Sentences are basic to written communication. A wellchosen word or phrase can do the job of expressing a
complete thought, but a solid sentence is still your best
bet for getting a point across.
Basic Sentence Structures
Subject+Verb
Martha ran.
Jesus wept.
Subject+Verb+Direct Object
Jimmy hit the ball.
Ann ate the sandwich.
Subject+Verb+Indirect Object+Direct Object
Ellen gave her friend a present.
James sent his grandmother a birthday card
Subject+Verb+Direct Object+Object Complement
The senior class elected Allie the class president.
Lincoln High School named Mrs. Hawthorne
teacher of the year.
Subject+Linking Verb+Predicate Noun (Pred. Adj.)
Carter is a life guard.
Sally is very silly.
Practice
I ran.
Running down the street, splashing through the
puddles.
Throwing sticks into the fire.
Wanted to win.
Wishing he could go with.
Writing Complete Sentences
Common Sentence Errors:
Fragments: missing either a subject or verb
Lettuce all over the table.
When Herbie tossed the salad.
Laughing and scooping up a pile of lettuce. Kate
remarked, “Now that’s what I call a tossed salad!”
Is it ever acceptable to use fragments?
Yes!
 For dramatic effect
Individualization. Choice. Goals. Creativity. Teamwork.
 In dialogue
“Did you know I’m going to Disney World this
weekend?”
“No way!”
“Yes way!”
“This weekend?”
More Sentence Errors
Comma Splice: error made when connecting two simple
sentences with a comma instead of a semicolon or end
punctuation.
The concert goers had been waiting in the hot sun for two
hours, many were beginning to show their impatience by
chanting and clapping.
Rambling Sentence: when you connect several simple ideas
with the word “and”
The intruder entered through the window and tiptoed down
the hall and stood under the stairwell and waited in the
shadows.
Run-on Sentence: when two simple sentences are joined
without punctuation or a connecting word
I thought the ride would never end my eyes were crossed
and my fingers were numb.
Nothing is more frustrating for readers than writing
that has to be reread just to understand its basic
meaning. In this lesson we will work on conquering
some common errors to make your writing clear and
readable.
Keep it Clear!
Have you ever had a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich? I like them more than my sister. I decided
to make her a sandwich yesterday with raspberry jam,
which turned out to be a mistake. After I plopped the
peanut butter on the bread, I carefully spread on a
tablespoon of jam. As I was spreading the jam with a
knife, it fell on the floor. When I finally finished the
project, my sister didn’t even eat the sandwich.
Incomplete Comparisons
-the result of leaving out a word or words that are
necessary to show exactly what is being compared.
I like them more than my sister
Do you like the sandwiches more than you like your sister
or do you like them more than she likes them?
Clear:
Ambiguous Wording
-wording that is unclear because it has two or more
possible meanings.
I decided to make her a sandwich with raspberry jam,
which turned out to be a mistake.
Which turned out to be a mistake? Using the raspberry
jam or making a sandwich?
Clear:
Indefinite Reference
-a problem that is caused by careless use of pronouns.
As a result, readers are not sure who or what the
pronoun(s) is referring to.
As I was spreading the jam with the knife, it fell on the
floor.
What fell on the floor? The knife or the jam?
Clear:
What is wrong with this sentence?
Last summer I went to Sonshine to hear Toby Mac
perform with my friends.
What is a modifier?
 a word, phrase, or a clause that limits or describes
another word or group of words
Misplaced Modifiers
-modifiers that that have been placed incorrectly; therefore,
the meaning of the sentence is not clear.
We have an assortment of combs for physically active people
with breakable teeth.
Who or what have the breakable teeth? The people or the
combs?
Clear:
Dangling Modifiers
-modifiers that appear to modify the wrong word or a
word that isn’t in the sentence.
Trying desperately to get under the fence, Paul’s mother
called him.
Is Paul’s mother trying desperately to get under the
fence?
Clear:
“Read over your compositions and , when you meet a
passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it
out.”
