tips for adding variety to boring sentences

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Six Sassy
Sentences

• (tips for adding variety to boring sentences)

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Why use variety in your sentences?

• Sentence variety is necessary for a number of
  reasons

Sentence variety makes your writing more
interesting to read!
Sentence variety adds style to your writing!
Sentence variety will help develop your writing
skills!
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Six Sassy Sentence types

• 1. Two-adjective beginnings
• 2. -ing at beginning or end
• 3. -ly beginnings
• 4. Informative interrupters (appositives)
• 5. Balanced sentences
• 6. Dependent clauses

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1. Two-Adjective Beginnings

• Tall, handsome lifeguards flirt wildly with the
  pretty girls.
• Rickety and dilapidated, the old schoolhouse
  didnt stand a chance in an earthquake.

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A. Combine these sentences into a Two-adj
sentence

• The startled jury braced to hear more of the
  witnesss testimony.
• The jury was amazed.
• The jury was perplexed.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Amazed and perplexed, the startled jury braced to
  hear more of the witnesss testimony.

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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.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Open and airy, the courtyard looked out over
  rolling hills of vineyards.

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• WARNING --
• What is wrong with this sentence?
• Tall and majestic, is how I would describe the
  palm trees that line Santa Margarita Parkway.

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• This is better
• Tall, majestic palm trees line Santa Margarita
  Parkway.

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• WARNING --
• What is wrong with this sentence?
• Friendly and helpful are my neighbors.

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• This is better
• Friendly and helpful, my neighbors invited us to
  a block party the very week we moved in.

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• WARNING --
• What is wrong with this sentence?
• Rude and furious, there were gang members roaming
  the streets.

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• This is better
• Rude and furious, gang members roamed the
  streets.

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Now you try
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2. -ing at beginning

• Running like the wind, Forrest Gump made national
  headline news.
• Saving the best for last, Lisa finally ate her
  Reeses peanut butter cup.

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A. Combine these sentences into an ing beg.
sentence

• Annie took her daughters hand.
• She entered the gates of Disneyland.
• She was smiling as she did this.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Smiling, Annie took her daughters hand and
  entered the gates of Disneyland.

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• Heres another possibility
• Entering the gates of Disneyland, Annie smiled
  and took her daughters hand.

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B. Combine these sentences into an ing beg.
sentence

• He realized he could change direction at any
  time.
• He realized this after thinking about it for a
  moment.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Thinking about it for a moment, he realized he
  could change direction at any time.

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Now you try
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-ing at end

• He trudged along the hot desert for days, wishing
  he had brought more water.
• Sandy gave the homeless man all the money she
  had, hoping that her small act of kindness might
  bring him some comfort.

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A. Combine these sentences into an ing end
sentence

• Harriet made her way to the back yard.
• She was following the strange man she had seen at
  the gate.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Harriet made her way to the back yard, following
  the strange man she had seen at the gate.

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Now you try
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3. -ly at beginning

• Cheerfully, she answered the phone for her
  mother.
• Slowly opening the door, the servant tried not to
  wake his master.

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A. Combine these sentences into an ly at the
beginning

• The nanny placed the sleeping child in the crib.
• She did this gently.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Gently, the nanny placed the sleeping child in
  the crib.

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B. Combine these sentences into an ly at the
beginning

• The dugout canoe would last for generations.
• It was strongly made and heavily built.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Strongly made and heavily built, the dugout canoe
  would last for generations.

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Now you try
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4. Informative Interrupters

• The fish, a slimy mass of flesh, felt the
  alligators giant teeth sink into him as he
  struggled to swim away.
• The child, face covered with chocolate doughnut,
  asked his mother if he could have some milk.

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A. Combine these sentences into Informative
Interrupters

• Our rustic log cabin is miles from the nearest
  paved road.
• It is nestled up a winding canyon.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Our rustic log cabin, nestled up a winding
  canyon, is miles from the nearest paved road.

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B. Combine these sentences into Informative
Interrupters

• A knock on the door brings Nicky to her feet.
• Nicky is our dog.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• A knock on the door brings Nicky, our dog, to her
  feet.

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Now you try
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5. Balanced Sentences

• He runs onto the baseball field, spins around
  second base, and looks back at the academy.
• Choosing a Christmas tree, putting up Christmas
  lights, and baking Christmas cookies are all
  included in my December traditions.

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A. Combine these sentences into Balanced
Sentences

• I spent hours feeding him.
• I spent hours playing with him.
• I spent hours observing him.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• I spent hours feeding him, playing with him, and
  observing him.

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B. Combine these sentences into Balanced
Sentences

• Hampton Court by moonlight looked ancient.
• Hampton Court by moonlight looked villainous.
• Hampton Court by moonlight looked secret.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Hampton Court by moonlight looked ancient,
  villainous and secret.

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Now you try
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6. Dependent Clauses

• Because it rained, the garden party was
  postponed.
• Since the road construction is complete, Jim can
  make it home in only ten minutes.

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A. Combine these sentences into Dependent Clauses

• I blew gently into Buffys face to watch his nose
  twitch.
• I did this with candy in my mouth.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• With candy in my mouth, I blew gently in Buffys
  face to watch his nose twitch.

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B. Combine these sentences into Dependent Clauses

• Buffys play was very humanlike.
• His play was humanlike because his muscle
  structure and coordination resembled that of a
  human.

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• What does your sentence look like?

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• Heres a possibility
• Because his muscle structure and coordination
  resembled that of a human, Buffys play was very
  humanlike.

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Now you try
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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