)))))

the guy who drove off the bridge is a big turkey

got eeeemmmm

yeah big turkey

Have any tips on how to reduce the conjunction “and” in writing? It’s seriously annoying me and I feel that taking a few out would help with the rhythm and structure.

Before mentioned sentence structure since the inceptions making the ideal thoughts in improving as well as processing the bets part for all. it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that the entire way out is making the movements professional plus precise from the beginning.

I woke up screaming, in the middle of the night. I had a nightmare about my brother John, driving his car off the side of the road on ole’ man cliff. John and I we’re very close even though we we’re 12 years apart in age.

I can’t believe that his funeral is tomorrow. Who am I going to talk to about my boy problems? I can’t talk to my mother, she doesn’t believe in dating at my age.

I get up out of the bed to go and get some water. I hear noise coming from my mother’s room. I go in and check on her. She is tossing and turning, she must be having a bad dream as well. I walk in and place my Hand on her and whisper in her ear. Momma, “Everything is going to be alright. ” I kiss her forehead, walk out, and close the door. Tomorrow is gonna be a hard day for the both of us.

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How to structure sentences for a better flow in your writing

Do you long to write sentences that are easy to understand and flow smoothly like a river? Your scientific texts don’t need to feel choppy and your readers don’t need to struggle. Using the appropriate sentence structure helps you convey your message clearly and effectively, even when you write about a highly complex topic.

4 rules for effective sentence structure

Well-structured sentences are crucial in scientific writing. Together with well-structured paragraphs , they are a key to comprehensive and captivating texts. There is no magic to it — just follow a few simple rules and you will be amazed by the result:

We have presented a model of AZM [active zone material] mediated SV [synaptic vesicle] docking and priming proposing that the SV docking and priming at resting active zones are regulated by random shortening and lengthening of AZM macromolecules, which directly link SVs to the plasma membrane at active zones.

Until you finish reading the sentence, you have already forgotten what was said at the beginning. Splitting the sentence in two makes the message easier to grasp:

We have presented a model of SV [synaptic vesicle] docking and priming mediated by AZM [active zone material]. We propose that the SV docking and priming at resting active zones are regulated by random shortening and lengthening of AZM macromolecules, which directly link SVs to the plasma membrane at active zones.

• “Old information” at the beginning of the sentence (topic position) The first few words of a sentence act as a context that we use to interpret the rest of the sentence. Therefore, don’t include anything new (that you mention for the first time) or unknown at the beginning of the sentence: the reader would have to keep this new info in their mind and wait until they get more information to make sense of the new stuff. This is exhausting and frustrating. Moreover, including “old” information at the beginning of the sentence creates a natural connection to the preceding text, thus contributing to the feeling of flow as we read.
• “New information” at the end of the sentence (stress position) What comes at the end of the sentence is naturally emphasized — it sticks most in our memory. So after you have given the context at the beginning of the sentence, present new information at the end of the sentence.
• Person or thing whose “story” the sentence is telling in the topic position The most relevant context for a sentence is its topic — that’s why the beginning of a sentence is called topic position. This together with the previous points means that you should first introduce a new concept at the end of the sentence and link it to something known (“old info”), before you place this concept at the beginning of the sentence and give more details about it.

From sentence structure to text flow

This knowledge about topic position and stress position of a sentence allows us to construct sentences that flow smoothly one after another. Even in the Introduction of a research article, where one needs to move quickly from topic to topic, an appropriate sentence structure creates a pleasant reader experience ( topic position — stress position are marked):

An important strategy to increase agricultural production is to improve soil fertility . In many agricultural soils , a major limiting factor for plant growth is phosphorus . Phosphorus is involved in essential metabolic pathways including photosynthesis, biological oxidation, nutrient uptake, energy transfer and cell division. It is also a contributing factor promoting early root growth, increasing water-use efficiency, and enhancing resistance to plant diseases as well as the quality of crops. However, a large proportion of the total phosphorus in the soil is insoluble and, thus, unavailable for plant uptake .

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Fixing incomprehensible sentences

By priming brain circuits, associations between low-salience stimuli often guide future behavioral choices through a process known as mediated or inferred learning.

Since this is the very first sentence of an article, there is no “old” information that has been previously introduced. Instead, we need to begin the sentence with something that is otherwise familiar to the reader. I think you agree that “by priming brain circuits” does not fulfill this role well. But “future behavioral choices” is quite general, and appears to be relevant for the sentence. Concerning the stress position, “mediated or inferred learning” seems to be appropriate. Indeed, the whole sentence is a definition of this term — so we can keep it at the end of the sentence. Now that we have the beginning and end of the sentence, we can try to order the rest in a logical way:

Future behavioral choices are often guided by associations between low-salience stimuli that prime brain circuits in a process known as mediated or inferred learning.

Even when you don’t know what “low-salience stimuli” mean, I hope you agree that the second version looks much more accessible.

Alright, let’s consider another example — a sentence from conference instructions:

If you have a regular talk (25 min), lightning talk (5 min) or workshop (3.5 hours) idea, we will be very happy to hear about it.

This sentence does not convey rocket science, yet reading it feels mildly inconvenient. What’s the reason? The position of the word “idea” is not optimal: we first get all the details about talks and workshops, and only then we learn that it’s about talk and workshop *ideas*. The fix in this case is simple: put the word “idea” before the details:

If you have an idea for a regular talk (25 min), lightning talk (5 min) or workshop (3.5 hours), we will be very happy to hear about it.

Now let’s practice our new sentence structure skills. Here are a few sentences that can be substantially improved by considering the old and new info and the sentence topic and stress position:

As one of the most unique properties of nerve cells, their intrinsic excitability allows them to transform synaptic inputs into action potentials.

The model-free approaches to control of neural systems presented here suggest that deep reinforcement learning has potential for application to this area.

• Do you have a sentence that does not work and you are struggling to improve it? Share it in the comments , so we can help you and practice at the same time!

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4 types of sentence structure needed for English writing

Published: Nov 28, 2023 | By: Lucas Weaver

Understanding the four main types of sentence structures is crucial for anyone looking to improve their writing skills. 

Sentence structures are the backbone of effective communication in English, and in this post, I’ll guide you through the details of each of the 4 sentence structure types, providing explanations and examples to help you become fluent in your English writing.

• What are the 4 types of sentence structures?

The 4 types of sentence structure in English are Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-complex.

The primary differences between each are their uses and combinations of independent and dependent clauses.

Each type plays a unique role in conveying different nuances and complexities in English communication. 

Let's dive into each of these structures to understand their importance and usage.

Simple sentences

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Simple sentences, the most basic sentence type, consist of a single independent clause. They are straightforward and concise, containing a subject and a verb. 

This section will explore the characteristics of simple sentences and their role in effective communication.

In the art of storytelling, the use of simple sentences stands as a potent narrative tool. 

Their strength lies in their ability to distill complex emotions and scenes into clear, impactful moments. 

Simple sentences can effectively build tension, craft a vivid setting, or introduce a character with concise precision. 

Consider the evocative power in a line such as, "He walked in, unnoticed." 

This simple construction instantly conjures an air of mystery and anticipation, setting the stage for the unfolding story. 

The brevity of simple sentences in storytelling not only hooks the reader but also leaves room for imagination, allowing the audience to fill in the intricate details of the narrative canvas.

Balancing simplicity with complexity

While simple sentences can be powerful, the best writing often balances them with more complex structures.

By blending simple sentences with compound and complex ones, you can create a rhythm and depth in your writing that engages and retains your reader’s interest.

A compound sentence combines simplicity and complexity to help you form one complete thought in one single sentence. 

To understand a compound sentence, it's essential to first grasp the concept of an independent clause. 

An independent clause is a sequence of words that can stand by itself as a complete, correct sentence because it forms a complete thought and has both a subject and a verb. 

