Sentences--ReviewAP LangValley High School

• Telegraphic (<5 words)

• Medium (about 18 words)

• Long (30 words +)

Introductory phrases• Participial phrase:• Begin with a present or past participle (daydreaming about summer, exhausted from writing)• Daydreaming about summer, I missed the

assignment.• Exhausted from writing, Alan slept through his alarm.

• Infinitive phrase• Begin with an infinitive (to +verb)• To write well, students must practice sentence variety.

• Prepositional phrase• Begin with prepositions (in, on, at, beside, under, etc.)• In my pajamas, I completed this assignment.

Sentence types:

• Compound sentence—comma, coordinating conjunction• Remember FANBOYS• Barbara finished her essay early, yet she forgot to submit it

to Turnitin.

• Compound sentence—semicolon, no conjunction• Join two closely related ideas• Bruno made vocabulary flashcards; he aced his vocabulary

quiz.

• Compound sentence with explanatory statement (clauses separated by colon)• Used to provide clarity through an explanatory statement• Remember the following writing tip: omit needless words.

Sentence types:• Complex sentence—one or more dependent clauses

joined to an independent clause• A dependent clause will begin with a subordinating

conjunction (after, when, because, although, while, etc.) OR a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whom, whose, etc.)• Since we wanted to see Josh Groban sing, we purchased

tickets.• Kaylee bought tickets to the concert because she wanted to

celebrate her birthday with Josh Groban.• I can’t believe that she met Josh backstage.

• Compound-Complex sentence—one compound sentence joined to a complex sentence

• Loni submitted her paper to Turnitin, but she forgot to check her email for a submission receipt before she want to class.

Appositives & Modifiers:

• An introductory series of appositives (with a dash and a summarizing subject)• Spirit days, a parade, powderpuff football—these activities signal

Homecoming at Valley.

• An internal series of appositives or modifiers (enclosed by a pair of dashes [dramatic] or parentheses [whisper])• The errors that appeared frequently in early papers—passive

voice, pronoun agreement, run-on sentences—had almost disappeared by the end of the semester.

• Emphatic appositive at the end (after a colon or dash)• My original draft contained one repeated note: eliminate second

person.• I could think of only one method to improve my vocabulary—

study.

Sentence Variety:• Loose (cumulative) sentence

• a basic statement with a string of details added to it• Education has no equal in opening minds, instilling values, and

creating opportunities.• The former palace had been ravaged by two world wars, the

neglect of its indifferent neighbors, and the harsh weather conditions of the northern coast. 

• Periodic sentence• additional details are placed before the basic statement• In opening minds, instilling values, and creating opportunities,

education has no equal.• With pristine beaches, sun-drenched days enhanced by the

heady aroma of tropical flowers, and glorious, breathtaking sunsets, Aruba is a vacationer’s paradise

• The hotel, through the addition of a state-of-the art fitness spa, extensive advertising, and weekend specials, has greatly expanded its customer base.

Sentence Variety:

• Parallel sentence•Grammatical/structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence• In the last minute of the game, John

intercepted the football, evaded the tacklers, and scored a touchdown.

• Balanced sentence• two parallel elements set off against each other like equal weights on a scale• One studies in order to learn, but one learns

in order to live.