Sentence Pattern Review From The Art of Styling Sentences by Ann Longknife and K.D. Sullivan

Pattern 1 Compound Sentence: Semicolon, no conjunction(two short, related sentences now joined) SV; SV. –Some people dream of being something; others stay awake and are.

Variations 1A, 1B, & 1C Pattern 1A: –SV; however, SV. She ate hamburgers everyday; however, she never seemed to gain weight. Pattern 1B: –SV; SV, andSV. –SV, but SV; SV. The shirt was the right color; it fit, and it was cheap. Pattern 1C; –SV;SV; SV. I went to the fair; Joseph met me there; Larry couldn’t make it.

Pattern 2 Compound Sentence with Elliptical Construction (comma indicates the omitted verb) SVDO or SC; S, DO or SC. –We like chocolate candies; Mike, gummy bears.

Pattern 3 Compound Sentence with Explanatory Statement (independent clauses separated by a colon) General Statement (idea): specific statement (example). SV:SV. –Remember Yogi Berra’s advice: it ain’t over till it’s over.

Pattern 4 A Series without a Conjunction (a series in any place in the sentence) A, B, C –The U.S. has a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Variation 4A A or B or C. (in any place in the sentence) A and B and C. (in any place in the sentence) –Looking down from the Empire State Building, Jeannie felt thrilled and amazed and scared.

Pattern 5 A Series of Balanced Pairs A and B, C and D, E and F. (may be in any part of the sentence) –Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Lancelot and Guinevere were all famous lovers in literature.

Appositive Definition: noun, pronoun, or phrase placed next to another noun or pronoun to identify, rename, or explain it –Her greatest attribute, charm, was not enough. –Some villagers, the old-timers, prefer the dirt roads. –Amethyst, a purple birthstone, is the gem for February. –Eve wore high boots, the latest fad.

Pattern 6 An Introductory Series of Appositives (with a dash and a summarizing subject) Appositive, appositive, appositive— summary word SV. –Gluttony, lust, envy—which is the worst sin?

Pattern 7 An Internal Series of Appositives or Modifiers (enclosed by a pair of dashes or parentheses) S —or ( appositive, appositive, appositive —or ) V. –The basic writing skills (good vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, sense of style) can be learned by almost everyone.

Pattern 8 Dependent Clauses in a Pair or in a Series (at beginning or end of sentence) If…, if…, if…, then SV. When…, when…, when…, SV. SV that…, that…., that… –With no money and with no time, she had to refuse the vacation package.

Pattern 9 Repetition of a key term (dash or comma before repetition) SV key term —or, repeated key term. Careful: the repetition should NOT be a clause –She suddenly felt filled with joy—a joy she could not explain but that she gladly embraced.

Variation 9A Same word repeated in parallel structure SVrepeated key word in same position of the sentence. –He has known her for many years, before she went to college, before she was a star, before she won the Oscar. –This government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Pattern 10 Emphatic Appositive at End, after a Colon SV word: the appositive (the second naming). –Her luggage was filled with oddities: a small lamp, staplers, and darts.

Variation 10A S V word — the appositive. –There is a new drug dealer in town—the security guard.