Monday, April 9, 2012

Improve writing: Know about sentences

by Vivian Zabel

     Books begin with sentences, then paragraphs, then manuscripts. However, if one doesn't understand sentences, can't write them correctly, then he won't manage to create a story, an article, or a book, whether fiction or nonfiction.

     Starting with this article, I am going to post a series of columns concerning the writing of sentences. This first one is short and simple: What is a sentence? I will then continue to types of sentences and sentence fragments and other components.

     Let's begin with what is a sentence:

            A sentence is a group of words (clauses) which have a complete thought.

Clauses: a dependent clause (subordinate clause) is a group of words that has a subject and verb but not a complete thought. (a sentence fragment is a dependent clause); an independent clause (main clause) is a group of words that has a subject and verb and forms a complete thought.

Simple sentence:  one independent clause

                        Russel enjoys baseball.

Compound sentence: two or more independent clauses joined correctly with punctuation (a semicolon or colon, not just a comma) or a comma and a conjunction

            March is a windy month in Oklahoma, but it often has bouts of winter weather.
            March is a windy month in Oklahoma; it often has bouts of winter weather.
            March is a windy month in Oklahoma: It often has bouts of winter weather.

Complex sentence: one independent clause and one or more dependent clause

            When the wind blows, the temperatures seem colder.

Compound-complex sentence:  two or more independent clauses joined correctly and one or more dependent clauses

            When the wind blows, the temperatures seem colder, and I don’t want to leave the house.

        We can use a variety of sentence types in writing to make the writing more interesting.

     Some sub-topics dealing with sentence structure include using commas correctly, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences, which we will discuss in future articles.

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5 comments:

  1. Vivian, I love this stuff. Thanks for sharing! I'll be sharing the link.

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  2. Vivian,

    I have "Artful Sentences" by Virginia Tufte at home, and I plan to start reading it this evening. I don't remember learning much about sentence structure (other than what you have gone over above) in school. Even glancing through the book, it's clear there is a lot more for me to learn.

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  3. I taught sentence structure for nearly 30 years, after having strong grammar teachers all my life, starting with my mother.

    Sentences are the foundation of all writing, so therefore knowing how to write correct sentences is a must for all writers.

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  4. I agree -- but knowing how to write correct sentences is not enough. How to write varied, interesting (and appropriate) sentences is also very important.

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  5. Peggy, that is part of knowing types of sentences, as given above. You can't build a wall before having the bricks and mortar ready first.

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