Activities to Help With Sentence Writing

Concise sentences with variation in structure flow more natural to readers.

Even the simplest sentence must be constructed carefully with balance and purpose. This is rarely done on the first try, as a sentence, like a garden, must be trimmed and properly positioned before it is finished. Proper sentence construction is a learned ability taught through the application of sentence-writing activities.

Write Concise Sentences

As E.B. White stated in his book "Elements of Style," "A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences." As a rule, writers should revise their work to include words with purpose and eliminate showy, purple prose. Read over every article you write and trim redundant phrases such as "each and every." Also, avoid using adjectives unless there is no other way to describe the events of your sentence.

Eliminate Cliches

Overused expressions and statements are the mark of the amateur writer. Cliches include popular phrases such as: "fell head over heels in love," "strong as an ox" and "misery loves company." Make a list of cliched statements you read or hear while reading magazines, surfing the Internet, watching TV or listening to the radio. Furthermore, practice writing original metaphors and euphemisms to promote originality in your own work.

Topic Sentences

Topic sentences introduce the focus of a paragraph. While topic sentences can appear anywhere in the paragraph, they work best at the beginning as a sort of signpost for distinguishing the elements of the essay. Practice writing topic sentences by formulating a thesis and relating each topic sentence to the point the thesis is making in that particular paragraph.

Closing Sentences

The closing sentence, also referred to as the clincher, closes out the paragraph. Closing sentences restate the main idea of the paragraph while transitioning into the next paragraph. The closing sentence should entice the reader to keep reading, similar to the topic sentence. Practice writing closing statements using transitional phrases, such as: "however," "on the other hand" or "while that might be true."

References

• Comm Net: Writing Concise Sentences
• ACT Den: Closing Sentence
• Ottawa: Writing Topic Sentences

Resources

• TTMS: Six Traits Assessments Sentence Structure
• Rong Chang: Sentence Structure Writing Practice
• Word Mart: Sentence and Paragraph Writing Tips
• Garden Digest: Cliches