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.
3. C—Cut the Clutter • Scrub your sentences: passive constructions, bland “to be” stretchers, WOWBIT (with, of, which, by, in, to), nouns used as adjectives, and superfluous doubling.6 • TIP—Be ruthless! Clear the way for your argument to come charging through. II. 3 IMPORTANT SENTENCES (Thesis, Topic, Transition) A. Thesis—the main point of your essay 1. “A thesis is your opinion, stated as a fact, backed up with reasons.” —Amy Crider 2. Getting Started: “I’m working on the topic X, because I want to find out Y, so that I (and you) can better understand Z.”7 3. Three Thesis “Musts”— • It must be a sentence. (e.g. The Roman Empire fell because of internal corruption.) • Better—Internal corruption destroyed the Roman Empire. • It must have an edge. (e.g. Although the South seceded, their grievances were just.) • Better—Although the South seceded to preserve slavery, they fought for liberty. • It must guide your argument. (Prepare to repeat and rephrase this throughout your essay.) B. Topic—the main point of your paragraph 1. The topic sentence structures the essay and governs the paragraph. (You should be able to back-outline your essay based almost solely on topic sentences.) 2. “If your topic sentence covers everything within your paragraph, your paragraph is coherent, and you are using your paragraphs with maximum effect, leading your readers into your community block by block.”8 C. Transition—the glue of your essay 1. These sentences lead with the familiar and carry us into something new. (A, B—B, C) 2. These “links in the chain” promote cohesion across paragraphs and units of an argument.
6
See Baker, Longman Practical Stylist, ch.8.
7
Kate L. Turabian, Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th Edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013), 22. 8
Baker, Longman Practical Stylist, 38.