Writing Clear Sentences - Lincoln University · Writing Clear Sentences. Objectives discuss the...

Writing Clear Sentences

Objectives

discuss the structure of sentences

identify clauses and phrases

discuss how structure gives meaning

identify errors and clarify meaning in

your own sentences

Sentence structure

What is a sentence?

Stands alone as a complete thought

Has a subject and complete, finite verb

(actor + complete action)

Why is sentence structure

important?

Accurate structure makes your meaning

clear

Using different types of sentences will

improve your writing style

Elements of the sentence

subject (i.e. actor) – who or what is doing

something

verb (action) – the event being done

object - instrument or receiver of action

Clauses and Phrases

Sentence elements are arranged into

clauses and phrases.

A sentence must have at least one clause,

and may have phrases as well.

Clauses

A clause is a group of words which has:

A subject, i.e. an actor: someone or

thing which does something in the

clause;

A complete, finite verb, i.e. an action

which has an actor and a sense of

time;

example:

Subject (actor) Verb (action)

The lecturer started the class

Pollution causes cancer

New Zealand is in the South

Pacific

Two kinds of clauses

An independent clause

- expresses a complete thought and

- can stand alone as a sentence

A dependent clause

- needs to be joined to an independent

clause to make a sentence

- usually begins with a connecting word

examples

Independent clause:

- the plant grew

- the weather was cold

Dependent clause:

- because growing conditions were favourable

- although the weather was cold

Identify the independent and dependent

clauses in the following sentences.

Each discipline has its distinctive content, orientation, language and methodology which must be recognised and learned.

Teleconferencing refers to a multi-party telephone call, which enables more than two callers to participate in a conversation.

more practice

In virtual reality systems, the users are

able to move through a virtual world,

which is a model that exists in the

computer’s memory, and make changes

or modifications to the model.

Are these clauses dependent, independent

or incomplete?

1. The greatest danger that a species faces in a rapidly coevolving ecosystem

2. Diversity has become a strategic imperative for corporations

3. Her Maori name, Maata Mahupuku, inscribed on her headstone

4. As profits fell and the government reduced internal prices to realign with export prices

Phrases

A phrase is ‘a small group of words which forms a unit’ within a sentence.

Phrases are used to give extra information about the subject (actor), or the time, manner (how) or place of the action.

Match the phrase with the function

a large city how

every summer who/ what

by 20% where

in the South Pacific when

example

The population of Auckland, a large city

in the South Pacific, increases by 20%

every summer.

practice

Include these phrases in sentences of

your own:

by 10%, by air, as efficiently as possible;

the general manager, an excellent result;

at the annual meeting, in New Zealand;

on October 31, over the last quarter, last

week.

practice continued:

Starter sentences – add one or more of

the previous clauses to these sentences:

Ms Brown announced that profits had risen.

Ms Brown congratulated the staff.

Practice continued

Sample answers:

Last week Ms Brown, the General Manager,

announced that profits had risen by 10 %

over the last quarter.

At the annual general meeting, Ms Brown

congratulated the staff on an excellent

result.