For example, "I enjoy learning languages."

When you create a compound sentence, you are essentially joining two or more of these independent clauses. 

This combination is usually achieved through the use of coordinating conjunctions such as "and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "yet," and "so." (We call these FANBOYS to help you remember them.)

These conjunctions play a crucial role because they not only connect the clauses, but they also show the relationship between the ideas in each clause.

The art of combining clauses in a compound sentence lies in understanding how the meanings of the clauses interact. 

It's not just about throwing two independent sentences together. The relationship between the clauses should be clear and meaningful. 

For instance, "I enjoy learning languages, and I practice daily" is a compound sentence that indicates a continuation of thought, showing both a passion for learning and a commitment to practice.

The beauty of compound sentences is in their flexibility and rhythm. They allow you to vary the length and structure of your sentences, making your writing more engaging and interesting to read. 

In a world where attention spans are short, a well-constructed compound sentence can hold the reader's interest longer, by providing a fuller picture of your thoughts in a single sweep.

In crafting compound sentences, punctuation also plays a key role, as a comma before the conjunction is a must when combining two independent clauses. 

For example, "I completed my language lesson, but I plan to review the material again tonight." 

This comma not only helps in maintaining the grammatical integrity of the sentence but also aids in the reader's understanding of the sentence.

A complex sentence, unlike a simple or compound sentence, has an added dimension: it combines one independent clause with one or more dependent (or subordinate) clauses.

A dependent clause, unlike independent clauses, cannot stand alone. It's like an unfinished thought, needing the independent clause to provide a complete picture.

The beauty of complex sentences lies in their ability to convey more nuanced and detailed information than that of a simple sentence. 

They provide context, background, reasons, and various other information, adding layers to the meaning you're communicating. 

For instance, a sentence like, “Although I love coffee, I limit myself to two cups a day,” combines an independent clause (“I limit myself to two cups a day”) with a dependent clause (“Although I love coffee”). 

This structure shows not just actions or statements, but also the reasoning or conditions behind them.

Constructing complex sentences is an art that enhances clarity and richness in writing. The key components are:

Subordinate clauses: These clauses start with words like "although," "since," "if," "when," and "because." They set the stage for the main clause, providing the necessary background and context. For example, "Because I woke up late," sets the context for an ensuing action or situation.

Conjunctions: Conjunctions like "although," "since," and "because" are often used to link the subordinate clause to the main clause. They serve as bridges, linking closely related thoughts in a way that makes sense.

The placement of the subordinate clause can be at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence, depending upon which you want to communicate is more important. 

When a dependent clause starts the sentence, a comma is usually needed after it, as in “While I enjoy reading, I also love outdoor sports.” 

When the subordinate clause is in the middle or end, no comma is typically needed.

To really master the creation of complex sentences, practice is the key.

Start by identifying the main idea you want to convey. Then, think about the context or additional information you want to include. 

Use a subordinate clause to add this information, and choose the right conjunction to link it with the main clause.

Using complex sentences allows you to express more sophisticated ideas and the relationships between those ideas. 

They enrich your writing, making it more engaging and insightful.

Whether you're writing a novel, an academic paper, or a business email, the ability to craft complex sentences will elevate your language skills significantly.

Imagine a sentence structure that combines the qualities of a compound sentence and a complex sentence to get the best of both worlds in one complete sentence. 

This is what a compound-complex sentence is – a sophisticated blend of coordination and subordination, weaving together multiple ideas and relationships. 

Structurally, a compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

The pinnacle of fluent English writing is being able to effortlessly flow in and out of compound-complex sentences.

Compound-complex is a type of sentence structure that is incredible for conveying multiple ideas or actions along with their related contexts or conditions, all within a single sentence. 

This sentence structure type enriches your writing by allowing a more nuanced expression of relationships and sequences of ideas or events. 

It's particularly useful in academic writing, literary works, and advanced narratives, where complex relationships and layered information need to be conveyed concisely and coherently.

Many academic English exams give you a percentage of your points based on your ability to correctly use compound-complex sentences in your writing.

Creating a compound-complex sentence involves combining elements of compound and complex sentences. Here’s how to do it:

Start with two independent clauses: Think of two related but standalone ideas. For example: "I finished my homework" and "I went to bed early."

Add a dependent clause: Introduce a clause that provides additional context or condition. For instance: "Because I had an exam the next day."

Combine them: Now link these clauses together. “Because I had an exam the next day, I finished my homework, and I went to bed early.”

Notice how the sentence provides a complete scenario — the reason for the actions (dependent clause) and the actions themselves (independent clauses).

Of all of the four types of sentence structures, integrating compound-complex sentences into your writing can dramatically upgrade its quality. Using this sentence structure type allows you to:

Show cause and effect: Clearly illustrate how different ideas or actions are related.

Add depth: Provide more information and context in a single sentence.

Enhance flow and rhythm: Vary sentence structure to keep your writing engaging.

Avoid repetitiveness: Combine ideas effectively without being repetitive.

One important note: it's important to use compound-complex sentences reasonably. Overusing them can make your writing seem over the top, or make them a bit tiring to read. 

The key is balance. Mix shorter sentences with longer, compound-complex ones to maintain readability and interest.

To become a proficient writer in English, it's not enough to just understand different sentence structures, you also have to be able to identify them in existing texts. 

This skill is crucial because it allows you to see how seasoned writers effectively use various sentence types to convey their messages. 

Recognizing these structures in texts enhances both your understanding of the sentence types and your ability to apply them creatively in your own writing.

Understanding the different sentence structure types - simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex - in the context of real texts gives you a practical and deeper understanding of each type's pros and cons. 

For instance, seeing how a complex sentence is used in a novel to add depth to a character’s thoughts, or how a compound sentence can clarify relationships between ideas in an article, provides valuable insights into effective communication.

Practice by analyzing sentences

Books: While reading a book, pay attention to the sentences that stand out to you, either because of their clarity, their rhythm, or the way they convey information. 

Try to identify their structure and consider why the author chose that particular structure for that part of the text.

Articles: Articles, especially in professional or academic journals, often use a variety of sentence structures to present information effectively. 

Analyzing these sentences can help you understand how sentence structure can be used to present complex ideas more clearly.

Your own writing: Review your writing and identify the sentence structures you commonly use. 

Are you relying too much on one type? Could a different structure convey your ideas better? 

Experiment with different types of sentences to enhance your writing style.

Sentence diagramming: This can be a helpful tool for visual learners.

By breaking down a sentence into its components, you can clearly see how the parts relate to each other and understand the sentence’s structure.

Writing exercises: Practice rewriting simple sentences as compound or complex ones, and vice versa. 

This not only helps in recognizing different structures but also improves your ability to use them effectively.

The structure of a sentence is not just a matter of grammar; it is a powerful tool that shapes the tone and style of your writing. 

The choice of whether to use a simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentence type can dramatically alter the way your message is perceived. 

Your choice can influence the rhythm, flow, and even the emotional impact of your text.

Variety is key: Changing up which of the 4 types of sentence structure you use in your writing prevents your writing from being too plain or boring. 

A mix of short, punchy sentences and longer, more complex ones can keep the reader's interest and add a more dynamic quality to your writing.

Match sentence structure to content: The sentence structure you use should complement the content. 

For example, simple sentences can be effective for delivering straightforward, impactful statements. 

But complex sentences can convey nuanced thoughts and intricate details.

Flow and rhythm: The rhythm of your writing is heavily influenced by sentence structure. 

Shorter sentences often create a quick, brisk pace, while longer sentences can slow down the narrative, allowing the reader to soak in more complex ideas.

Experimenting with different sentence structures can be an eye-opening experience. 

Try rewriting a paragraph using only simple sentences, then only complex sentences, and note how the tone and style change. 

This exercise can help you understand the power of sentence structure in shaping the narrative voice and the reader's experience.

