In this lesson,
you'll learn how using a variety of the four basic sentence types
can make your writing more interesting for readers.
Basic Sentence
Types
Grammarians break
English sentences into four basic types. To a certain extent, each
type of sentence comes with its own inherent tone. These sentence
types can be very useful to you as you think about your own tone.
The four basic sentence types are the statement, the question, the
exclamation, and the command:
Statement:
I am worried about my hair.
Question: Am I worried about my hair?
Exclamation: I am worried about my hair!
Command: Do something about my hair.
The rhetorical
question is a fifth type of sentence that can be helpful in expressing
your meaning. In addition to the shift in basic sentence type it offers,
the rhetorical question is a particularly useful tool in an essay
with an academic purpose, since the nature of the rhetorical question
implies that the reader (or listener) will answer it for you and in
a way that you intend.
Rhetorical
question: To the woman whose hair is soaked by rain and on her way
to a formal dance: Aren't you worried about your hair? Expected
answer: Of course, I am!
When you revise
for variety, you'll mostly be looking at the structure of your
sentences, but it's also quite useful to alter and invigorate your
tone by writing in a variety of sentence types. Ask yourself how the
tone shifts in these four examples, and then read something you've
written recently and investigate the types of sentences you're writing.
While most will be statements, it's sometimes useful to interject
questions and even make a few commands.
Using a Variety
of Structures
To understand
the effect of repeating patterns on your reader, consider the purpose
of most nursery rhymes. Combined with rocking and warm milk, no baby
can fail to fall asleep while hearing the repeated rhythmical patterns
in hush little baby, don't say a word, Momma's going to buy you
a mocking bird. Because you don't want your readers to fall asleep
reading you, you want to avoid repeating the same sentence structures,
or strive toward a use of a variety of structures in the revision
process. Look at these examples:
I went to the
store and bought bread, milk, and cheese. I went home, made an omelet,
and drank a glass of milk. After that, I read, cleaned the bathroom,
and took a nap.
Notice that the
writer has opted to use the same kinds of sentences in this example.
In the first two sentences, the writer has begun with a subject (I),
which is closely followed by a verb (went). Even though the third
sentence begins with an introductory clause, the pattern of three
in a series (bread, milk, cheese; went home; made an omelet; drank
a glass of milk, and so on) has become so regular, it sounds monotonous.
Often you will find that, revising for structure, you sometimes notice
places where you can add information to improve your meaning:
I bought bread,
milk, and cheese at the store, then went home and ate an omelet
and drank a glass of milk. After my lunch, I read the newspaper
for little while. Since that made me feel guilty, I decided to clean
the bathroom, but it was exhausting, so I took a nap.
Here's another
example of a series of sentences relying too much on the same structure:
Running to
the door, Madison thought she might have a heart attack. Finding
she was out of breath, she put her hand on the knob. Opening the
door, she saw that it was only the UPS man knocking.
Each of these
sentences begins with present participles (the present participle
is the verb in -ing form, acting as an adjective) that modify the
subject of each sentence. Even a series of three similar structures
undermines the power of the paragraph. We can revise in a number of
ways, of course, but our main goal should be to alter structure so
that the writing takes on a more invigorating pace.
Madison thought
she might have a heart attack when she ran to the door; she noticed
that she was out of breath when she put her hand on the knob. When
she opened the door, she saw that it was only the UPS man knocking,
and not Alfred.
This sentence
could be better. For example, we could provide more information about
Alfred or cut out the phrase "when she put her hand on the knob,"
since it's implied earlier in the sentence in the phrase about Madison
having a heart attack. But, we hope you notice that just revising
the structure of the three sentences improves the paragraph considerably.
Exercise
Revise the following
series of sentences by using different structures, and then compare
your answer to ours.
John Updike's
"A & P" is about a boy and some girls. It is about how a boy decides
to defend some girls. The girls wear bathing suits into the grocery
store. The boy sticks up for them. The meaning of the story is that
you should stick up for girls.
Reread any paragraph
you have written, and ask yourself whether you are writing the same
kinds, or types, of sentences. Revise such paragraphs by rewriting
your sentences for variety. Remember that short sentences will often
produce a direct and emphatic rhythm, while longer sentences will
produce a more luxurious and lingering rhythm. The combination of
these two types of sentences will infuse your prose with energy.
Summary
In addition to
revising your sentences for unity, you can revise a series of sentences
written in similar patterns by using a variety of structures. Doing
so will revitalize your prose.
