Unit 4: Sentence Types
SENTENCE TYPES
When you start to put together all the clauses and phrases you are learning, your sentences will become much different, and you will begin to create your own writing style. You will find that your way of constructing sentences will be different from other students, and this is part of the craft of writing. In fact, that is one of the reasons that writing is so interesting. An infinite number of ways exists to state your ideas.
Thankfully, though, there are NOT an infinite number of sentence types. There are only four, and they are categorized according to what type and how many independent and dependent clauses you will find in each.
Simple Sentences
Simple Sentences contain only one independent clause. These will be basic, but complete, sentences like these:
- The roses grew quickly in the wet, fertile soil.
- The balloons floated away.
Notice that each of these sentences contain some concrete detail, yet they do not have any dependent clauses. Simple sentences can have phrases in them, though. These are still simple sentences even though we have added phrases to them:
- The roses, red and glistening, grew quickly in the wet, fertile soil.
- Spinning wildly, the balloons floated away.
Many beginning writers are told that their writing style is “choppy.” This simply means that a writer is relying too heavily on simple sentences. To fix this and improve writing style, you need to learn how to write using a variety of sentence types. The three remaining sentence types are Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex.
Compound Sentences
When you join two (or more) independent clauses, you will create a compound sentence. The most common way to construct a compound sentence is by using coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS). Coordinating conjunctions indicate the logical relationship between sentences, so use them to your advantage. You may want to refer to this list while you are writing and composing compound sentences:
| Coordinating Conjunction | Relationship | |
|---|---|---|
| F | for | reason |
| A | and | addition |
| N | nor | not another option |
| B | but | contrast |
| O | or | another option |
| Y | yet | contrasting addition |
| S | so | result |
Here are some examples:
- We are looking for sticks, for these are the best materials to use.
- The girls are building a trap, and they hope to catch a lizard.
- They have not found any insects, nor have they seen any lizards today.
- Lizards are fast, but the girls are determined to catch one.
- We could go to the beach, or we could go up to the mountains.
- I have been meaning to tell you, yet I just have not had a chance.
- The chocolate was left in the sun, so you should probably not eat it right now.
Compound sentences are usually the first type of sentences that writers will begin using after simple sentences because the construction and punctuation of compound sentences are relatively simple. In addition, the list of coordinating conjunctions is so short that students easily remember the FANBOYS.
You can also use the semicolon (;) to form a compound sentence. You will use a semicolon to create a compound sentence when two sentences are closely related. Look at this example:
- The old car sputtered to the top of the hill; we were all relieved.
In this case, all you need is a semicolon. Note that the first letter of the first word in the second clause is not capitalized.
A more common way to use a semicolon when creating a compound sentence is to use an adverbial conjunction. Below is the list of adverbial conjunctions you learned in Unit 2:
| Addition | Emphasis | Comparison or Contrast |
Cause or Effect |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in addition furthermore moreover further |
in fact indeed |
however nevertheless nonetheless otherwise in contrast in comparison |
as a result consequently hence therefore thus |
finally meanwhile next |
Compound sentences that use a semicolon and adverbial conjunction will commonly look like the sentences below:
- The old car sputtered to the top of the hill; therefore, we were all relieved.
- The construction was proceeding as planned; however, the looming storm threatened to delay the project.
Ultimately, it is your choice whether or not to use a semicolon or a period when you join sentences with an adverbial conjunction. Just remember that if you use a semicolon, you have created a compound sentence.
Complex Sentences
When you compose a sentence by joining at least one dependent clause and an independent clause, you create a complex sentence. Learning to write complex sentences is the best way to improve your writing style. Subordination, deciding which clause is less important, is perhaps the most important step you will make at this stage of your development as a writer. When you decide which clause will begin with a subordinating conjunction, you have chosen the clause that you feel is less important. Look at this list:
| Cause or Effect |
Concession | Condition | Comparison or Contrast |
Purpose | Space or Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| as because since |
though although even though even if |
if since unless when whenever |
while as rather than |
in order that so that |
before since once after while when until |
Most of the time, you will use a subordinating conjunction from this list to create a subordinate clause that precedes the main, independent clause.
Look at these sentences:
- Although your ribs are sore from laughing too much, you really need to compete this weekend.
- Because the stinger is lodged under your skin, you will experience pain for about an hour.
- Since the corpse was found in a shallow pond, the forensic anthropologist will lead the investigation.
Notice how each of these begins with a dependent clause that adds information to the main clause. The main clause is complete, but the writer has added clarifying detail in the dependent clause. Remember that the dependent clause can also appear at the end of a sentence. In that case, you generally would not use a comma between the main clause and the subordinate clause.
Compound-Complex Sentences
The final sentence type is the compound-complex sentence. A compound-complex sentence consists of more than one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. In many cases, you are simply adding a dependent clause to the beginning or end of a compound sentence, or you are adding another independent clause to a complex sentence.
Look at how the compound sentences you already studied can become compound-complex:
- Compound: We could go to the beach, or we could go up to the mountains.
- Compound-Complex: We could go to the beach, or we could go up to the mountains since it might rain on the coast.
- Compound: I have been meaning to tell you, yet I just have not had a chance.
- Compound-Complex: Even though you might not believe it, I have been meaning to tell you, yet I just have not had a chance.
Likewise, you may simply add another independent clause to a complex sentence as in these examples:
- Complex: Although your ribs are sore from laughing too much, you really need to compete this weekend.
- Compound-Complex: Although your ribs are sore from laughing too much, you really need to compete this weekend, but you can still have fun.
- Complex: Because the stinger is lodged under your skin, you will experience pain for about an hour.
- Compound-Complex: Because the stinger is lodged under your skin, you will experience pain for about an hour, yet the pain will subside gradually.
In all of these examples, you are simply adding more detail and specific information to the sentences. Also, you will notice that as the sentences become richer, the possibilities for original combinations increase.
Many writers will begin to use the compound, complex, and compound-complex sentence types and never look back. This is a wonderful step, but at times, a simple sentence is just what a piece of writing needs to communicate a point to the readers. Therefore, never underestimate a well-placed simple sentence for emphasis, and simple sentences can easily be enriched by utilizing the noun or verb phrases you learned earlier in this unit.
Since you now know about clauses, phrases, and four sentence types, you have completed your toolbox. The eight parts of speech form the building blocks; subjects and verbs are the principles of sentence building; and clauses and phrases put the principles into action. The four sentence types are the basic blueprint that you will follow as you begin to construct confident, detailed, varied sentences.
CREATING YOUR WRITING STYLE
As you become more comfortable and begin writing more often, you will find yourself using some types of sentences more than others. You will notice patterns in your writing that will differ from others’ writing patterns. You will use certain adverbial conjunctions more often, and you will gravitate toward certain types of clauses, phrases, and sentence types more than the other ones. This is part of your writing style.
There are many other factors, however, of your writing style besides clauses, phrases, and sentence types. You will remember in Unit 3, that you learned about writing in the active voice and maintaining the same tense. This is also part of your writing style.
Many of the choices you make in terms of what types of words to include--for example, how formal you want the written project to be, or how you use creative aspects of language like analogies and metaphors--will also contribute to your own individual writing style. Many writers wisely choose to avoid using clichés as they detract from the individual nature of writing.
Ultimately, as you reflect on who you are and what you value, you will begin to craft a style of writing that is comfortable and authentic to you. This is important because you want your writing to reflect who you are and be an extension of your individual voice. You are a unique individual, so work to have your writing reflect your personality, individuality, and values. Be yourself.