Reflecting emotion and tone: The sentence structure can mirror the emotion or tone you're trying to convey. 

For instance, short simple sentences might be used to convey urgency or surprise, while complex sentences can reflect a thoughtful or contemplative mood.

Adapting to genre and audience: Different genres and audiences may call for different sentence structures. 

Academic writing often relies on complex sentences, while creative writing might benefit from a varied sentence structure to convey different moods and keep the reader engaged.

Keep in mind the tips and explanations I've given above and adapt them for whichever situation you're writing for.

The art of writing isn't just about choosing the right words. It's also about how those words are structured and presented. 

Utilizing a variety of sentence structures is a key technique in elevating the quality of your writing. 

This diversity not only adds a rhythmic dimension to your text but also helps keep your reader interested and engaged with your narrative or argument.

The length of your sentences plays a crucial role in forming the rhythm of your writing. 

Short sentences can create a fast-paced, energetic flow, which is great for action scenes in a story, or for making straightforward points. 

Longer sentences, by contrast, tend to slow down the pace, allowing for more detailed descriptions and complex ideas. 

Varying the length keeps the reader engaged, as the constant change in pace prevents your writing from being too dry.

When learning the 4 types of sentence structure, remember, it's not about using all of them all the time. It's about using the appropriate one at the appropriate time.

Imagine, just a few weeks from now, effortlessly crafting emails that captivate, creating content that resonates, and communicating in a way that not only engages but inspires.

This isn't just about learning English writing; it's about elevating your entire communication game. It's about the respect you'll command, the confidence you'll exude, and the doors that will swing wide open in both your personal and professional life.

With my online English course "Master English Writing Fluency," you're not just signing up for a course; you're stepping into a new realm of clarity and confidence. The kind that only comes when you know your words can move mountains.

Don't let another day pass by with you being less than the extraordinary communicator you can be. Click the button below, enroll now, and let's start this journey together. Your future self will thank you for the decision you make today.

Lucas Weaver founded The Weaver School in 2016. He's passionate about using the latest learnings in neuroscience and education to create the best language learning experience possible for our students, so they can quickly build effective language learning habits that will last for years. Lucas is a graduate of Texas A&M University and after 7 years of living in the Netherlands, he is currently traveling through Southeast Asia while learning their languages along the way.

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Engaging Resources for Teaching Literacy

By Sara Marye 2 Comments

Five Highly Effective Sentence Writing Activities

Encouraging our students to become more intentional writers can feel daunting. Some of us might feel like we don’t know enough about writing to implement a strong routine that will support our students writing skills. Or it may feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day to incorporate a beneficial writing lesson. 

It is important to start with the basics to support our students in becoming more intentional writers. Sentence writing. Sometimes we try too much when it comes to writing routines when our students really need writing support at the most basic level. 

Let’s start with thinking about why sentence writing activities are important. 

Why is it important to teach sentence writing? 

• Sentences are the building blocks for all writing your students will do – from essays to reading responses – they need to be able to communicate effectively with clear sentences.
• If we want our students to be skilled readers, then they need to have a strong understanding of language and sentence structure. I talk more in-depth about this in Episode 87 of the podcast: Breaking Down the Elements of Language Comprehension . 
• As students move through the education system, they are going to encounter more and more complex texts. These texts will include a variety of sentence types like simple, compound, and complex. When students understand various sentence structures, they will likely be able to extract meaning from more complex readings. 
• Teaching sentence writing is the first step to helping your students build more confidence when it comes to writing.

I’ve been thinking about the importance of syntax and sentence structure since diving into the science of reading last November. It is so important to give students help, support, and opportunities to develop their confidence in writing at the sentence level, so I’ve created a new high-impact literacy routine to help you do just that! 

What does this routine look like for students? 

This new sentence writing routine will be beneficial in many ways. To help you get a better picture of the entire routine, let’s start with an overview: 

• Students will use a picture (that changes weekly!) as inspiration for their writing. 
• Each day students will complete a short sentence-based activity that is connected to the image. 
• The activity changes day-to-day. Each activity will help develop and improve your student’s understanding of sentence structures and give them authentic writing practice. 
• These are quick yet impactful writing activities! This routine should take you around 3-5 minutes a day. This routine could be used as a morning task, warm-up to writing block, end-of-day task, or even a literacy center.

Of course, it will be even more beneficial to build in time to review and discuss the sentence activities with your students as a whole group. So with the addition of a reflection period, this routine can take up to 10 minutes. 

Keep in mind this resource is a year-long routine, and your students will complete the same sentence activities all year. This resource was structured this way to give students plenty of practice. Your students will make mistakes, especially in the beginning, and that’s okay! These sentence activities will give your students constant and continuous opportunities to practice and refine their ability to understand and write various sentences. 

Now let’s break down what each day of the weekly routine will look like. 

Monday: Build A Sentence 

Every Monday, students will use the weekly picture to build a sentence. Students are given prompts like…

• Is doing what?

Students will answer each question with 2-3 words based on what they see in the picture, then they will combine their answers to build a sentence. 

This sentence activity is beneficial for students because: 

• It supports students understanding of how to write detailed sentences. As time goes on, students will write more expanded and interesting sentences. 
• The prompts help them think about all the details that can be included in one sentence. 
• Students are being challenged to think about meaningful details they can include in a sentence. Sometimes the details for a sentence will come more easily than others, depending on your student’s background knowledge and understanding of the picture. 

Tuesday: Writing a Variety of Sentences 

Every Tuesday, students will use the weekly picture to write a variety of sentence types. They will use the picture to inspire a statement, question, command, and exclamation. 

I love this activity because, as simple as it may seem, some examples will be more difficult than others! This is also a great way for students to become familiar with a variety of sentence lengths. A command can be as simple as Sit down or Stop talking . They are still complete sentences, even though they are only two words long. The Tuesday sentence writing activity will give you and your students many chances to discuss types of sentences. 

• Even though this seems like a very basic task, it acts as a foundation to help students understand how to vary their sentence structures and lengths.
• When students start to write paragraphs or longer essays, you can encourage them to use a variety of sentence types in their writing… and because every week, they practice writing statements, questions, commands, and exclamations, they will feel confident in using all four types in their writing. 
• In addition, this writing task gives students a concrete opportunity to practice using correct capitalization and punctuation rules. 

Wednesday: Find the Fragment 

On Wednesdays, students will be given three statements/sentences, two of which are complete sentences with a proper subject and verb phrases. One of the sentences will be a fragment. Students must identify the fragment and then rewrite it as a complete sentence.

Students will need to add details to the fragment’s beginning, middle, or end to write a complete sentence. 

•  This activity helps students solidify the idea of what a complete sentence is. 
• A lot of times we define a sentence as “a complete thought,” but really, a better definition is a lot more precise. A sentence is a set of words that contains a subject (noun phrases) and a predicate (verb phrase). A sentence consists of a main clause (independent clause) and can sometimes have one or more subordinate (dependent) clauses. 
• If students understand this definition of a sentence, then when they see a fragment, they are much more likely to be able to identify what is missing… does the fragment need a noun phrase, or does it need a verb phrase in order to make it a complete sentence.  

This sentence activity requires your students to not only identify a sentence fragment but also think about what is missing and how they can add in the details needed to write a complete sentence. You could even take it a step further and ask students to use the fragment to write more than one sentence type. 

Thursday: Combining Sentences 

Every Thursday, students will be given 2 – 3 sentences they need to combine to form one sentence. In some instances, students will have to combine the sentences to form a simple sentence with a compound subject or compound predicate. Or sometimes, they will combine the sentences to form a compound or complex sentence.

