How to Format a Sentence

Use proper sentence format to make your writing clear.

Proper sentence structure is important to good writing. Sentence format should not distract a reader, instead, it should assist the reader in understanding the text. If sentences are incomplete or have poor grammar, the reader will be forced to go back and reread the material in an effort to figure out what the writer intended. Use a variety of sentence formats to make your writing more interesting. Long, complex sentences are useful for providing detail. Use short sentences to give emphasis to your words.

Instructions

1. Start every sentence with a capital letter. End the sentence with a period unless it is a question or exclamation. A question sentence ends with a question mark. An exclamation sentence ends with an exclamation point.

2. Format a simple sentence with a subject and a predicate. The subject does the action of the verb in the predicate. For example: "She works." In this sentence, "she" is the subject doing the action of the verb "works." In a command sentence, the subject is understood to be "you." For example: "Watch your step." The subject in a simple sentence can be compound. For example: "The boys and girls laughed." The verb can be compound as well. For example: "The audience stood and cheered."

3. Add detail to the sentence structure on the subject side. For example: "The young man in the brown coat spoke." In this sentence, "young" and "in the brown coat" describe the man. Add detail on the verb side of the sentence. For example: "The man spoke softly." In this sentence, "softly" is an adverb describing how the subject spoke.

4. Format a complex sentence by adding a dependent clause to a simple sentence. Dependent clauses begin with words such as after, although, if, since and because. An example of a complex sentence with a dependent clause at the beginning is: "After he ate lunch, the man left." A complex sentence can have more than one dependent clause.

5. Format a compound sentence by linking two independent clauses together. Each independent clause has a subject and a predicate. There are two ways to join the independent clauses. One way is with a semicolon. For example: "The weather is great; I'm going to the beach." Another way to link independent clauses is with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. For example: "The weather is great, and I'm going to the beach." In this sentence "and" is a coordinating conjunction.

6. Format a question sentence by beginning with a query word, such as how, where or why. "Where are you going?" is an example of a question. Question sentences can be made more complex by adding additional information. For example: "If it rains, where should we go?"

References

• Bethel University Library: Variety in Sentence Structure
• Purdue University; Purdue Online Writing Lab; Sentence Punctuation Patterns; Dana Lynn Driscoll, et al.; February 2, 2011
• Purdue University; Purdue Online Writing Lab; Improving Sentence Clarity; Chris Berry, et al.; April 17, 2010