Guide 6
The length of a sentence directly affects readability Long, involved sentences are more difficult to read and understand There are three types of sentences Simple sentences Complex sentences Compound sentences
A simple sentence contains only one idea. This restaurant serves delicious food. I particularly liked the veal roast. The prices were reasonable.
The complex sentence is used effectively when two ideas of unequal importance are presented. Although the service was slow, the restaurant served delicious food.
The compound sentence is used effectively to present two ideas of equal importance. Each idea is placed in an independent clause joined by a conjunction. The restaurant served delicious food, and it was prepared perfectly.
The position of words in a sentence can change the meaning of a sentence. Words that are related should be kept as close together as possible
Confusing She put the books in the office on a shelf. Better She put the books on a shelf in the office. Confusing He read the book in four hours that was 125 pages long. Better He read the 125-page book in four hours.
A dangling modifier is a modifier that is incorrectly placed; that is, it modified the wrong word. Dangling: At the age of three, Lee taught his son to play the piano BETTER: Lee taught his three-year old to play the piano
Equal ideas should be expressed in the same form. The verb form must be the same. Not parallel We like to eat, walking, and then taking a nap. Parallel We like to eat, to walk, and then to take a nap.
Not Parallel Our goals include quality products, meeting deadlines, and customer satisfaction. Parallel Our goals include providing quality products, meeting deadlines, and satisfying customers.
Not parallel To use this program: Insert the disk in Drive A and press the enter key. You should then type your password. When the title screen appears, press the escape key.
Parallel: To use this program: Insert the disk in Drive A and press the enter key. Type your password next. Press the escape key when the title screen appears.
Expletives are unneeded words They take space and add nothing to the meaning of the sentence. It is, there is, and there are and similar words used to begin a sentence. There is a letter in the file about this issue. A letter about this issue is in the file.