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Style, Structure, Grammar > Sentence Style
Sentence Style
• Using Varied Sentence Lengths and Styles
• Writing in Active Voice and Uses of Passive Voice
• Using Subordination and Coordination
• Using Parallelism
• Avoiding Sexist Language
• Managing Mood
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Style, Structure, Grammar > Sentence Style
Using Varied Sentence Lengths and Styles
• Sentences can be classified by the number and types of clauses which they
incorporate.A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause with no
dependent clauses.A compound sentence consists of multiple independent
clauses with no dependent clauses.
• The clauses of a compound sentence are joined together using conjunctions,
punctuation, or both.
• A complex sentence consists of at least one independent clause and one
dependent clause.A complex-compound sentence consists of multiple
independent clauses, at least one of which has at least one dependent clause.
• Sentences can be classified by their purpose.A declarative sentence makes a
Like Knots, Good Writing Requires Different
Lengths and Styles
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statement.An interrogative sentence or question is used to request information.An
exclamatory sentence is a more emphatic statement expressing emotion.An
imperative sentence tells someone to do something.
• Sentence complexity generally increases as length increases.The length of a
sentence can factor into its comprehensibility.
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Style, Structure, Grammar > Sentence Style
Writing in Active Voice and Uses of Passive Voice
• In an active-voice grammatical construction, the subject performs the action of the
verb.The subject in this construction is known as an "agent." A clause with an
active, transitive verb will be in the form of subject-verb-object.
• Most sentences are ultimately about action, yet many writers bury the action of
their sentences in nouns, adjectives and other parts of speech.Try to use active
voice unless there is a reason to use passive voice.
• Converting a clause from one grammatical voice to another does not necessarily
change meaning of the clause, but it can alter its tone, emphasis and/or
readability.
Knowing how the different uses of voice is as
important in writing as in singing!
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Style, Structure, Grammar > Sentence Style
Using Subordination and Coordination
• The presence of coordination is often signaled by the appearance of a coordinator
(coordinating conjunction), e.g. and; or; but (in English).
• The words "and" and "or" are the most frequently occurring coordinators in
English. Coordinators, like "but," "as well as," and "then," occur less frequently,
and have unique properties.
• Coordination is not limited to coordinating just constituents, but rather it is quite
capable of coordinating non-constituent strings.
• There is a limitation on material that precedes the conjuncts of a coordinate
structure that restricts the ensuing material.
• The dependent clause is called a "subordinate clause," and the independent
Not only is the Sphinx in the picture, but the
Pyramids are also in the picture.
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clause is called the "main clause" or matrix clause.
• Subordinate clauses are usually introduced by subordinators (subordinate
conjunctions) such as: after; because; before; if; so that; that; when; while.
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Style, Structure, Grammar > Sentence Style
Using Parallelism
• Parallelism is a balance of two or more similar words, phrases, or clauses.
• Parallelism may also be known as parallel structure or parallel construction.
• Parallel markers are words that link or contrast items and that force those items to
be parallel.The most important parallel markers are the three common
conjunctions: and, but, and or.
• Parallel clauses should start with the same word.
• Correlative expressions (both, and; not, but; not only, but also; either, or; first,
second, third; and the like) should be followed by the same grammatical
construction.
• When making comparisons, the things you compare should be couched in parallel
structures whenever that is possible and appropriate.
Students spend their time going to classes,
studying, working, and they wish they had time
for a social life.
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Style, Structure, Grammar > Sentence Style
Avoiding Sexist Language
• Gender neutrality in English aims to minimize assumptions about the gender or
biological sex of people referred to in speech.
• Proponents of gender-neutral language argue that the use of gender-specific
language often implies male superiority or reflects an unequal state of society.
• Proponents of gender-neutral language claim that linguistic clarity, as well as
equality, would be better served by having "man" refer unambiguously to males,
and "human" to all persons.
• Proposed alternatives to the generic "he" include "he or she," "s/he" or the use of
"they" in the singular.
• In some cases, when writing or speaking about a person whose gender is
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unknown, ambiguous or unimportant, gender-neutral language may be achieved
by using gender-inclusive, gender-neutral or epicene words in place of genderspecific ones.
• Gender-neutral language may also be achieved by parallel usage of existing
gender-specific terms.
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Style, Structure, Grammar > Sentence Style
Managing Mood
• Grammatical mood is a verb feature that allows speakers to express their attitude
toward what they are saying.
• In English, the indicative mood, or evidential mood, is used for factual statements,
positive beliefs, and questions.