Samuel Johnson
One of the greatest temptations facing writers is to use
lots of words– especially big, clever, fancy words. The
best writing is honest and natural, not fancy and
artificial. That’s why it is so important to master the
art of freewriting.
Deadwood
-Wording that fills up lots of space but does not add
anything important or new to the overall meaning
At this point in time, I feel the study needs additional
work before the subcommittee can recommend it be
resubmitted for further consideration.
The study needs more work.
Flowery Language
-Writing that uses more or bigger words than needed. It
is writing that often contains too many adjectives or
adverbs.
The cool, fresh breeze, which came like a storm in the
night, lifted me to the exhilarating heights from which
I had been previously suppressed by the incandescent
cloud in the learning center.
The cool breeze was a refreshing change from the muggy
classroom air.
Trite Expression
-one that is overused and stale; as a result, it sounds
neither sincere nor natural.
It gives all of us a great deal of pleasure to present to you
this plaque as a token of our appreciation.
Please accept this plaque with our heartfelt thanks.
Jargon
-language that is used in a certain profession or by a
certain group of people. It is usually very technical
and not at all natural.
I’m having conceptual difficulty with these employee
mandates.
I don’t understand these work rules.
Euphemism
-a word or phrase that is substituted for another because
it is considered a less offensive way of saying
something.
I am so exasperated that I could expectorate.
I am so mad I could spit.
Wordiness
-occurs when extra words are used in a sentence such as
when a word, phrase, or synonym is repeated
unnecessarily.
Some people they don’t use their voices as well as they
could.
Some people don’t use their voices as well as they could.
Other redundant phrases to avoid:
 Repeat again
 Descend down
 Audible to the ear
 Refer back
 Unite together
Cliche
-an overused word or phrase that springs quickly to the
mind but just as quickly bores the user and the
audience.
Her face was as red as a beet.
Her face turned a deep shade of red.
Cliches to avoid:











After all is said and done
Beat around the bush
Believe it or not
Best foot forward
Better late than never
Food for thought
Grin and bear it
In the nick of time
So far, so good
More than meets the eye
In one ear and out the other
If you were to write a sentence about a tornado that
struck a small town without warning, causing a great
deal of damage, a number of serious injuries, and
several deaths, you would really be working with six
different ideas. Of course, you wouldn’t express each
idea separately. Instead, you would combine the ideas
into longer, more detailed sentences. Sentence
combining, which can be done in a variety of ways, is
one of the most effective writing techniques you can
practice.
There was a tornado.
The tornado struck a small town.
The tornado struck without warning.
The tornado caused a great deal of damage.
The tornado caused a number of serious injuries.
The tornado caused several deaths.
Ways to combine sentences:
Use a series to combine three or more similar ideas.
The tornado struck the small town without warning,
causing extensive damage, numerous injuries, and
several deaths.
1.
2. Use a relative pronoun (who, whose, that, which) to
introduce the subordinate (less important) ideas.
The tornado, which was completely unexpected,
caused extensive damage, numerous injuries, and
several deaths.
3. Use an introductory phrase or clause for the less
important ideas.
Because the tornado was completely unexpected, it
caused extensive damage, numerous injuries, and
several deaths.
4. Use a participial phrase (-ing, -ed) to begin or end a
sentence.
The tornado swept through the small town without
warning, leaving a trail of death and destruction.
5. Use a semi-colon. (Also use a conjunctive adverb if
appropriate.)
The tornado stuck the town without warning; therefore,
it caused extensive damage, numerous injuries, and
several deaths.
6. Repeat a keyword or phrase to emphasize an idea.
The unexpected tornado left a permanent scar on the
small town, a scar of destruction, injury, and death.
Use correlative conjunctions (not only, but also, either,
or) to compare or contrast two ideas in a sentence.
The unexpected tornado inflicted not only immense
property damage, but also immeasurable human
suffering.
7.
8. Use an appositive (or an appositive phrase) for emphasis.
A single incident, a tornado that came without warning,
changed the face of the small town forever.
Practice!
Write 3 different ways to combine the following
sentences:
My car won’t start.
My car was rear-ended in town yesterday.
My car has serious damage.