The Sentence & How to Use It SBTS Writing Center Workshop Objectives:
————— 1) Attendees will appreciate the value of a well formed sentence in an argument. 2) Attendees will understand the components of sentences and common errors. 3) Attendees will be able to identify the three most important sentences. —————
I. PRINCIPLES OF A GOOD SENTENCE A. What is a sentence? 1. “The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence down to its cleanest components.”1 2. The expression of a complete thought accomplishing the writer’s goal. 3. Simple Sentence = Subject + Predicate (includes a verb, often further info about subject) 4. Compound Sentence = linking simple sentences with conjunctions 5. Complex Sentence = expanding simple sentences with relative and subordinate clauses B. Sentence ABCs 1. A—Active Verbs • Active verbs infuse your sentence with energy and drive the reader forward. • Active verbs create a stable platform for word order variation, passives, and descriptions.2 • TIP—Mentally turn your subject into a character in order to expand verb possibilities.3 2. B—Basic Components • Default to short, clear, direct sentences; you can always join them later for variety. • TIP—When possible, employ concrete subjects and nouns.4 • TIP—Keep the subject and verb close together for most sentences.5
1
William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 25th Anniversary Edition (New York: Quill, 2001), 7. 2
Sheridan Baker, The Longman Practical Stylist: The Comprehensive Guide to Solid, Eloquent, and Persuasive Writing (New York: Pearson Longman, 2006), 92. 3
Helen Sword, Stylish Academic Writing (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012), 96–97.
4
Sword, Stylish Academic Writing, 49.
5
Sword, Stylish Academic Writing, 61.