• The subjunctive mood discusses imaginary or hypothetical events and situations,
expresses opinions or emotions, or makes polite requests.
• The conditional mood is used to speak of an event whose realization is dependent
upon another condition, particularly, but not exclusively, in conditional sentences.
• The imperative mood expresses direct commands, prohibitions, and requests.
Let's go.
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• English has five moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, infinitive, and
potential.
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Appendix
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Style, Structure, Grammar
Key terms
• active voice The form in which the subject of a verb carries out some action (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• complex sentence In grammar, a complex sentence is a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent
clause.A complex sentence is often used to make clear which ideas are most important, and which ideas are subordinate. (CC BYSA 3.0)
• complex-compound sentence A complex-compound sentence or compound-complex sentence is a sentence with at least two
independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (also known as subordinate clauses). (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• compound sentence A compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• coordinating conjunction Coordinating conjunctions, also called coordinators, are conjunctions that join two or more items of
equal syntactic importance, such as words, main clauses, or sentences. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• coordinator In grammar, a coordinator is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together.
(CC
BY-SA 3.0)
• Epicene Epicene is an adjective (sometimes substantive) for loss of gender distinction, often specifically loss of masculinity.
(CC
BY-SA 3.0)
• Gender-inclusive language Gender-neutral language, gender-inclusive language, inclusive language, or gender neutrality is
linguistic prescriptivism that aims to eliminate (or neutralize) reference to gender in terms that describe people. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• grammatical mood In linguistics, grammatical mood is a grammatical (and specifically, morphological) feature of verbs, used to
signal modality. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• Parallelism In grammar, parallelism is a balance of two or more similar words, phrases, or clauses.The application of
parallelism in sentence construction can sometimes improve writing style, clearness, and readability.Parallelism may also be
known as parallel structure or parallel construction. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• passive voice The form of a transitive verb in which its subject receives the action. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• Subordinate conjunction Subordinating conjunctions, also called subordinators, are conjunctions that conjoin an independent
clause and a dependent clause.The most common subordinating conjunctions in the English language include after, although,
as, as far as, as if, as long as, as soon as, as though, because, before, if, in order that, since, so, so that, than, though, unless,
until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, and while. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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Style, Structure, Grammar
• voice Language; words; speech; expression; signification of feeling or opinion
(CC BY-SA 3.0)
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Style, Structure, Grammar
Like Knots, Good Writing Requires Different Lengths and Styles
Good writing should deploy a combination of different sentence lengths and styles.Familiarizing yourself with the various styles of sentences is a good
way to add variation that will improve the flow and readability of your writing.
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Project Gutenberg. Public domain http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30983/30983-h/30983-h.htm View on Boundless.com
Style, Structure, Grammar
Do I have to go to work?
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Style, Structure, Grammar
The boy was thrown into the air by the villagers.
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Style, Structure, Grammar
Knowing how the different uses of voice is as important in writing as in singing!
The majority of your sentences should have an active voice construction.However, there are also effective uses of the passive voice.
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Flickr. "All sizes | [Portrait of June Christy and Red Rodney, Club Troubadour, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1947] (LOC) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!." Public domain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/4888673630/sizes/l/in/photostream/ View on Boundless.com
Style, Structure, Grammar
Not only is the Sphinx in the picture, but the Pyramids are also in the picture.
The title contains an example of a correlative conjunction: "not only...but also." A correlative conjunction is just one type of conjunction, which is a part of
speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses.Conjunctions can assist in creating sentences of various styles and emphases.
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Style, Structure, Grammar
Students spend their time going to classes, studying, working, and they wish they had time for a social life.
The title sentence is a non-parallel statement.Parallelism in a sentence requires that similar ideas and elements be presented in similar forms.Therefore,
the parallel form of the title would be: "Students spend their time going to classes, studying, working, and wishing for a social life." Parallelism helps
promote balance, emphasis, clarity, and readability.
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Style, Structure, Grammar
Parallelism is as important in writing as in hanging wires!
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Flickr. "All sizes | [Men working on telephone lines, probably near a TVA dam hydroelectric plant] (LOC) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!." Public domain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179061201/sizes/o/in/photostream/ View on Boundless.com
Style, Structure, Grammar
Manage your mood
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Flickr. "All sizes | Man of the Fort Story, Va. coastal defense (LOC) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!." Public domain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179841134/sizes/o/in/photostream/ View on Boundless.com
Style, Structure, Grammar
Let's go.
The title is an example of the imperative mood, which expresses direct commands, prohibitions, and requests.The imperative mood is one type of
grammatical mood.
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