• When students are asked to combine two or more sentences, it allows them to review and practice various grammar rules (in a real and authentic way). 
• Students can often combine sentences in more than one way, so this task will help with their sentence writing fluency. They will become more confident with how to combine sentences to form compound and complex sentences. 
• This task also helps students understand that they can create more complex and interesting sentences in their own writing.
• Once students become familiar and proficient with this task, you can encourage them to use this strategy in their writing. For example, when they are revising, they can identify two sentences that can be combined, or they might just develop the ideas in their head into a complex sentence when they start writing. 

Friday: Sentence Scramble 

On Friday, students will get a set of scrambled words that are connected to the picture. They will have to unscramble the words to form a correct sentence. Throughout the year, the sentence scramble activity will become more and more challenging as more words are added to be unscrambled. In the first few weeks, students will be given 5-6 words to unscramble to form a simple sentence. Students will eventually unscramble 10+ words to form more complex sentences. 

• This activity helps students understand the role words play in a sentence and the importance of word order.
• This sentence writing activity will help students realize the order of words matters in a sentence. They can’t just write words in any order and have a sentence that makes sense. The rules of sentence structure matter. 
• This is a great application-based task.  In order for students to unscramble the sentence successfully, they need to be able to identify words that might be a part of the subject (noun phrase telling who or what the sentence is about) and predicate (verb phrase telling what is happening or describing the action). 
• It’s a great chance to reinforce capitalization and punctuation rules as well. 

All of these tasks take just a short amount of time each day but will help your students become much stronger writers and readers at the sentence level. I hope this high-impact literacy routine saves you time and helps your students become just a little more confident and independent with reading and writing. 

Put It Into Practice: 

• Download my Sentence Structure Freebie to get an inside look at this sentence writing routine and implement it in your classroom as soon as tomorrow! 
• Check out podcast Episode #101: A Literacy Routine for Building Students’ Sentence Structure skills to learn more about this new high-impact literacy for sentence writing. 
• Join us inside The Stellar Literacy Collective , where you will get access to a resource library filled with reading resources, including the 40-Week Sentence Structure resource outlined in this post. 

Happy Teaching!

Sentence Writing Routine Free Sample

If your students struggle to write at the sentence level, this new literacy routine is going to be your new best friend. Each day of the week your students will engage in a quick (yet effective) sentence writing task that will help them become more confident and creative writers. Say goodbye to fragments and boring sentences, and say hello to complex sentences with lots of details!

Check out these additional resourses.

Want Even More?

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Reader Interactions

November 3, 2022 at 5:27 pm

Is there somewhere I can buy this resource?

November 4, 2022 at 6:16 pm

Hey Klara, Yes. You can find this resource in my TPT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sentence-Writing-Routine-Year-Long-Routine-to-Practice-Sentence-Structure-8532561 Hope your students love it!

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Sentence Structure Worksheets

If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

What is Sentence Structure?

Sentence structure refers to the organization and arrangement of words in a sentence. It determines the relationships between different parts of a sentence, such as the subject, verb, object, and other components.

Exploring Sentence Structure Worksheets: Enhancing Comprehension and Analysis

Sentence structure is the foundation of effective communication and writing, as it determines the organization and coherence of our thoughts. By understanding how sentences are constructed, we can greatly enhance our comprehension and analytical skills. To facilitate the learning process, sentence structure practice worksheets serve as invaluable tools. They provide opportunities for students to reinforce their understanding and apply their knowledge in a practical manner.

When creating sentence structure worksheets, it is essential to ensure they are engaging and effective. They should cater to various learning styles and include a combination of activities. As children progress in their learning journey, it is crucial to introduce them to different sentence structures. These worksheets can incorporate sentence building exercises, where students construct sentences using given words or phrases. Additionally, they can provide practice for identifying different components of a sentence, such as subjects, verbs, objects, and modifiers.

To make these handouts even more accessible, there are numerous resources available that offer free sentence structure worksheets. These materials can be found online or obtained from educational websites. They provide educators with ready-made exercises and examples, saving valuable time and effort. Writing sentence structure worksheets can be a creative and interactive process to help learners develop a deeper understanding of sentence construction principles.

Example of Sentence Structure Analysis

To demonstrate the significance of sentence structure, let's examine the following example:

Original Sentence: "The students completed their homework, studied for the exam, and submitted their assignments."

Breakdown of Sentence Structure

• Subject: "The students"
• Predicate: "completed their homework, studied for the exam, and submitted their assignments."
• Verb: "completed," "studied," "submitted"
• Clauses: This sentence consists of one independent clause ("The students completed their homework") and two dependent clauses ("studied for the exam" and "submitted their assignments").
• Coordination: The use of the coordinating conjunction "and" connects the actions of completing homework, studying, and submitting assignments.

Analysis: In this example, we observe a compound sentence structure. The subject "The students" performs multiple actions, indicated by the coordinating conjunction "and." The verb "completed" is followed by two dependent clauses, highlighting the students' additional activities of studying and submitting assignments.

This example showcases the importance of sentence structure in conveying multiple actions or ideas within a single sentence. By organizing information effectively, the writer ensures clarity and coherence, allowing readers to comprehend the message easily.

Tips on How to Improve Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is vital for effective writing. Improving your sentence construction skills enhances clarity and impact. Here are some valuable tips to help you improve your sentence structure:

• Vary Sentence Lengths: Varying sentence lengths creates a dynamic and engaging writing style, with short sentences emphasizing points and longer sentences providing detailed explanations.
• Incorporate Diverse Sentence Types: Using different sentence types (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) adds depth and engages readers by conveying a range of ideas with sophistication.
• Ensure Parallelism: Parallelism ensures consistent grammatical patterns for similar elements in a sentence, enhancing readability and polish. Check for parallelism to align corresponding parts for form and function in your writing.
• Simplify Complex Ideas: Complex ideas can sometimes be challenging to express clearly. To avoid confusion, break down complex concepts into smaller, more manageable sentences. This simplification allows readers, including children, to follow your thoughts easily and grasp the intended meaning.
• Read Aloud and Revise: Reading your writing aloud is a powerful technique for improving sentence structure. It helps you identify run-on sentences, awkward phrasing, or fragmented ideas that may disrupt the flow of your writing. By listening to the natural rhythm of your sentences, you can make necessary revisions and create a smoother reading experience.
• Edit for Clarity: Clarity is essential in effective communication. Review your sentences for unnecessary words or phrases that can clutter your writing. Clear and concise sentences convey your message more effectively and help readers understand your ideas with ease.
• Pay Attention to Punctuation: Punctuation marks, such as commas, semicolons, and dashes, serve as signposts in sentence structure. They help establish relationships between different parts of a sentence and maintain coherence. Proper punctuation ensures that your sentences are well-structured and easy to understand.

Types of Sentence Structure

• Simple Sentence: A simple sentence consists of one independent clause, typically with one subject and one verb. Example: "She sings beautifully."
• Compound Sentence: A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses connected by coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or). Example: "She sings beautifully, and he plays the guitar."
• Complex Sentence: A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Example: "Although she sings beautifully, she still gets nervous."
• Compound-Complex Sentence: A compound-complex sentence comprises two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Example: "She sings beautifully, and when she performs on stage, she captivates the audience."

Even More Storyboard That Resources and Free Printables

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How to Make Sentence Structure Worksheets

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on “Copy Template”

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions About Sentence Structure

What is parallel structure in a sentence.

Parallel structure refers to the balanced and consistent use of grammatical structures within a sentence or a series of sentences. It involves using the same grammatical form for similar elements or ideas. For example, "She enjoys swimming, running, and hiking" demonstrates parallel structure because all the activities are presented in the gerund form.

How can I identify which sentence contains parallel structure?

To identify parallel structure in a sentence, look for elements that are listed or compared. Check if they follow a consistent grammatical pattern. If the elements share the same form (e.g., all nouns, all verbs, or all phrases), then the sentence exhibits parallel structure.

What is the difference between a dependent clause and an independent clause?

