D31261-SixSassySent

8/8/2019 D31261-SixSassySent

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(tips for adding variety to boring

sentences)

Sentences



Why use variety in your

sentences? Sentence variety is necessary for a

number of reasons:* Sentence variety makes your writingmore interesting to read!

* Sentence variety adds style toyour writing!

* Sentence variety will help develop

your writing skills!



Six Sassy Sentence

types:1. Two-adjective beginnings

2. -ing at beginning or end3. -ly beginnings

4. Informative interrupters (appositives)

5. Balanced sentences6. Dependent clauses



1. Two-Adjective

Beginnings:Tall, handsome lifeguards flirt

wildly with the pretty girls.

Rickety and dilapidated, the oldschoolhouse didnt stand a chancein an earthquake.



A. Combine these sentences

into a Two-adj sentence:

The startled jury braced to

hear more of the witnessstestimony.

The jury was amazed.

The jury was perplexed.



What does your sentencelook like?



Heres a possibility:

Amazed and perplexed, thestartled jury braced to

hear more of the witnessstestimony.



B. Combine these sentences

into a Two-adj sentence:

The courtyard looked out over rolling hills of vineyards.

The courtyard was open.

The courtyard was airy.







Open and airy, thecourtyard looked out over

rolling hills of vineyards.



W ARNING --

What is wrong with this sentence?:

Tall and majestic, is how Iwould describe the palm treesthat line Santa Margarita

Parkway.



This is better:

Tall, majestic palm trees line

Santa Margarita Parkway.



W ARNING --


Friendly and helpful are myneighbors.



This is better:

Friendly and helpful, my

neighbors invited us to ablock party the very weekwe moved in.



W ARNING --


Rude and furious, there weregang members roaming thestreets.



This is better:

Rude and furious, gang

members roamed thestreets.



Now

you

try:



2. ³-ing´ at beginning

Running like the wind, Forrest Gump made national headlinenews.

Saving the best for last, Lisafinally ate her Reeses peanut

butter cup.



A. Combine these sentences into an

³ing´ beg. sentence:

Annie took her daughters hand.

She entered the gates of Disneyland.

She was smiling as she did this.







Smiling, Annie took herdaughters hand and

entered the gates of Disneyland.



Heres another possibility:

Entering the gates of Disneyland, Annie smiled

and took her daughtershand.



B. Combine these sentences into an

³ing´ beg. sentence:

He realized he could change

direction at any time.He realized this after thinkingabout it for a moment .







Thinking about it for amoment, he realized he

could change direction at any time.



Now

you

try:



³-ing´ at end

He trudged along the hot desert for days, wishing he had brought

more water.

Sandy gave the homeless man allthe money she had, hoping that her small act of kindness might

bring him some comfort .




³ing´ end sentence:

Harriet made her way to the

back yard.She was following the strange

man she had seen at the gate.







Harriet made her way to theback yard, following thestrange man she had seen at

the gate.



Now

you

try:



3. ³-ly´ at beginning

Cheerfully, she answered thephone for her mother.

Slowly opening the door, the

servant tried not to wake hismaster.




³ly´ at the beginning:

The nanny placed the sleeping

child in the crib.She did this gently.







Gently, the nanny placed thesleeping child in the crib.









Strongly made and heavilybuilt, the dugout canoewould last for generations.



Now

you

try:



4. Informative

Interrupters The fish, a slimy mass of flesh, felt the

alligators giant teeth sink into him ashe struggled to swim away.

The child, face covered with chocolate

doughnut, asked his mother if he couldhave some milk.



A. Combine these sentences into

Informative Interrupters:

Our rustic log cabin is miles from

the nearest paved road. It is nestled up a windingcanyon.







Our rustic log cabin, nestledup a winding canyon, ismiles from the nearest pavedroad.



B. Combine these sentences into

Informative Interrupters:

A knock on the door brings Nicky

to her feet .Nicky is our dog.







A knock on the door brings

Nicky, our dog, to her feet .



Now

youtry:



5. Balanced Sentences

He runs onto the baseball field, spinsaround second base, and looks back

at the academy.

Choosing a Christmas tree, putting

up Christmas lights, and bakingChristmas cookies are all included inmy December traditions.




Balanced Sentences:

I spent hours feeding him.

I spent hours playing with him.

I spent hours observing him.







I spent hours feeding him,

playing with him, andobserving him.



B. Combine these sentences into

Balanced Sentences:

Hampton Court by moonlight looked

ancient .

Hampton Court by moonlight lookedvillainous.

Hampton Court by moonlight lookedsecret .







Hampton Court by moonlight

looked ancient, villainousand secret .



Now

youtry:



6. Dependent Clauses

Because it rained, the gardenparty was postponed.

Since the road construction iscomplete, Jim can make it homein only ten minutes.




Dependent Clauses:

I blew gently into Buffys face to

watch his nose twitch. I did this with candy in mymouth.







With candy in my mouth, I

blew gently in Buffys face towatch his nose twitch.









Because his muscle structure

and coordination resembledthat of a human, Buffys playwas very humanlike.



Now

youtry:



Created by Anita Mattos and Melissa Hilton

Revised with added sentence combining by Anita Mattos on 10-10-06

2002(Resources include Barry Nodens Image Grammar and The

Write Source, 2000.)Revised with added sentence combining by Anita Mattos on

10-10-06

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D31261-SixSassySent