Varying Sentence Structure

Basic Simplicity vs StyleRead the paragraph below and note its basic simplicity.

I love living in the city. I have a wonderful view of the entire city. I have an apartment. I can see the Golden Gate Bridge. I can see many cargo ships pass under the bridge each day. I like the restaurants in San Francisco. I can find wonderful food from just about every country. I don’t like the traffic in the city…

Basic Simplicity vs StyleRead the paragraph below and note its basic simplicity.

I love living in the city. I have a wonderful view of the entire city. I have an apartment. I can see the Golden Gate Bridge. I can see many cargo ships pass under the bridge each day. I like the restaurants in San Francisco. I can find wonderful food from just about every country. I don’t like the traffic in the city…

More Varied and Sophisticated

I love living in the Sunshine State’s city of San Francisco. With a wonderful view of the entire cityscape from my apartment window, I can even see the Golden Gate Bridge. Hearing the passing cargo ships reminds me of the city’s vibrancy. Because there is a variety of restaurants, I also like San Francisco’s culinary scene. However, I don’t like the traffic in the city…

Other ways to start sentences

With an adverb/adverb phrase With an –ing phrase With a prepositional phrase With an appositive With an infinitive

Adverb/Adverb phrase Tells who, what, when, where, to what extent• When I go to college, I will study pediatrics.• Quietly, the fox approached the den.• After I finish work, I will meet friends.• As long as we have known each

other, we have liked video gaming.

Gerund: -ing phrase

Listening to my iPod is the best way to

relax after school.

Going to camp this summer will keep me

busy.

Buying a car will drain my savings

account.

Prepositional phrase Phrase to help reveal relationships among

words (at, before, on, of , through, over, around, with, on, until)

Before noon on Saturdays, I can call

overseas for a discounted rate.

With a smile I accepted my diploma.

On the counter you will find dessert.

Appositive Noun or noun phrase that names the

person, place, or thing right next to it.

A large cockroach with hairy legs, the

insect crawled across the table.

Appositive cont’d

The worst disaster area in the house,

the laundry room is a volcano of dirty

clothes.

A silent enemy, cancer is a tragic disease.

Infinitive phrase “to” + a verb (phrase)

To keep a healthy body, I go to the

gym.

To go to Harvard is her dream.

To postpone the trial is a judicious

decision.

Practice See flipchart for practice sentences.