Writing Effective Sentences: Presentation Notes

You’ve spoken English for years, you’ve completed numerous writing assignments,
you’ve passed your composition courses. You know all there is to know about sentences, right?
Not necessarily.
When we’re assigned writing tasks, we often get distracted by the content: what we need
to say, what questions we need to answer, how we prove our arguments are valid. We forget to
address the building blocks of writing. Improving your sentences is the easiest way to bring your
writing to a higher level.
A sentence:
- Has a sequence of words
This is pretty easy to spot – a sentence has words in it! While some spoken sentences can
be as short as one word (“No,” “Yes”), most written sentences are two or more words
long. There’s no set limit on how many words you can have in a sentence. Pay attention
to what your sentences sound like, and add or remove words as needed.
- Contains a subject and a predicate
Sentences can be broken down into parts based on how the words in a sentence are used.
- A subject is who or what a sentence is about.

- A predicate is a verb describing the subject’s actions or state of being.

- Sometime sentences also include an object, a person or thing that is affected by the
action of a predicate.
● Example: She (subject) drinks (predicate) milk (object).

- Expresses a complete thought

A sentence should start and finish a single thought without trailing off into another
thought or stopping short of full expression.

● Correct: Jacob took the bus.

This example contains a subject (“Jacob”), a predicate (“took”), and an object (“the
bus”). The complete thought is expressed in this sentence without need for revision.

● Incorrect: After Jacob took the bus.

Even though the second sentence contains the same subject, predicate, and object as the
first, the word “after” means that the sentence should contain more information. We don’t
know what happened after Jacob took the bus, so the thought is unfinished.
- Is an independent clause
 This links to the other aspects of a sentence, but it’s worth mentioning on its own. A
sentence must be an independent clause or it’s not a sentence. An independent clause is a
group of words containing a subject, a predicate, and a complete thought. There are also
dependent clause, which contain a subject and a predicate but not a complete thought.
Different Sentence Patterns
1) Simple Sentence: one independent clause
Joe waited for the train.

2) Compound Sentence: two or more independent clauses

Joe waited for the train, but the train was late.
Joe waited for the train; however, Mary and Samantha got on the bus.

3) Complex Sentence: one independent clause PLUS one or more dependent clauses
a) Cause/Effect: Joe waited for the train because he needed to get to New York.
b) Comparison/Contrast: Joe waited for the train while Mary and Samantha left on
the bus.
c) Place/Manner: Joe waited for the train at the train station.
d) Possibility/Conditions: Joe waited for the train whether it was raining or not.
e) Relation: Joe waited for the train which was late.
f) Time: Joe waited for the train before Mary and Samantha got on the bus.

4) Compound-Complex Sentence: two or more independent clauses PLUS one or more

dependent clauses
a) Joe waited for the train, but Mary and Samantha left on the bus because they did
not see Joe at the train station.
b) Because Joe waited for the train, he was late to work, but it wasn’t his fault.

Find more examples and explanations at the following website provided by the Writing
Center at UNC-Chapel Hill: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/sentence-patterns/

DO
● Follow the rules of grammar and spelling.
o This is something you want to do for any sentence you write, whether it’s for
an academic paper or an email. Practicing the rules of accepted grammar and
spelling can help you stick to them easier, and it can cause you less stress and
work when writing papers and essays.

● Make a definite point – and stick to it.

o Some subjects that you will be asked to write about have many topics that
relate to them. Be sure to stick to your subject.

▪ For example, if you’re writing about psychoanalysis, you shouldn’t go

 into a lengthy discussion about the life of Sigmund Freud. Although
Freud is considered one of the founders of psychoanalysis, your paper
is not a biography of Freud but instead a study of psychoanalysis, so
there’s no reason to devote more than a sentence or two towards
mentioning Freud.

● Use appropriate words and tone.

o There are huge differences between spoken English and written English:
▪ Written language tends to be more complex than speech with longer
sentences and many subordinate clauses. Some punctuation and layout
of written language also have no spoken equivalent: you can’t “say” an
indent and you wouldn’t cite references at the end of a conversation
the way you do at the end of an essay.
▪ Spoken language tends to be full of repetitions, incomplete sentences,
corrections and interruptions, with the exception of formal speeches
and other scripted forms of speech, such as news reports.

o Due to the differences in written and spoken language, some words or phrases
commonly used when speaking can sound harsher or even downright rude
when written. This is also true of more informal or “conversational” language.
Written language isn’t always academic, but it also shouldn’t be treated the
same way you would treat a conversation with your friends or family.

o Always remember: write to others (via email, texts, or papers) in the same
tone that you would like to read as a member of the audience.

o Treat every piece of written communication as though it could be found and

shared with millions of people: edit thoroughly for simple errors or spelling
mistakes, proofread to make sure you’re saying what you mean to say, and
always consider your audience when choosing words to use or the tone in
which to write.

● Vary your sentence patterns, types, and lengths.

o The four sentence patterns listed above should be mixed together in your
writing to create pleasant communication that has a nice, flowing rhythm to it.
Using only simple sentences makes your writing sound short and blunt; using
only complex-compound sentences makes your writing long-winded and
possibly condescending. Vary the sentences patterns you use in your writing
assignments to make key points stand out and to grab readers’ attention.

DO (continued)
 o There are also various types of sentences:
▪ Affirmative: sentences used to describe any general action, event,
speech, or expression.
● Example: Every student is present today.

▪ Negative: sentences used to state something is false; usually include

“not,” either as a single word or in a contraction (“isn’t” = “is not).
● Example: Not every student is present today.