Independent clauses can stand alone as complete sentences, expressing a full thought with a subject and predicate. Dependent clauses, however, rely on independent clauses to convey meaning and cannot function as complete sentences on their own.

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How to Structure Creative Writing for GCSE (Creative Writing Examples!)

Posted on August, 2022

Structure Creative Writing for Success

Having plenty of ideas for creative writing is one thing, but nailing down the right structure can be a bit more challenging.

There are several steps for children to think about before they begin writing, and that includes creating a structure or plan for how their story will flow.

Creative writing is all about grabbing the reader’s attention immediately, so children in their GCSE years need to understand the importance of structure when writing, in order to organise their ideas and make sure their work reads cohesively.

In this post, we will go through everything your child needs to know from paragraphing, to creating a satisfying ending, providing examples along the way to demonstrate the best way to structure their creative writing.

How Should I Structure Creative Writing?

There are several types of creative writing questions that could come up on the GCSE reading and writing exam. There will be the option to either write creatively based on an image, or a made-up scenario.

Having a solid structure for longer creative writing questions and exercises helps to ensure your child is prepared.

By using a structure that helps to organise your child’s ideas, it helps their writing to flow. It also allows your child to become more confident in their creative writing process.

Planning is more important than you might think, as mark schemes from most exam boards include ‘well-controlled paragraphs’ or something very similar within the top band of criteria for creative writing.

Therefore, children should practise planning out creative writing structures well before their writing exam. Planning gives them time to get into the habit of always providing themselves with a simple, but focused idea of what they are going to write.

Structure Creative Writing with Seven Story Archetypes

Introduction.

Understanding the fundamental structure of a story is crucial for crafting engaging narratives. Beyond basic sequences, story archetypes provide a deeper framework. Christopher Booker , a renowned scholar, identified seven main story archetypes.

Each archetype outlines a distinctive journey and the challenges faced by characters.

1. Overcoming the Monster

This archetype portrays an underdog’s quest to conquer a formidable evil. Examples include the epic tales of Harry Potter battling Lord Voldemort, the classic struggle in Jurassic Park, and the timeless narrative of Jack and the Beanstalk.

2. Rags to Riches

Embarking from a starting point of poverty or despair, characters rise to newfound wealth and success. Witness this transformation in stories like Slumdog Millionaire, The Pursuit of Happyness, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

3. The Quest

A hero’s journey to discover something, overcoming trials and tribulations along the way. Iconic examples include the Fellowship of the Ring’s quest in The Lord of the Rings, Marlin’s journey to find Nemo, and the epic adventures of Odysseus in The Odyssey.

4. Voyage and Return

Protagonists venture into unknown territories, facing adversity before returning home transformed. Dive into this archetype with examples like the curious escapades in Spirited Away, Bilbo Baggins’ journey in The Hobbit, and the enchanting Chronicles of Narnia.

Contrary to our typical perception of humour, this archetype involves destined lovers kept apart by conflicting forces. Delight in the comedic twists of relationships in classics such as 10 Things I Hate About You, When Harry Met Sally, and Notting Hill.

Protagonists with major flaws or errors leading to their inevitable downfall. Witness the unraveling of characters in tragedies like The Great Gatsby, Requiem for a Dream, and the Shakespearean masterpiece Othello.

Characters succumb to darkness but redeem themselves throughout the narrative. Experience the transformative journeys in stories like Atonement, American History X, and the animated Beauty and the Beast.

Application Across Mediums

Beyond literature, these archetypes seamlessly apply to filmmaking and photography. A well-crafted photograph or film can mirror the same narrative arcs, captivating viewers on a visual adventure akin to storytelling. Explore these archetypes to infuse depth and resonance into your creative endeavors.

Paragraphing for a Solid Creative Writing Structure

First of all, paragraphing is central to creative writing as this is what keeps the structure solid.

In order to stick to a creative writing structure, children must know exactly when to end and start a new paragraph, and how much information each paragraph should contain.

For example, introducing the main character, diving into the action of the story, and providing 10 descriptive sentences of the weather and location, could be separated and spread throughout for impact.

Structuring a creative writing piece also involves creating an appropriate timeline of events. Then, you must map out exactly where the story will go from start to finish. This is assuming the writing piece is in sequential order.

Occasionally, there may be a question that requires a non-sequential order.

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What does a Solid Creative Writing Structure look like?

This list below details every section in a creative writing piece and should look something like this:

• An engaging opening
• A complication
• The development
• The turning point
• A resolution or convincing close

With this structure, it is important to bear in mind that for the AQA GCSE English Language paper 1 reading and creative writing exam.

You can also use Freitag’s pyramid or a story mountain to help you understand the basic structure of a story:

Children will be expected to spend about 50 minutes on the creative writing section. It’s therefore vital to get them into the habit of planning their writing first. As with anything, practice makes perfect.

If you want to find out more about GCSE English Language papers 1 and 2, check out our blog .

We will dive deeper into the creative writing structure further on in this post, but first, let us go through the importance of paragraphing, and how TipTop paragraphs can help to improve children’s writing.

Paragraphing and TipTop Paragraphs

Before children begin to plan out the structure of their stories, it’s essential that they know the importance of paragraphing correctly first.

At this stage of learning, your child should be comfortable in knowing what a paragraph is, and understand that they help with the layout of their stories throughout the whole writing process.

Paragraphs essentially help to organise ideas into dedicated sections of writing based on your child’s ideas. For example, having a paragraph for an introduction, then another paragraph introducing the main character.

This means your child’s writing will be in a logical order and will direct the reader further on into the writing.

Be as creative as Kevin’s booby traps from “ Home Alone “.

To avoid your child straying from their creative writing structure and overloading paragraphs with too much information, there is a simple way to remind them of when they need to start a new paragraph.

TiPToP for a Clearer Creative Writing Structure

Using the TiPToP acronym is such an easy way for you to encourage your child to think about when they need to change paragraphs, as it stands for:

When moving to a different time or location, bringing in a new idea or character, or even introducing a piece of action or dialogue, your child’s writing should be moving on to new paragraphs.

During creative writing practice, your child can ask themselves a series of questions to work out whether they need to move onto a new paragraph to keep their story flowing and reach that top band of criteria.

For example:

• Is the story going into a new day or time period?
• Is the location staying the same or am I moving on?
• Am I bringing in a new idea that I haven’t described yet?
• Am I going to bring in a new character?

Providing opportunities to practise creative writing will help your child to get into the habit of asking themselves these questions as they write, meaning they will stick to the plan they have created beforehand.

Now it’s time to get into the all-important creative writing structure.

Structure Creative Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Producing a creative writing structure should be a simple process for your child, as it just involves organising the different sections of their writing into a logical order.

First, we need to start at the beginning, by creating an engaging opening for any piece of writing that will grab the reader’s attention. You might also be interested to check out this blog on story structure that I found in my research.

This leads us nicely onto step 1…

1. Creating an Engaging Opening

There are several ways to engage the reader in the opening of a story, but there needs to be a specific hook within the first paragraph to ensure the reader continues.

This hook could be the introduction of a word that the reader isn’t familiar with, or an imaginary setting that they don’t recognise at all, leaving them questioning ‘What does this all mean?’

It may be that your child opens their story by introducing a character with a description of their appearance, using a piece of dialogue to create a sense of mystery, or simply describing the surroundings to set the tone. This ‘hook’ is crucial as it sets the pace for the rest of the writing and if done properly, will make the reader feel invested in the story.

Read more about hooks in essays .

If your child needs to work more on description, I definitely recommend utilising the Descriptosaurus :

Additionally, it’s important to include a piece of information or specific object within the opening of the creative writing, as this provides something to link back to at the end, tying the whole storyline together neatly.

