Sentence Structures Sentence variety Sentences are building bricks of all your writing. For effective and interesting writing, sentences must be well-constructed and they must be varied. You should be aware of how you write, making deliberate decisions about the crafting of your work. There are only four types of sentence, so it is easy to introduce variety into your work.

Simple Sentences Simple sentences say one thing, having one verb and a subject. A simple sentence consists of one main clause, is usually very short, and makes sense on its own. Jonathan Davies scores the goal. The referee blew the whistle.  Simple sentences can create tension and pace. Too many simple sentences create a childish, immature style.

Compound sentences A compound sentence contains two or more simple sentences linked only by "and“, "but“, “then”.. Hamish Elwis scored the goal and the crowd roared their approval. The crowd objected but play continued and the home side won.  Compound sentences create variety  Too many sentences joined by simple conjunctions like “and” or “but” can create a style that is uninteresting or too informal.

Complex Sentences A complex sentence contains one main clause and at least one other, less important clause. The less important clause is called a subordinate clause and does not make sense on its own. Simple sentences provide only basic information. A subordinate clause adds extra detail and interest. Subordinate clauses often use connectives like “although” or “while”, or words such as “who”, “which”, “that”. The main clause is the sentence around which the rest of the sentence is built: Ackworth were winning until their wing broke his leg. [ main clause ] [ subordinate clause ] Although we spoke well, our team lost to St Julian's, [ subordinate clause ] [ main clause ] who were more experienced. [ subordinate clause ]