A System for Writing Complex
Sentences
8/28/13
The cat slept in the basket.
After a huge dinner of fish and milk, the
cat slept soundly in a large wicker basket,
filled with soft pillows.
By adding detail and elaborating you
can turn a simple sentence into a
Masterpiece
“Identify your simple subject and
simple predicate.”
The birds
flew in the sky.
“Paint your Predicate”
This means to tell more about what happened.
How?
When?
Where?
How? (with wings outstretched, swiftly)
When? (at sunset) Where? (over the waves)
The birds flew with wings
outstretched at sunset over the
waves.
“Move the Predicate to create a
flow”
The birds flew with wings outstretched
at sunset over the waves.
Example: At sunset, the birds flew over the waves, with
wings outstretched.
“Paint your Subject”
Tell more about your subject!
What kind of?
How many?
giant, white, singing
Some, thousands, many, several
At sunset, with wings outstretched, a
thousand birds flew over the waves.
“Paint your Words”
Replace ordinary words with descriptive words.
Birds= sea gulls, eagles
Flew= soared, floated
Waves= thundering tide, crashing surf
Over= above, on top of
At sunset, with wings outstretched, a
thousand sea gulls soared above the
thundering tide.
“Finishing Touches”
Move sentence parts around to find the best fit.
Refine your wording one last time. The final
sentence should be pleasing to your ear!
At sunset, a thousand sea gulls burst
through the clouds, with wings
outstretched, and soared above the
thundering tide.
Masterpiece Sentences
Made Easy
Create complex sentences by asking how,
when, where, which, what kind, and how
many.
Use the answers to elaborate and
add detail to each sentence.
Refine your sentence by using
descriptive words.
Move parts of the sentence around
until it sounds right.
Independent Practice:
• Using the simple sentences you created in your
“Do Now,” turn them into complex sentences by
adding how? when? and where? to your predicate
• For an extra challenge, on your last two sentences
add detail to your subject by adding what kind,
how many, or which?