The why, what, and how of sentence structure Sentence Variety: The why, what, and how of sentence structure

SENTENCE VARIETY… adds emphasis to certain points helps to keep a reader’s attention paces written work by adding flow, tension, etc shows mastery of the English language

Sentences are made up of CLAUSES Independent clause: Include a subject and a predicate in a complete thought. The main idea of a sentence Dependent clause: Contain a subject and a predicate in an incomplete thought. Subordinate idea of a sentence; depends on an independent clause for meaning.

There are four forms of sentences Simple Complex Compound Compound-Complex

The SIMPLE sentence A sentence with one independent clause and no dependent clauses. Length does not indicate a simple sentence. Run! Talk quietly. My aunt enjoyed taking the hayride with me. China's Han Dynasty marked an official recognition of Confucianism.

The COMPOUND sentence A sentence with multiple independent clauses but no dependent clauses. Ms. Wrede is in her second year of teaching, and she is in her first year of graduate school. The clown frightened the little girl, and she ran off screaming when she saw it. The Freedom Riders departed on May 4, 1961, and they were determined to travel through many southern states.

The COMPLEX sentence A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. After Mary added up all the sales, she discovered that the first register was 32 cents short . Football is, according to Brad, the most difficult sport to play because of all of the practice time. Luckily, my cousin won the lottery and is sharing her new wealth the family.

The COMPOUND-COMPLEX sentence A sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. With her reputation on the line, Peggy played against a fierce opponent at the Scrabble competition, and overcoming nerve-racking competition, she won the game with one well-placed word. Catch-22 is widely regarded as Joseph Heller's best novel, and because Heller served in World War II, which the novel satirizes, the zany but savage wit of the novel packs an extra punch.

IDENTIFY each sentence in the following examples

The school parking problem is getting worse but the school board will not fund the construction of any more lots.

Indiana, which used to be mainly an agricultural state, has recently attracted more industry.

The room fell silent when the television newscaster broke the story of the earthquake.

Love, as everyone knows except those who happen to be afflicted with it, is blind and it often causes heartache for those involved, even if only temporarily.

Works Cited Megginson, David. The Writing Centre: Hyper Grammar. “Why Sentence Structure Matters.” University of Ottawa http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/sntmatr.html 11 November 2007 Weber, Ryan. The Online Writing Lab. “Sentence Variety.” Purdue University. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/573/03/ 11 November 2007