Engaging Opening Examples:

• Opening with dialogue – “I wouldn’t tell them, I couldn’t”
• Opening with a question – “Surely they hadn’t witnessed what I had?”
• Opening with mystery/ or a lack of important information – “The mist touched the top of the mountains like a gentle kiss, as Penelope Walker stared out from behind the cold, rigid bars that separated her from the world.”

2. Complication

Providing a complication gets the storyline rolling after introducing a bit of mystery and suspense in the opening.

Treat this complication like a snowball that starts small, but gradually grows into something bigger and bigger as the storyline unfolds.

This complication could be that a secret has been told, and now the main character needs to try and stop it from spreading. Alternatively, you could introduce a love interest that catches the attention of your main character.

In this section, there should be a hint towards a future challenge or a problem to overcome (which will be fleshed out in the development and climax sections) to make the reader slightly aware of what’s to come.

Complication Example:

• Hint to future challenge – “I knew what was coming next, I knew I shouldn’t have told him, now my secret is going to spread like wildfire.”
• Including information to help understand the opening – “Bainbridge Prison was where Penelope had spent the last 2 years, stuffed into a cell the size of a shoebox, waiting for August the 14th to arrive.”

3. Development

The development seamlessly extends from the previous section, providing additional information on the introduced complication.

During this phase, your child should consider the gradual build-up to the writing piece’s climax. For instance, a secret shared in the compilation stage now spreads beyond one person, heightening the challenge of containment.

Here, your child should concentrate on instilling suspense and escalating tension in their creative writing, engaging the reader as they approach the climax.

Development Example:

• Build-up to the challenge/ climax – “I saw him whispering in class today, my lip trembled but I had to force back my tears. What if he was telling them my secret? The secret no-one was meant to know.”
• Focusing on suspense – “4 more days to go. 4 more days until her life changed forever, and she didn’t know yet if it was for better or for worse.”

The climax is the section that the whole story should be built around.

Before creating a structure like this one, your child should have an idea in mind that the story will be based on. Usually this is some sort of shocking, emotion-provoking event.

This may be love, loss, battle, death, a mystery, a crime, or several other events.  The climax needs to be the pivotal point; the most exciting part of the story.

Your child may choose to have something go drastically wrong for their main character. They must regardless, need to come up with a way of working this problem into their turning point and resolution. The should think carefully about this will allow the story to be resolved and come to a close.

Climax Example:

• Shocking event: “He stood up and spoke the words I never want to hear aloud. ‘I saw her standing there over the computer and pressing send, she must have done it.’”
• Emotion-provoking event: “The prisoners cheered as Penelope strutted past each cell waving goodbye, but suddenly she felt herself being pulled back into her cell. All she could see were the prison bars once again.”

5. Turning Point or Exposition

After the climax, the story’s turning point emerges, crucial for maintaining reader interest.

During this post-climax phase, address and resolve issues, acknowledging that not every resolution leads to a happy ending.

Turning points need not be confined to the story’s conclusion; they can occur at various junctures, signifying significant narrative shifts.

Even in shorter pieces, introducing turning points early on can captivate the reader.

Creative writing allows for individual storytelling, and effective turning points may differ between your child and you.

Maintain suspense in this section, avoiding premature revelation of the ending despite the climax’s conclusion.

Turning Point Example:

• Turning point: “Little did they know, I was stopping that file from being sent around the whole school. I wasn’t the one to send it, and I had to make sure they knew that.”
• Turning point: “She forced herself through the window, leaving the prison behind her for good this time, or so she thought.”

6. A Resolution or Convincing Close

The resolution should highlight the change in the story, so the tone must be slightly different.

At this stage, the problem resolves (happily or unhappily) and the character/s learns lessons. The close of the story must highlight this.

The writer should also not rush the resolution or end of the story.

It needs to be believable for the reader right until the very end. The writer should allow us to feel what the protagonist is feeling.

This creates emotion and allows your reader to feel fully involved.

Remember the piece of information or specific object that was included in the story’s opening?

Well this is the time to bring that back, and tie all of those loose ends together. You want to leave the reader with something to think about. You can even ask questions as this shows they have invested in the story.

Resolution Example:

• Happy resolution: “He came up to me and curled his hand around mine, and whispered an apology. He knew it wasn’t me, and all I felt was relief. Looks like I should have told them right from the start”
• Unhappy resolution: “All she felt was separation, as she felt those cold, rigid prison bars on her face once more.”

How to Structure Your Creative Writing for GCSE (with Creative Writing Examples!)

To enhance your children’s GCSE creative writing skills, allocate time for practice.

Plan a structure for creative writing to guide children in organising their thoughts and managing time during the GCSE exam.

Apply this structure to various exam questions, such as short stories or describing events.

Focus each creative piece on a climactic event, building anticipation in the beginning and resolving it at the end.

Consider a tutor for GCSE preparation to help children focus on specific areas.

Redbridge Tuition offers experienced tutors for learning from KS2 to GCSE, providing necessary resources for your child’s success.

Get in touch to find out how our tutors could help.

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6 Creative Sentence Structures to Uplift your Writing Skills with No Effort

by Nazia Aziz · Published October 28, 2020 · Updated January 17, 2021

English sentence structure or creative writing often seems unapproachable. Holding a pen, sitting on a writing table, you can find yourself in a packed room where creativity could be ahead of your thinking. Yes, you can write simple, but the sentence structure lacks creativity.

Astonishingly, you can discover the easiest ways to ascend your writing to rule the heavens. Creativity no longer would unease you: your creative writing skills smoothly lay down on the paper through the following fantastic ways.

1: The first and everlasting sentence structure that we all are habitual users. The subject and the verb, where you keep the subject before the verb;

Subject+ Verb

• I write a story.
• You go to school every day.
• The bus picks up school kids every day.

This formula of creating sentences is relatively more straightforward, and mostly everyone has practiced it a lot during the academic journey.

Remember, if you simply follow this, you would not reach the advanced level of writing. Exciting and well-organized text is a combination of different sentence structures.

2: Writing sentences with the answer to questions⸺ when and where ⸺ gives an incredible throw to your creativity. Undoubtedly, the sentences that keep uniformity do not attract readers. Look at the following examples:

• At the railway station, there was a terrible accident.
• Besides the shopping mall, there is an incredibly stunning park.
• Near the pond, you can find a jogging track.
• After lunch, we played in the park.
• Before going to bed, I read a thriller story.

Don’t forget to put a comma in the first phrase. creating interesting sentences simply paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and that calls your success as a writer.

3. Asking a question makes the reader think. Questioning as a starter of a sentence intrigues the readers greatly. However, it’s much essential to answer the question at the start of the next sentence.

• Do you know what the healthiest fruit is in the world?
• Who is the most famous holly wood star in the world person in the world?

whenever you start a sentence with a question, you cannot forget to answer the question in the first paragraph like

Question : Have you had your breakfast today?

Answer : Skipping breakfast, ultimately, leads your health toward a gradual decline.

Great sentences are the asset of any writer that turns your thoughts into a real picture.

4: the sentences start with ing- phrases that motivate readers to indulge in something fantastic. Remember, ing- phrase can be created using only action words.

• run+ing Running in the morning, she felt some mysterious on the jogging track.
• Watch+ing watch the movie. I could prepare dinner today without exhausting.

5: Verbs or action words with the addition of ed at the start of the sentence is a superb choice for creating a fantastic text. The verb+ed combination tweaks the text and turns into a robust sentence structure that pulls out the reader like a magnet.

• Pretended like a novice, the teacher refused to teach higher classes.
• Behaved nicely, she avoided discussing.her colleague’s weaknesses.

It’s too important to link your sentences with a powerful and strong start because it will link and connect your ideas coherently to win the reader’s mind.

6: The other robust creative structure is using ly words. Most of the ly words are adverbs , so starting a sentence using a strong adverb increases the interest of the reader.

