Sentence Variation – the big 15!
1. Simple sentence – S – Must contain a subject and a verb.
• James ate a whole cake.
2. Compound sentence – CP – Two simple sentences joined by a
conjunction (and, but , or)
• James ate a whole cake and he felt very sick.
3. End Complex sentence – ECX – Use a connective to add a
subordinate clause to the end of a simple sentence
• James ate a whole cake because he was hungry.
4. Beginning Complex sentence – BCX - Use a connective to add
extra information to the beginning of a simple sentence
• Because he was hungry, James ate a whole cake.
5. Middle Complex sentence – MCX - Use a connective to add
extra information inside a simple sentence
• James, because he was hungry, ate a whole cake.
6. Two Pair -This sentence begins with two pairs of related adjectives, followed by a comma.
•
Tired and hungry, confused and exhausted, I got home in need of a refreshing drink.
7. DE:DE -This sentence is created by having two separate parts, which are separated by a colon.
The first part of the sentence is a statement: the second part is detail about that statement.
•
Politicans are a selfish bunch of people: all they do is look after their own interests.
8. Many Questions -This sentence type usually begins with a question beginning with either: Who?
What? Where? When? Why? How? or What if? This is then followed by further short questions.
•
I mean, what are these strange things? Trees? Flowers? Animals?
9.AD, Same AD - This sentence contains two adjectives which are the same, one repeated shortly
after the other.
•
I consider myself caring man, caring and patient in the way I go about my business, but
even I have limits.
10. Some; Others - The first part of this sentence begins with the word some. The second part of the
sentence is separated with a semi colon and the word others.
•
Some children walk to school; others travel by car.
Sentence Variation – the big 15!
11. The More, The More -Two parts of a sentence separated by a comma and both beginning ‘The
more...’
•
The more I see people eating with their mouths open, the more I want to scream.
12. Starting a sentence with an ‘ed’ clause – beginning the sentence with a word or clause that ends
in ‘ed’ followed by a comma (saddened, shocked...)


Depressed, he started to cry.
Depressed and unhappy, the children hung their heads.
13. Starting a sentence with an ‘ing’ clause - beginning the sentence with a word that ends in ‘ing’
followed by a comma (Saddening, startling...)


Turning over, David went back to sleep.
Saddening everyone in the audience, he was voted out.
14. Starting a sentence with a simile – using a simile, followed by a comma, as the first clause of
yours sentence –

Yawning like a lion, he sat up.
15. Starting a sentence with an adverb –


Sadly, he turned away.
Unhappily, many people from the country are not starving.