Building Sentences

Why does sentence structure matter? Sentence structure changes the meaning of a sentence: I saw a teacher who cares. (aw!) I saw a teacher. Who cares? (yikes!) Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years At Checkout Counter.(that’s a long line) Only people with cats who don't smoke will buy this product. (what? Cats are smoking now?)

The dog barked. The basic sentence: Has a subject (noun) and predicate (verb & stuff). Is a full and complete thought. Begins with a capital letter. Ends with a period or acceptable end mark punctuation. The dog barked.

Incomplete or Sentence Fragments Does not contain a full thought. Often starts with a conjunction. Might be missing a noun or verb. Ideas run together with inaccurate punctuation. Relies on conventions of advertising rather than grammar. Toys thrown everywhere. Which is why I hate my mother. A story told with deep thoughts and emotions. The noise was horrible. So Jane left the house.

How to Fix Sentence Fragments Complete the thought or add verb / noun: So she left the house. She was bored, so she left the house. A story told with deep thoughts and emotions. Romeo and Juliet is a story told with deep thoughts and emotions. Know your punctuation: Which is why I hate my mother. She abused me for years, which is why I hate my mother. Rearrange your ideas into active phrasing: I hate my mother because she abused me for years.

Run - On Sentences Also known as comma splice. Two or more sentences are run together. Incorrect punctuation (especially thinking a comma can hold two ideas together). Murray takes the bus to school, Mom walks. Mix ginger and lime with bubbly water it makes a great drink. We went to the store, we wanted to buy chips.

The wonders of the semi-colon. A semi-colon (;) is a fancy piece of punctuation. It’s used to join two independent clauses (or grown-up sentences who can live on their own). The two ideas must be related. It can take the place of a conjunction. Semi-colons can fix comma splice errors. We went to the store, we wanted to buy chips. We went to the store; we wanted to buy chips.

The wonders of conjunctions Conjunctions are words which can connect two sentences. Like a semi-colon, the conjunction must join two related thoughts. Can be between sentences or at the beginning of one sentence is the grammar is correct and a comma is used. Focus on meaning & logic Murray takes the bus to school, Mom walks. Murray takes the bus to school, but Mom walks. While Murray takes the bus to school, Mom walks.

Sentence Variety Short sentences add emphasis, urgency, and speed. Complex sentences show depth of thought. Variety makes reading more interesting. Focus on meaning, logic, clarity. Run! Run quickly! Go now! While I was worried that my sister was late arriving, I also knew that she was a capable driver who was considerate about avoiding complicated social situations. I was so tired. My body slumped into the couch, I flopped over sideways, and fell asleep instantly. It has been a long day.

Revising sentences Read each sentence separately to ensure it it complete and makes sense. Read your writing from the end to the beginning to focus on sentence structure. Pay careful attention to punctuation, especially sloppy comma use. Focus on building strong sentences with conjunctions.