This resource presents methods for adding sentence variety and complexity to writing that may sound repetitive or boring. Sections are divided into general tips for varying structure, a discussion of sentence types, and specific parts of speech which can aid in sentence variety. contributors: ryan weber, allen brizee this handout gives an overview of english sentence patterns. It will help you identify subjects, verbs, and clause connectors so you can analyze your writing style and improve it by using a variety of sentence patterns.

In its simplest form, an english sentence has two parts: a subject and a verb that express a complete thought when they are together. Examples of simple two word sentences include: real sentences are rarely so short. We usually want to convey much more information, so we modify the main subject and verb with other words and phrases, as in the sentences below: unfortunately, marvin slept fitfully. dogs bark louder after midnight. heavy isotopes react more slowly than light isotopes of the same element. despite the extra information, each of these sentences has one subject and one verb, so it’s still just one clause.

What’s a clause? a clause is the combination of a subject and a verb. Pretty easy, isn’t it? we’re going to concentrate on clauses in this handout, with emphasis on these two in particular:

independent clause

we’ll talk more about dependent clauses later on, but also see our handout on fragments for a more detailed description of these types of clauses. Before we move on to the sentence types, you should know a little trick of subjects and verbs: they can double up in the same clause. These are called compound subjects or verbs because there are two or more of them in the same clause.

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You can tell that it’s only one clause because all of the subjects in one clause come before all of the verbs in the same clause. When you are drafting your own papers or when you’re revising them for sentence variety, try to determine how many of these patterns you use. If you favor one particular pattern, your writing might be kind of boring if every sentence has exactly the same pattern. If you find this is true, try to revise a few sentences using a different pattern. note: because nouns can fill so many positions in a sentence, it’s easier to analyze sentence patterns if you find the verbs and find the connectors.

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The most common connectors are listed below with the sentence patterns that use them. In the descriptions below, s subject and v verb, and options for arranging the clauses in each sentence pattern given in parentheses. Connectors with a comma, the fanboys: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so see our handout on commas for more info.

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Connectors with a semicolon and comma: however, moreover, nevertheless, nonetheless, therefore mr. Potato head eats them for breakfast every day, but i don’t see the attraction. eating them makes him happy however, he can’t persuade me. scan your own text to find the compound connectors listed above. Highlight your compound sentences with a color that’s different from the one you used to mark your simple sentences. This list shows different types of relationships along with the connectors that indicate those relationships: cause/effect. After, as, before, since, when, whenever, while, until examples of complex sentences: he recommends them highly because they taste like chicken when they are hot. although chicken always appeals to me, i still feel skeptical about monkey. mrs. Potato head, because she loves us so much, has offered to make her special monkey souffle for us. she can cook it however she wants. although i am curious, i am still skeptical. scan your own text to find the complex connectors listed above.

Find the verb and the subject of the clauses that goes with each connector, remembering that the dependent clause might be in between the subject and verb of the independent clause, as shown in the arrangement options above. Highlight your complex sentences with a color that’s different from the one you used to mark your simple sentences. Find the connectors, then find the verbs and subjects that are part of each clause. Potato head will feed him to the piranhas, so we are both safer and happier if i don’t eat monkeys or steal recipes. try this: use a fourth color to highlight the compound complex sentences in your text the ones with at least two independent and at least one dependent clauses. An expert academic or technical writer needs only a few basic sentence patterns to produce easy to understand writing. Each of the sentence patterns below will result in clear academic or technical writing. However, do not use any one pattern more than twice in a row to prevent the writing from sounding repetitive and boring.