Sentences

Sentences

Purpose

Use different types of sentences to make writing more interesting.

How

• Make a mix of short and long sentences to keep writing more interesting
• Choose different sentence starters

Note:

• When writing is all short sentences—writing can feel jolty or abrupt
• When writing is all long sentences—writing becomes tiring to read

See it in Action!

Watch:

Practice:

What is a sentence?

Teach that sentences are a complete thought using the “pop-in” strategy:

• Tutor/instructor: go out of the room, close the door
• Then “pop-in” the room and blurt out just part of a sentence
• Close the door
• Come back in and ask what was missing—can learners guess?
• No door? Stand up for “pop-in” and sit down for the discussion

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Write a complex sentence that follows a pattern

Teach how to correctly write complex sentences using a memorable pattern, engaging examples, and interactive activities like sentence-building games and matching exercises to avoid common punctuation errors.

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Combine sentences to write longer, more complex sentences

Learn why sentence combining is useful, how to do it, and find practice activities for learners.

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Use sentence frames to help learn structure—with examples

Learn what sentence frames are, how they guide learners to build sentences and paragraphs, and explore examples and activities to try.

   Tips for Sentence Frames:

• Provide portions of a sentence to model language use
• Can be the start, end, or have strategic blanks throughout
• Learners fill in or extend the sentence with their own ideas

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Learn More:

Add Complexity:

Sentence Structures with Examples

• Simple sentence – subject + predicate
• Compound sentence – two independent clauses joined by a conjunction
• Complex sentence – one independent clause with one or more dependent clauses
• Compound-complex sentence – two independent clauses and a dependent clause