REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS FOR SENTENCE WRITING FOR E10/EF7
consistent solid sentences- real English, authentic English, natural
English
variety, various sentences types, styles- good mix of different kinds
of sentences
EF2/3- no variety, same thing over and over and over and over and over
E10/EF7 more fluid, more natural, more beautiful
3 KEY SENTENCE STYLES/ TYPES:
SIMPLE SENTENCE- one independent clause OR one main clause
S+V “He drives
a bus.”
SS V “Bob and Sarah walked
in the park.”
S VV “My brother fell off
the chair and hurt his leg.”
SS VV
SSS V
S VVV
SSS VVV
COMPOUND SENTENCE- two independent clauses OR two main clauses
JOIN THEM, CONNECT THEM- fanboys, coordinating conjunctions
FANBOYS- ,for ,and ,nor ,but ,or ,yet ,so- memory aid, mnemonic
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
SV SV “My brother fell off the chair.
He hurt his leg.”
“My brother
fell of the chair, and he hurt his leg.”
FANBOYS for and nor but or yet so
for yet nor LOW FREQUENCY
WORDS
SOBA so or but and HIGH-FREQUENCY
WORDS
ADVICE: FOCUS ON HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS
“Mary’s sister plays
volleyball on Tuesdays and runs in the
park on Sundays.”
“Mary’s sister plays
volleyball on Tuesdays, and she runs
in the park on Sundays.”
“The car is making a
strange noise, and the brakes are
squealing.”
ERROR “The car is making a
strange noise and the brakes are
squealing.”
ERROR “The car is making a
strange noise and, the brakes are
squealing.”
; semicolon- used for compound sentences
“The car is making a
strange noise, and the brakes are
squealing.”
“The car is making a
strange noise; the brakes are squealing.”
, and = ;
“He likes cats, but she likes dogs.”
“He likes cats; she likes dogs.”
,but=;
GREAT THING ABOUT SEMICOLONS- transitional terms
**************************************
Transitional Terms
Transitional
words and phrases help paragraphs read more smoothly by improving the connections between supporting sentences.
MODEL: Use a period or semicolon between the
sentences and a comma after the transitional
term.
For
example: Richmond is an exciting
city to live in; in particular, its Asian influence
makes for a very multicultural environment.
HERE ARE A MILLION FOR YOU TO USE:
Addition
also, again, besides, furthermore, in addition, likewise,
moreover
Consequence
accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for
this purpose, hence, otherwise, subsequently, therefore, thus
Generalizing
as a rule, as usual, for the most part, generally, generally
speaking, ordinarily, usually
Exemplifying
chiefly, especially, for instance, in particular, namely,
particularly, specifically, for one thing, as an illustration, as an example, for
example
Emphasis
above all, chiefly, especially, particularly, in particular,
singularly, moreover, most importantly
Similarity
comparatively, correspondingly, identically, likewise,
similarly, by the same token, still, nevertheless,
Contrast
conversely, instead, on one hand, on the other hand, on the
contrary, rather, however, in contrast
Sequence
at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place,
at the same time, for now, for the time being, in time, in turn, later on,
next, then, soon, later, earlier, simultaneously, afterward, finally
Restatement
in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say,
to put it differently
Summarizing
after all, all in all, all
things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, in brief,
in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, in
the long run, on balance, to sum up, to summarize,
“The car is making a
strange noise, and the brakes are
squealing.”
“The car is making a
strange noise; the brakes are squealing.”
“The car is making a strange
noise; also, the brakes are squealing.”
;also,
“The car is making a strange
noise; as well, the brakes are squealing.”
; as well,
“He likes cats, but she likes dogs.”
“He likes cats; she likes dogs.”
“He likes cats; however, she likes dogs.”
“He likes cats; on the contrary, she likes dogs.”
LEARN TRANSITIONAL TERMS!!
; semicolon- LOW FREQUENCY
“He likes cats; however, she likes dogs.” LOW FREQUENCY
“He likes cats. However, she
likes dogs.” HIGH FREQUENCY
“The car is making a strange
noise; also, the brakes are squealing.”
“The car is making a strange
noise. Also, the brakes are squealing.”
REVIEW- SIMPLE, COMPOUND
COMPLEX SENTENCES-
adverb clauses- because, when, if,
adverb
clause-why
She is wearing a scarf because
the wind is chilly.
adverb
clause-when
“You must be careful when you
cross the street.”
adverb
clause- condition
“You should exercise more
if you want to feel better.”
COMMON WORDS FOR ADVERB CLAUSES
time -
when, while, whenever, before, after, until
place -
where, wherever
degree -
than, as ____ as _______
reason,
purpose or cause - because, since
condition -
if, unless
concession -
although, even though, though
“The kids should go to bed after they finish their homework.”
“After the kids finish their homework, they should go to bed.”
“She is walking in the park even though it is raining.”
“Even though it is raining, she is walking in the park.”
ADJECTIVE CLAUSES- describes a noun
who, that, which
The big white cat is cute.
The big white cat (that is sleeping
on the bed) is cute.
The big white cat (that my sister
gave me) is cute.- object pronoun
The big white cat (my sister gave
me) is cute.
My sister (who is a nurse)
plays volleyball.
The girl (who I was talking to) is very nice.- object pronoun
The girl (I was talking to)
is very nice.
The girl (whom I was talking to) is very nice.
WHOM- EXTREMELY LOW FREQUENCY, DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT
Except “To whom it may concern.”
NOUN CLAUSE
that-
I think that you are an honest person.
He feels that the price is too high.
She knows that her son will be late.
My uncle believes that he should save more money.
I don’t think that it will rain today.
I think that it will stay nice.
REVIEW
SIMPLE
COMPOUND fanboys ; transitional
words
COMPLEX adverb, adjective, and noun
clauses
