Building Effective Sentences

Bellwork Rewrite the following rambling sentences so they contains fewer and’s. Whenever possible, make complex sentences. The water in Loch Ness stays about 42 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) and it is very deep and it never freezes. Scientists searched the lake with sonar equipment in the 1960’s and numerous sightings of a monster were reported and this made people even more curious about the Loch Ness monster.

Writing Complete Sentences Every sentence has two basic parts: a complete subject (which tells who or what is doing something) and a complete predicate (which tells what the subject is doing or tells something about the subject).

Complete Subject Complete Predicate Who or what does something What does the subject do? The Amazon River winds through the jungle The Nile River empties into the sea

How can I make sure my sentences are complete? Incomplete thoughts are called fragment. Fragments may be missing a subject, a predicate, or both. Study the fragments below. Then read the complete sentences make from them. Notice that a subject, predicate, or both have been added to make the corrections.

FRAGMENT SENTENCE Consists of four large islands and more than 3,000 small ones. Japan consists of four large islands and more than 3,000 small ones. (A subject is added.) In Japan. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. (A subject and predicate are added.) Shinto pilgrims this sacred mountain. Shinto pilgrims climb this sacred mountain. (A predicate is added.)

TRY IT Number your paper form 2 to 8. Read each group of words below. If the group of words is a complete sentence, write “C” nest to the number. If it is a fragment, write “F” and tell if it needs a subject, a predicate, or both to become a complete sentence.

1. Stands on Honshu, the largest island. F-subject Mount Fuji is names for an ancient Japanese goddess of fire. Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, near Mount Fuji. Of Japan’s more than 250 volcanoes, Mount Fuji is the largest. In the past few hundred years, has erupted almost 20 times. To hike the trails up the slopes of Mount Fugi about nine hours. Open to the public only during July and August. Mount Fuji remains a top tourist attraction.

Check for Wordy Sentences CORRECT SENTENCES Huge, giant stones stand on end upright in England.

Check for Wordy Sentences CORRECT SENTENCES Huge, giant stones stand on end upright in England. Huge stones stand on end in England. OR Giant stones stand upright in England.

Improving Your Sentence Style 1. Combine short sentences. 2. Use different types of sentences. 3. Expand sentences by adding words or phrases. Model sentences of other writers. When too many sentences in a paragraph are the same length or follow the same pattern, the paragraph sounds choppy. Read the following paragraph.

Part of Turkey is in Europe. Part of Turkey is in Asia Part of Turkey is in Europe. Part of Turkey is in Asia. Turkey is a very interesting country. Ankara is the capital. The largest city is Istanbul. It exists on two continents. No other major city does this. The Bosporus Strait splits the city in two. The European part is on the western side. The Asian part is on the eastern side. Try it! Rewrite the paragraph using a better variety of sentences. Little variety

Turkey is an interesting country because part of it is in Europe and part is in Asia. Ankara is the capital city; however , the largest city is Istanbul. Istanbul is the only major city in the world that exists on two continents. The Bosporus Strait splits the city in tow, with the European part on the western side and the Asian part on the eastern side.