• Fearfully, she crossed the dark jungle.
• Happily, she found a little kitten from the park.

All structures mentioned above give an incredible insight into creative writing and help you come out of the fear of getting along with fantastic sentences . Either you are in middle school, completing your O/A levels, or in any professional college , this writing structure will surely provide you with excellent writing skills.

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Creative Writing: The 7 Key Ingredients

Published by admin on march 28, 2021 march 28, 2021.

“Too many cooks spoil the broth”, “A bird in hand is worth two in the bushes”. To this day, I still have vivid memories of primary school English exams: Staying up till the wee morning hours of my English exam, trying to cram these idioms and metaphors in. Even in creative writing classes, I remember my teachers frequently handing out lists of such “useful” phrases to pepper our stories with.

Certainly, the use of figurative language can spice up essays by helping readers to picture a scene. Having these figurative language will give a composition a legs up, but these are perhaps mere icing on the cake. 

In fact, there is much more to creative writing than just the use of figurative language. In this article, I am going to dissect the anatomy of a good story. First we will explore the macrostructure elements before we move on to the microstructure elements. A good story will need to have everything in place.

MACROSTRUCTURE

Macrostructure is the overall framework upon which a story is built. You can liken it to the blueprint of a house. For a house to be constructed, you first need to come up with a blueprint. How many rooms will there be? Where should each room be? You can vary the number of rooms, and play around with different layouts.  

And if you think about it, isn’t this like writing too? Like an architect, a writer can also come up with different scenes (i.e. the rooms) and adjust where he would like each part of the story to be (i.e. the layout). So let’s dive into macrostructure and take a look at its three components: story idea, sequence, and story structure.

For creative snowflakes, coming up with a story idea is a walk in the park. For them (and most people for the part), story ideas come from the stories they have read or heard, the movies they have watched, and from their own personal experience. 

If you think about it, you can change almost any story you know by simply substituting even one of its story grammar elements with something else. If you change out the names of the character, you have a different story. If you change the ending of a story, voila, another new story!

Yet on the other hand, the generation of story ideas appear to be a colossal task for some children. They have difficulty transforming these stories that they already know into a brand new story. As you can see, there is nothing to write if you do not have a story idea to begin with! 

Have you ever listened to a story and found yourself all confused about the order of events? Let’s take a look at an example.

“Mummy scolded me. We went to restaurant. Then ice cream drop.” In the example given above, it sounded like Mummy had scolded the child before they went to have ice cream. However, the actual story was that the child went to the restaurant, dropped the ice cream and had Mummy scolded her. 

Stories without proper sequence sounds contradictory as the results are sometimes presented before the cause. Therefore, presenting the events in a logical manner is important so that your listener can understand what happened first, next and last.

Story Structure

“I went to the park”. If someone were to tell you this story, you might ask “With whom?”, “When did you go”, “What did you do there?” And even, “So what?” As you can see, an incomplete story presents too little information to the reader. 

As research has shown, most stories follow a predictable pattern . The most basic stories would at least talk about the setting (time and place), character, problem, action to solve the problem and resolution of the problem (e.g. Yesterday I played at the play ground. I fell down. Mummy put plaster). Even though it is bare-bone, it would at least allow the listener to get a gist of what had happened. Missing any of these grammar elements makes the story boring and difficult to follow. According to research, children should be able to produce such simple stories by 4-5 years old .

As children get older, their stories increase in complexity . At higher level, characters’ motives and intentions take on a bigger role in the course of the story. This is in tandem with the child’s development of perspective-taking and theory of mind . They start to realise that a character’s thoughts can drive him to do something; and that different thoughts can drive different actions. The addition of these thoughts and motives make a story more complex and interesting as a result. 

More advanced stories may even have the story structures intentionally jumbled up to create suspense; pretty much like how some Hollywood movies present their endings first. As you can see, story structure plays a big part in the quality of the story presented and is a fundamental skill in composition. 

Read also: Steps to Teaching Narratives

MICROSTRUCTURE

If the macrostructure is the blueprint of the house, the microstructure is actual process of building a house. You are now really translating the idea that you have in your head into something tangible.

Just like how there are different rules for building a structurally-sound building, there are also rules to follow when putting your thoughts onto paper in creative writing. These rules are the grammar and syntax. It tells you how a sentence should be constructed without compromising your message. Sentence by sentence, your story is becoming a reality.

And finally! Once your house is built, you can start decorating it and making it beautiful. In creative writing, this last part will be the vocabulary and the use of figurative language. You can embellish your story with all these words and phrases that will truly make your story pop. 

So now you have a bit more idea about the microstructure, let’s take a closer look at each of these components. 

Grammar has a purpose. They are little units of meaning that adds more information to what we say or write. Let’s take tenses for example. Why is it important to use the different tenses? Well, tenses let the reader know if an event is something that had happened, is happening or will happen in the future.

Let’s use an example to illustrate. “Jessie is at the park. She played on the swing. She had fun.” Reading this sentence, we might think the following: 1) Jessie is presently at the park; 2) She might be reminiscing on a previous visit where she played on the swing and had lots of fun. Yet, the real intention was to talk about what Jessie is doing on her current visit.

Therefore, a sentence filled with grammatical errors will at best annoy the readers (I am looking at you grammar Nazis) but at worse convey the wrong message. Tenses is but just one of the grammar that writers have to master. In order to become a good writer, one would need to be able to use different types of grammar with ease.

Sentence Structure

Try reading this story below. 

“Max is muddy. He jumped in the mud. Naughty Max!”

Yes, it does get the message across, but the story sounds pretty boring to a reader (unless the reader is only 4 years old!) 

Let’s look again at another one. 

“Naughty Max is muddy because he jumped in the mud”. The meaning contained within one single sentence has been enhanced with the use of the connecting word “because” to form a compound sentence. As you can see, the word “because” helps to convey the causality between the first and second clauses.

Because there are other types of connecting words that helps to express other meanings like sequence, surprise, and contrast; a child would need to gain a mastery of connecting words in order to express his ideas more effectively.  

In English, the action generally follows the “doer” of the action. However, there are also different types of sentence structures where the “doer” and the “person/object being acted upon” are reversed. We call these passive clauses. An example is “The dog bit the girl” vs “The girl is bitten by a dog”. As you can see, a child who has yet to master passive clauses may end up thinking that the girl bit the dog instead.

Of course, passive clauses, compound sentences are but some of the many different sentence structures out there. A child does not need to know everything, but having a good range of different sentence types in a child’s repertoire will definitely allow him to express his thoughts with laser-sharp focus and make his writing more interesting to read. As such, sentence structure is a critical skill in creative writing.

“The girl went to the place with many books. She cannot find her books. She went to look for the lady. Then, she took some books home.” Does the story sound confusing and convoluted? 

As you can see, unspecific words make the writing very hard to understand. We aren’t sure if the girl was at the library or a book shop. We have no idea if the lady was a passerby or the librarian. We don’t know if she stole the books or if she borrowed them. 

Let’s compare it to: “The girl went to the library. She could not find her books. She went to ask the librarian. Then, she borrowed the books”.

In the second instance, the specific words of “library”, “librarian” and “borrowed” were used instead.

As you can see, using specific words in creative writing helps get the story across more effectively. Rather than having to go around in circles to explain oneself, a single word can convey the meaning of multiple words. 

This, of course, is a very basic story and more advanced stories would require more than just nouns and actions. We can also boost our stories by using descriptive words, but these too would need to be in our vocabulary. Take for example, the word “annoyed” and “furious”. Both words connote anger, but the second one is able to convey a much stronger intensity. Thus, having a good range of vocabulary is essential to creative writing. 

Figurative Language

Now we get to the final part: figurative language. The adage, “A great story shows, not tell” is a great way to sum it up. This means that a great writer helps create mental images in her readers’ head, not merely tell them what is happening. 

