Analyzing and Improving Sentence Style
DIRECTIONS: Select one of your papers and follow these instructions to analyze and improve your sentence style. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of your own paper. Turn in both this analysis (with answers and rewrites) and your original paper.
1. What styles of sentences can you find? List the number of
a) loose sentences
b) parallel sentences
c) periodic sentences
d) balanced sentences
NOTE: If you have no sentences in one of these categories, rewrite four sentences from your paper in these styles.
2. How long are your sentences? Count the words in your paper, the number of sentences, and divide to arrive at an average
sentence length.
3. Find your longest sentence. What is the length of the sentence before it? After it? If that long sentence is not either preceded or
followed by a short sentence, change one of them to a short sentence. Why is this more effective?
4. What forms are your sentences? List the number of
a) simple sentences
b) compound sentences
c) complex sentences
d) compound-complex sentences
5. Count the number of be verbs; Find three sentences to improve with action verbs and rewrite them.
6. Count the number of parallel constructions. If you have fewer than three in your paper, rewrite three sentences so they contain
parallel elements.
7. How do your sentences begin? List the number of
a) subject beginnings
b) adverb beginnings
c) prepositional beginnings
d) gerund beginnings
e) subordinate clause beginnings
f) verb beginnings
g) infinitive beginnings
h) conjunction beginnings
NOTE: If more than half your sentences begin with the subject, rewrite 10 sentences to vary your beginnings.
8. Check your comma use by applying these four rules.
a) Use a comma before and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet, and still when those words join independent clauses.
b) Use a comma between all items in a series.
c) Use a comma to set off parenthetical openers and afterthoughts.
d) Use two commas to enclose parenthetical insertions.
9. Have you used any semicolons? If not, find a sentence, or a pair of sentences, that would be better punctuated with a semicolon
and rewrite it.
10. Have you used any dashes? If not, find a sentence that would improve with a dash and rewrite it.
11. Have you inverted any sentences? If not, rewrite several.
12. Find all the which clauses, and rewrite half of them to eliminate the word which.
13. Underline of, in, to, by, and who wherever they occur. Rewrite sentences to eliminate as many of these words as possible.
14. Find any nouns used as adjectives and eliminate any not conventionally used this way.
15. Find all instances of there is and there are and eliminate as many as possible by rewriting the sentences.
BASIC GRAMMAR REVIEW
1.
loose sentence: A loose sentence makes its major point at the beginning and then adds subordinate phrases and clauses that develop or
modify the point. EX: She drove her car to go to the movie, and get gas. Loose sentences may make a work seem informal, relaxed, and
conversational. However, according to Strunk and White's Elements of Style (2000), a succession of loose sentences, especially those of two
clauses, is to be avoided because of "mechanical symmetry and sing-song".
2.
Parallel sentence: Parallelism concerns the balance of a sentence, or the similarity of words, phrases, or clauses in a list or series. EX: The
British Museum is a wonderful place where you can find ancient Egyptian art, explore African artifacts, and discover beautiful textiles
from around the world.
3.
Periodic sentence: A sentence that is not grammatically complete until the final clause or phrase. EX: Unable to join the others at the dance
because of my sprained ankle, I went to a movie.
4.
Balanced sentence: A sentence consisting of two or more clauses that are parallel in structure and fairly equal in length and strength for
clarity: EX: The novel concentrates on character; the film intensifies the violence.
5.
Simple sentence: A sentence with only one clause. EX: I saw her the day before yesterday.
6.
Compound sentence: A sentence containing two or more independent clauses, usually joined by one or more conjunctions, but no
dependent clause. EX: The lightning flashed (independent clause) and (conjunction) the rain fell (independent clause).
7.
Complex sentence: A sentence containing one or more dependent clauses in addition to the main clause. EX: When the bell rings
(dependent clause), walk out (main clause).
8.
Compound-complex sentence: A sentence having two or more coordinate independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. EX: The
lightning flashed (independent clause) and the rain fell (independent clause) as he entered the house (dependent clause).
9.
Subject: The subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that is being discussed in a sentence.
10. Adverb: Adverbs typically express some relation of place, time, manner, attendant circumstance, degree, cause, inference, result, condition,
exception, concession, purpose, or means. EX: (probably, easily, very, and happily respectively in the sentence) They could probably easily
envy the very happily married couple.
11. Preposition: A preposition is any member of a class of words that are used before nouns, pronouns, or other substantives to form phrases
functioning as modifiers of verbs, nouns, or adjectives, typically express a spatial, temporal, or other relationship, as in, on, by, to, since.
12. Gerund: Gerund is a noun formed from a verb, denoting an action or state. In English, the gerund, like the present participle, is formed by
adding –ing. EX: Living is easy. Or Thinking can be painful.
13. Subordinate clause: A clause that modifies the principal clause or some part of it or that serves a noun function in the principal clause. EX:
when she arrived in the sentence: I was there when she arrived. or that she has arrived in the sentence: I doubt that she has arrived.
14. Verb: A verb is any of a large class of words that serve to indicate the occurrence or performance of an action, the existence of a state or
condition. EX: run, make, jump, see, do, to be, and the like, are verbs.
15. Infinitive: The infinitive is a form of the verb not inflected for grammatical categories such as tense and person and used without an overt
subject. In English, the infinitive usually consists of the word to followed by the verb; it is the simple or basic form of the verb, as come, take,
eat, be, used after auxiliary verbs. EX: I didn't come to the game. He left early so he must be in trouble, or this simple form preceded by a
function word, EX: I want to eat.
16. Conjunction: A conjunction is any member of a small class of words distinguished by their function as connectors between words, phrases,
clauses, or sentences. EX: as and, because, but, however.
17. Coordinating Conjunction: A conjunction that connects two grammatical elements of identical construction. FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or
yet, so, they are never placed at the beginning of a sentence! EX: I went to the store, but it was closed.
18. Inverted sentence: Any sentence in which the normal word order is reversed, with the verb coming before the subject or the complete
subject and predicate coming after another clause. EX: Such is the stuff of dreams, or Should you decide to go, please call.
19. Nouns as adjectives: Sometimes words that are usually nouns can function as adjectives. This happens when a noun is used to define a noun.
EX: Karen always wipes her runny nose with paper towels. (Paper is normally a noun, but here it describes the type of towel; towel is the
noun.) Or Teasing a junkyard dog is a bad idea. (Junkyard is a noun, but here it describes the type of dog; dog is the noun).