Introduction
On this page we guide you through sentence structure and variety. This guide is designed to equip you with the tools necessary to craft engaging and well-structured sentences. From understanding the basic components of a sentence to exploring various sentence types and techniques, we look at the intricacies of sentence construction and provide you with practical tips for adding variety and style to your writing.
Sentence Structure
A sentence is a group of words that makes a complete idea. Every sentence needs a subject and a predicate that includes a verb. For example:
Mr Smith took a walk.
The project management process is also subject to external influences.
The subject is the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that performs the action or is being described in the sentence. To identify the subject, ask yourself who or what is performing the action. For example, in the sentence above you can ask ‘Who took a walk?’. = "Mr Smith."
The verb is a crucial part of the predicate and expresses the action or state of being in the sentence. To identify a verb in a sentence, you need to look for the word that expresses the action, occurrence, or state of being.
The predicate consists of the verb and any additional words that modify or provide more information about the subject. To identify the predicate, find the verb in the sentence first. Then, look for any words or phrases that modify or provide more information about the subject or the verb. The predicate can include adjectives, adverbs, direct objects, and more. For example, in the sentence above you can ask the subject about the action ‘What did Mr Smith do?’ = took a walk.
In the previous section we learnt the different parts of a sentence and emphasised that every sentence must be grammatically complete. In addition, when writing an academic text, you should be able to use different sentence types if you do not want your writing to sound repetitive. Look at the examples below:
| Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|
| Asset management has become more complex and demanding than ever before due to increasing resource scarcity, degrading environment, climate change, and reliance on multi-agencies. Asset management is based on three main pillars: management, engineering and information, which together form a foundation for efficient and/or sustainable use (Brown and Humphrey, 2005). Asset management depends on how well it is planned, designed, operated, maintained, and disposed in the context of these three core areas. Asset management has shifted from a whole-of-life cycle approach by individual agencies/organisations, to a more integrated or collective approach involving multi-agencies/organisations. | Managing assets has become more complex and demanding than ever before due to increasing resource scarcity, degrading environment, climate change, and reliance on multi-agencies. According to Brown and Humphrey (2005), asset management is based on three main pillars: management, engineering and information, which together form a foundation for efficient and/or sustainable use. The degree of functionality of any asset is dependent on how well it is planned, designed, operated, maintained, and disposed in the context of these three core areas. As a counter to these challenging tasks, instead of managing assets through a whole-of-life cycle approach by individual agencies/organisations, there has been a shift towards a more integrated or collective approach involving multi-agencies/organisations. |
Example 1 is a straightforward and concise paragraph that lacks variety in sentence structures, making it read somewhat monotonously. On the other hand, Example 2 demonstrates a more engaging and compelling writing style by employing a diverse range of sentence structures. As a result, Example 2 captures the reader's attention and offers a more dynamic and enjoyable reading experience compared to Example 1.
Clauses
Before going into the different types of sentences, it is key to understand what a clause is. A clause is a group of words that expresses a single idea and contains a subject and a predicate.
Clauses are the building blocks of any sentence, and sometimes they form complete sentences on their own. There are 2 types of clauses:
| Independent clauses |
Can stand alone as complete sentences. For example: |
|---|---|
| Dependent clauses |
Needs an independent clause to complete its meaning. For example: (What happened although she submitted the assignment on time? The thought is incomplete) |
Types of sentences
There are 3 main types of sentences, depending on the clauses they include:
| Type of sentence | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
|
Simple
|
1 independent clause | The essay was late |
| Compound |
2 or more independent clauses We can join simple sentences with a comma and a coordinating conjunction such as: and, but, so, yet. We can also join simple sentences with a semi-colon. |
The essay was late, so he lost marks. The essay was late; he lost marks. |
| Complex |
Are made by combining 1 independent clause & 1 or more dependent clauses. When the dependent clause comes first, it is separated from the independent clause with a comma. When the sentence begins with the independent clause, there is no need to separate the clauses with a comma. |
Because his essay was late, he lost marks. He lost marks because the essay was late. |
You can increase the sentence variety of your writing in two main ways: using sentence variety at the beginning of sentences or connecting ideas to increase sentence variety. In the following sections we will explore these two ways and will put them into practice.
Using sentence variety at the beginning of the sentence
1. Starting a sentence with an adverb
One technique you can use to avoid beginning a sentence with the subject is to use an adverb. An adverb is a word that describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb and often ends in –ly (e.g., subsequently, notably, additionally, consequently, recently). For example:
Such search engines have recently improved to detect and understand natural human language in addition to accepting keyword-based requests from the human voice.
Recently, such search engines have improved to detect and understand natural human language in addition to accepting keyword-based requests from the human voice.
In the second sentence, the adverb recently is placed at the beginning of the sentence. If you read the two sentences aloud, you will notice that moving the adverb changes the rhythm of the sentence.
*Note that an adverb used at the beginning of a sentence is usually followed by a comma.
2. Starting a sentence with a prepositional phrase
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that behaves as an adjective or an adverb, modifying a noun or a verb. Prepositional phrases contain a preposition (a word that specifies place, direction, or time) and an object of the preposition (a noun phrase or pronoun that follows the preposition). For example:
Research on cognitive development in the field of psychology has yielded significant insights into the processes by which individuals acquire and utilize knowledge.
In the field of psychology, research on cognitive development has yielded significant insights into the processes by which individuals acquire and utilize knowledge.
Notice that when the prepositional phrase is moved to the beginning of the sentence, the emphasis shifts from the subject—research on cognitive development—to the field of study. Words that are placed at the beginning or end of a sentence generally receive the greatest emphasis.
Connecting ideas to increase sentence variety
1. Joining ideas using an –ing modifier
Sometimes it is possible to combine two sentences by converting one of them into a modifier using the –ing verb form—singing, dancing, swimming. For example:
The computational power has risen dramatically in the previous decade. This brought Artificial Intelligence into public sectors.
The computational power has risen dramatically in the previous decade, bringing Artificial Intelligence into public sectors.
To connect two sentences using an –ing modifier, add –ing to one of the verbs in the sentences (bringing) and delete the subject (This). Use a comma to separate the modifier from the subject of the sentence.
2. Joining ideas using an –ed modifier
Some sentences can be combined using an –ed verb form—argued, delayed, described. For example:
A workable framework for architects and engineers with basic knowledge of Python and Dynamo will be developed. This is based on the present research and frameworks proposed in the literature.
Based on the present research and frameworks proposed in the literature, a workable framework for architects and engineers with basic knowledge of Python and Dynamo will be developed.
To connect two sentences using an –ed modifier, drop the helping verb (is) and the subject (This) from the sentence with an –ed verb form. This forms a modifying phrase (Based on the present research) that can be added to the beginning or end of the other sentence according to which fits best.
3. Joining ideas using a relative clause
Another technique that writers use to combine sentences is to join them using a relative clause. A relative clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and describes a noun. Relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun, such as who, which, where, why, or when. For example:
The framework developed is categorised into primary sections. This explains the process to integrate Alexa to BIM model for data management.
The framework developed is categorised into primary sections, which explains the process to integrate Alexa to BIM model for data management.
To connect two sentences using a relative clause, substitute the subject of one of the sentences (he) for a relative pronoun (who).
Adapted from: https://mlpp.pressbooks.pub/writingsuccess/chapter/7-1-sentence-variety/
