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2
Law and order 2.1 Right and wrong
Language focus
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FT
Remember that there are four main sentence types: simple, compound, complex and compound-complex. Writers choose and position different sentence types carefully to support their purpose. Look at the example below, where a compound sentence is followed by a complex sentence: Humans rely on others and they benefit from cooperation. Although humans can sometimes be selfish, working together is essential for human survival.
A
The first sentence provides key facts for the reader to focus on, then the second sentence develops and extends the point, providing an explanation. Together, they help the reader understand the point and convey the information in a gradual way. Now look at this example, in which a compound-complex sentence is followed by a simple sentence: Although humans can sometimes be selfish, working together is important for human survival and also for social well-being. Cooperation between humans is essential.
R
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D
Here, the detail is given in the first sentence and the second sentence reinforces the main point. The effect of this is to sum up and direct the reader to the overall message in the text.
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