▪ Declarative: sentences that make a statement or assertion.

● Example: Mark likes to play chess.

▪ Exclamatory: sentences that express strong feelings or emotions and

usually end with an exclamation mark.
● Example: That’s fantastic!

▪ Interrogative: sentences that ask questions and end with a question

mark.
● Example: Where did he learn to play chess?

▪ Imperative: sentences that express requests, commands, or advice. The

subject is an understood you.
● Example: Tell him to stop playing chess.

o Varying the lengths of your sentences is closely tied to the sentence pattern
you use. Simple sentences tend to be much shorter than compound-complex
sentences, which are usually the longest sentences of all. Just as you would
vary your sentence patterns, you should vary your sentences lengths so you
have a mix of short, normal, and longer length sentences.

● Write clearly and concisely.

o Explain your concepts and your topics but don’t over-explain them. You want
to ensure your audience understand what you’re discussing while also making
sure to keep your writing on-subject and easy to read. This may involve
breaking a concept down into a simpler explanation, or summarizing pages of
information into a few sentences.

o This becomes easier with practice, but the Writing Center can also help you to
figure out the best way to summarize a lot of material. Usually, if you can talk
to a friend about a concept so that your friend can understand it, you can
summarize it in a paper for an audience to understand.

● Proofread your writing.

 o This is one of the final steps in drafting an essay, and one of the most
important. Proofreading your writing helps you to keep it polished while also
improving your ability to understand the information you discuss.
o If you have a hard time finding errors or mistakes when proofreading, try
these tips to help you better spot them:

▪ Let your paper “rest”. Get away from your paper for a little while; take
an hour or even a day and leave your writing alone. When you come
back to proofread and revise your writing, your mind and eyes will be
fresh. After a break from writing, you’re more likely to find mistakes
you may have missed otherwise, and to correct them properly.

▪ Print out your paper/assignment/essay and read it. Seeing your writing
on paper helps you spot things you might miss on a computer screen.

▪ Ask a friend to proofread your writing. After spending a lot of time on

an assignment, you may become accustomed to how it looks and your
eyes may skip or skim over mistakes.

▪ Don’t rely on spelling and grammar check. Spell check is very useful
for finding minor errors and helping you to correct them, and grammar
check can point out areas in your writing that may need revision. The
downfall of these computer-operated tools, however, is that they
cannot read the context of your writing. You may have spelled a word
correctly, but it wasn’t the word you meant or needed to use in that
sentence. You may have used a comma that isn’t actually necessary
because the grammar check misunderstood the type of sentence you
were trying to write. Be sure to double check any suggestions spell or
grammar check gives you, and use your own judgment when editing.
DON’T
● Use a synonym you don’t understand
o For example, employ and manipulate are both synonyms of use, but they have
very different meanings.
● Use means “to take, hold, or deploy something as a means of
accomplishing a purpose.”
● Employ can mean “to make use of” but more often means “to give
work (to someone) and pay for them to do it.”
● Manipulate can also mean “to handle or control (a
tool/mechanism)” but usually means “to control or influence (a
person or situation) cleverly/unfairly”

▪ Using these words as substitute for use in a sentence may change the
 meaning of the sentence, or the sentence may no longer make sense.
● I could use the help.
● I could employ the help.
● I could manipulate the help.

o Tip: If you feel like you’re using a word too many times, look for different ways
to write or word a sentence to avoid using that word.
▪ Example: You may use the word “because” more often in your papers than
you think. Find other words to use in place of “because” or figure out
alternative ways to phrase your sentences:
● Pollution should be regulated because it harms the environment.
● Pollution should be regulated as it harms the environment.

o There are some cases where using a word “too much” can’t be helped, especially
if the word relates to a very specific concept or is a common term in your area of
study. In this case, just use the word as you normally would and don’t worry
about “overusing” it in your paper.
▪ Example: You’re writing an argumentative paper about the effects of
pollution on the environment, so the words “pollute” and “pollution” are
mentioned many times throughout your essay. This is fine – since your
essay is about “pollution,” there’s no need to try to use the word less or to
find another way to phrase your sentences.

● Pad your sentences with meaningless “fluff”

o Fluff is information or words that aren’t necessary to understand the main point
of your writing. You’re most tempted to use fluff sentences to “pad” your paper to
reach a certain page or word count requirement.

● Go off on “tangents” in your sentences

o Tangents are sentences that turn away from the main point or topic of an essay or
paragraph and onto a related, semi-related, or even unrelated topic. These
sentences may start well but end up turning a paragraph into a jumble of sentences
that don’t connect with one another or the essay as a whole.

● Write in text-speak
o Phrases like “lol,” “IMO,” or “tbh” shouldn’t be used in academic writing, or any
writing outside of texting. Abbreviations like this are not standard, recognized
abbreviations like “APA” or “U.S.” and may be confusing. The use of
abbreviations found in text-speak is also extremely informal, and suggests that
you don’t take an assignment seriously.

● Make your words too “flowery”

o Description is nice, but in academic writing you want to avoid too much of it,
 especially in argumentative essays. Focus instead on writing concisely so your
readers can readily understand the concepts you’re explaining.

● Forget: subject, predicate, and complete thought

There are many different steps in the process of writing effectively. Writing clear,
concise, and communicative sentences is one of the most important steps you can take to
improve your writing, both academically and professionally. I hope that this handout serves as a
good reference for any difficulties you may have when composing sentences.