This can be done through the use of word gradients, descriptives and metaphors. As explained in the example of “annoyed” and “furious”, words with similar meaning can vary in intensity. Selecting the correct word can thus help the reader to paint a more accurate picture of the scene.

In addition, the use of descriptive words in creative writing is important as well. For example, compare the sentences: 

“The floor board creaked” ; and 

”The creaky floorboard groaned under the weight of the rounded man, screaming out for release”. 

The first sentence merely stated what happened. The second sentence on the other hand, is able to paint a more vivid scene through the use of personification, complete with sound effects of how heavy the man was.

Similarly, the use of similes can also make a story more interesting. “Her singing was like finger nails on a chalkboard”. Most people would know that running our finger nails across a chalk board produces a horrible high-pitch sound that is difficult to bear. This helps the reader to imagine how bad the singer’s voice must be. 

As you can see, the use of figurative language can bring a good story up to another level.

To sum it up, there are many ingredients to a good story and a good writer needs to have all of them in place. Without the other key ingredients of sequence, story structure, vocabulary and syntax, there would be no pie for the cherries of figurative language to be added.

As you can see, understanding the key skills of creative writing is important because it allows us to provide targeted support for a child. Are there any areas which are difficult for you or your child? Share them below!

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How to Support Students with Sentence Structure

• May 15, 2022

Have you worked with students who speak (and also write) in run-on sentences? Or the opposite – they write in incomplete sentences?

Many (but not all) children who have been listening to and speaking English for years are usually developing some sort of “innate” understanding of what a correct sentence sounds like.

However, as we all know, this doesn’t mean that this understanding is complete or perfect!

Plus, oral language and written language are different!

For example, many of us probably speak in run-on sentences. We generally use less “correct” or formal grammar than we do when we write.

This is normal, but it can be tricky for kids who are still making the bridge between oral language and written language as they learn to write.

This is why explicit instruction in grammar and sentence structure is so important: it helps kids learn to write in complete, correct sentences. It can also help kids learn how to expand their sentences to write with more detail.

Before I dive in, if you’re in need of a quick daily activity to work on sentence writing, check out my Supported Sentence Writing Worksheets !

In this post, I’ll first go through the ins and outs of sentence structure and how to teach students to write grammatically-correct sentences.

The first part of this post is a little technical – but hang with me! You might learn something new, and it’ll all make sense once we get into the practical applications. (After I’ve covered some sentence structure terms, I’ll then provide ideas for activities you can do to help K-2 students learn to write sentences correctly.)

Parts of Sentence Structure

Sentences can include the following:

• Independent clauses
• Dependent clauses
• Conjunctions

An independent clause includes a subject and a predicate, and it can make sense on its own. “ He took a nap ” is an example; it has a subject, predicate, and can be its own sentence – hence the word “independent!” The subject is who or what the sentence is about, and then the predicate is what is happening in the sentence. A subject can be a noun or pronoun, and the predicate is the verb. For example, in that sentence “He took a nap,” the subject is “he” and the predicate is “took a nap.” A dependent clause also includes a subject and a predicate, but it cannot be its own sentence. An example of this is “ because he was tired. ” This includes a subject (“he”) and a predicate (“was tired”), but the words themselves form a phrase, not a sentence.

A conjunction is the connecting piece that links phrases/clauses together. There are a couple of types of conjunctions:

• Coordinating (examples: and, or)
• Subordinating (examples: after, because)
• Correlative (examples: not only/but also, either/or)

When I was young, we’d diagram sentences and talk about subject and predicate. Can you relate to that?

This practice may seem out-dated, but the concepts of subject and predicate are actually really useful in teaching students about sentence structure:

The subject is who or what the sentence is about, and then the predicate is what is happening in the sentence. For example, in that sentence “He took a nap,” the subject is “he” and the predicate is “took a nap.”

If you don’t have a subject…or you don’t have a predicate…then you don’t have a complete sentence!

Types of Sentence Structure

Now that I’ve covered the parts of a sentence, let’s talk about different types of sentence structures.

• Simple Sentence – This is when an independent clause is used as a sentence. An example is “The dog barked.” Sometimes a conjunction is used (“I like the colors red and purple.”)
• Compound Sentence – In this case, at least two independent clauses are used. For instance, “I want to eat more cake, and I also want to eat more ice cream.” A conjunction is used to link the clauses.
• Complex Sentence – With this type of sentence, there is both an independent and dependent clause. “My brother likes chocolate cake but not vanilla” is an example of this type of sentence. The conjunction is the connecting piece between the different clauses.
• Compound Complex Sentence – Just as it sounds, this type of sentence combines the compound and complex sentence structure types. A sentence that includes both is “We drove in our family car, which is a minivan, and we played games the entire way.”

Now…this is a lot of info!

I’m not saying you need to introduce all of this sentence structure vocabulary to your Kindergarten students!

But I think knowing the correct terminology helps strengthen your own knowledge. When students are ready to be pushed to the next “sentence structure” level, you can start using the vocabulary with them. (Personally, I think “subject” and “predicate” are a good place to start – and I do that with my first graders and beyond.)

Activities for Teaching Sentence Structure

Here are a couple of my favorite ways to work on sentence structure:

• Seasonal Sentence Scrambles : These resources are a great way to work on high frequency words, phonics skills, AND sentence structure all at the same time! There are Winter Sentence Scramblers for Kindergarten , 1st grade , and 2nd grade , Spring themed for Kindergarten , 1st grade , and 2nd grade , Summer for Kindergarten , 1st grade , and 2nd grade ., and Fall for Kindergarten , 1st grade , and 2nd grade . Below is an example of a sheet from 1st grade Winter Sentence Scrambles . In this particular sheet, students are working on “silent e” words. Students cut out the words on the bottom and then rearrange them in the correct order to form a sentence. Next, they copy the sentence in their own handwriting. Last, as an extension, students can write their own sentence on the back to add to the story.

• Run-on Sentences: Sometimes a great way to teach something is to show what NOT to do. You can show a run-on sentence for students and ask them to decide where you should have stopped. Students could even be holding little STOP signs that they’ve made and hold it up at a good stopping point. An example of this could be “I went to the park it was too cold we had to come home we were bored.” One option would be to show where more periods are needed (after “park,” “cold,” “home”). Another option for older students is to decide where to insert conjunctions. (“I went to the park but it was too cold so we had to come home.”) (And of course, make sure to also show plenty of examples of sentences that are not run-ons, so they see correct examples.)
• Finish the Fragment Sentence: Similar to the point above, showing students that only speaking/writing in fragments will leave your audience with unanswered questions. This provides a fun opportunity for students to be creative to “finish the sentence!” Give the students a fragment (“While I was at the beach,”) and then have them fill in the rest of the sentence. 
• Sentence Cut-Apart Activity: This activity differs slightly from the Sentence Scrambles. Here, students say a sentence, then write it in the correct order (or the teacher writes it). After that, they cut up the sentence before ultimately putting it back together. Check out the detailed description of this activity here: How To Teach Phonics, Decoding, and Concepts About Print with a Sentence Cut Apart Activity
• Color-coding: Many students are visual learners, so any time you can add color-coding in, do it! Even when writing a simple sentence, have students use two different colors to identify the subject and the predicate. Once students move onto adding in conjunctions, those can also be a different color. With many of the above activities, color-coding can be added in.

Sentence structure can be overly complicated, but introducing your students to this concept and then building on it will help give them options when writing. It can also give students more insight into reading fluently, with expression, as they begin to understand how ideas are combined and where to pause.

If you love our Seasonal Sentence Scrambles mentioned above, check out this FREE resource to get access to seasonal writing prompts for Kindergarten and 1st & 2nd grade .

Happy teaching!

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I’m Alison, a literacy specialist. I love getting kids excited about reading and writing – and sharing teaching ideas with other teachers!

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