Sentence Development

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Sentence Development
Milly Grillone FAO Junior Consultant
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Some Hints

• Word Order (Subject-Verb-Direct Complement-Other
  Complements)
• Avoid Lists!!!! Transform the list into a logical
  sentence
• Sentence Structure (links through conjunctions)
• Word Choice
• Punctuation

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First Considerations

• English sentences shorter than Arabic ones
• Brackets () or slashes // Use when appropriate.
  Remember that what you write in brackets must be
  droppable without compromising the meaning of the
  sentence
• The share of agriculture in GDP is (25).

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Simple Rules

• No comma between subject and verb
• Agriculture, is one of the main component of GDP
• Subject-Verb Agreement the subject and the verb
  must agree in number, both must be singular or
  both plurals (? Arabic!)
• Syria have a comparative advantage
• The media was biased in its reporting of the
  event

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SENTENCE DEVELOPMENT

• Why would you want to develop your sentences?
• Connect Join ideas and build bridges between
  thoughts.
• Define Clarify terms that your readers may
  not understand.
• Describe Supply your readers with clear,
  vivid images which convey your meaning.
• Explain Further elaborate on ideas which need
  development.

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Techniques For Sentence Development

• Coordination - Links related ideas
• Example
• Ideas separated
• He knows that he cannot physically fight. He
  defends himself with words.
• Ideas combined
• He knows that he cannot physically fight, so he
  defends himself with words.

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Techniques For Sentence Development (2)

• Subordination - Illustrates dependency of one
  idea upon another
• Example
• Ideas separated
• The women's rights movement has improved life
  for the women of today. They are still fighting
  for equal rights.
• Ideas combined
• Although the women's rights movement has
  improved life for the women of today, they are
  still fighting for equal rights.

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Sentence Components That Can Further Develop
Ideas

• Adjective Clause - Further defines nouns or
  pronouns using the words which, that, who, whose,
  and whom.
• Example Wesley, who speaks only a few words in
  the beginning of the movie, learns the art of
  fencing and, above all, the art of rhetoric.

Adverb Clause - Further defines verbs and other
adverbs using words such as because, although,
since, even if, in order that, if, whereas,
after, before, and when. Example The little
boy groans with disgust when he opens the
present- a book.
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• Appositive - Allows more description by renaming
  nouns and pronouns.
• Example Vizzini, a small, bald-headed criminal,
  believes his intellect is above all.
• Prepositional Phrase Provides additional
  description in a sentence.
• Example As I watch the novel unfold before my
  eyes on the television screen, I imagine the
  Sophists sitting beside me.
• Example Studies show that television may affect
  children's perception of aging and increase the
  negative stereotypes of the elderly.

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• Participial Phrase Modifies sentences by
  changing words commonly used as verbs to
  adjectives.
• Example To write a well-developed sentence, one
  should try to use participial phrases.
• Example Judging Carl by the look of his
  wrinkled shirt and messy hair, Suzanne assumed he
  had been partying all night.
• Example Developed fully, the essay was
  extremely informative and enticing

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• Use of Conjunctions
• Conjunctions are those connectors we use to tie
  words, phrases, clauses or sentences
  together. Here is a list of other conjunctions
• and, but, or, when, while, since, until, after,
  before, later, because, since, as, now that, so,
  although, and though. 
• In a series of three or more terms with a single
  conjunction, use a comma after each term except
  the last one
• Syria exports chickpeas, cotton, lentils and
  olives
• Exceptions
• co-ordinate clauses,
• grammatically separated sentences,
• the presence of another and mentioned before,
  which can compromise readability.
• Women generate additional income through cottage
  industries, collect firewood and water, and
  perform household chores including the processing
  and cooking of foods.

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Pay attention to.

• THAT ? WHICH
• WHICH (separating a noun from its relative
  pronoun)
• The idea which Asma put forward was interesting
• (NOT The idea was interesting which Asma put
  forward)
• Which referring to a whole clause
• He went back to Italy a year later, which
  surprised everybody (NOT Sheep and goats
  accounted for 3 in 1989-90 and up to 8 in
  1998-99 because bella race was imported while
  awas race was exported to the Gulf countries,
  which is demanded there - where it is demanded)

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Final Suggestion.

• Learn from your own mistakes and try not to
  repeat them.