The Sunday News
How can we develop simple sentences to add detail and description? Simple sentences consist of one main clause giving you one key piece of information.
They contain one verb: a boy came. Boy is a noun and came is a verb. Writers can use lots of different ways to add detail and description to a simple sentence. They can choose interesting, descriptive nouns.
A figure came. Figure is a noun. Came is a verb. They can add adjectives and prepositional phrases to expand the noun phrase and tell the reader what something or someone is like. A short figure in army greatcoat came. “A short figure in an army greatcoat.” This is an expanded noun phrase. Short is an adjective. Figure is a noun. In an army great coat is a prepositional phrase.
Came obviously is a verb.
You can add adverbs and adverbials to tell the reader when, where, or how something happens. A short figure in an army greatcoat came into office.
Short is an adjective, Figure is a noun, in an army greatcoat is a prepositional phrase. Came is a verb and into the office is an adverbial phrase of place.
Look again at the sentence we have been using as an example here: A shot figure in an army greatcoat came into the office.
Try changing the writer’s choices: Think of a noun to replace ‘figure’. Think of a verb to replace ‘came”. Think of an adjective to replace ‘short’.
Think of a prepositional phrase to replace ‘in army greatcoat’ Think of an adverb or adverbial phrase to replace ‘into the office’. Better writers do not overload their sentences with description
They often use simple sentences, constructed with carefully selected detail and language choices, but do not overload their sentences with description.
How can you structure your sentences for effect? Short sentences can be used to create tension or a moment of dramatic impact. For example: Something wasn’t right.
Coordinate clauses can convey lots of information or a series of events. For example: The runner laid down a brown, canvas bag on the bottom of the step and stood back.
Using the coordinating conjunction “and” conveys a sense of pace, of events moving quickly, adding tension to the scene. Subordinate clauses can add detail or give information about two events happening at the same time.
Then the unpainted wall smashed into his face, flattening the curved nose into a formless pulp. Subordinate clauses can be positioned to delay dramatic moments in your story, giving more emphasis and impact. Gibson began to move along the wall, furtive, like a lizard edging towards the freedom of the night.
“-edging towards the freedom of the night”. Through this the writer delays and emphasises the drama and tension of Gibson “edging towards the freedom of the night”, by positioning it at the end of the sentence. Better writers craft their sentences carefully. They think about the length of their sentences, and the impact each one will have on the reader, whether it is to convey information, to emphasise a particular point or to increase the pace, tension or drama of their story.
Using minor sentences. The question you might ask yourself is – How can I use minor sentences to give a sense of pace and urgency? Minor sentences are a type of sentence that does not contain a main verb. They may contain no verb at all, or they may contain a non-finite verb. A non-finite verb may be:
A present participle ending in “-ing”, such as ‘sleeping” or “running”. A past participle ending in “-ed”, such as killed or watched (there are, however, irregular past participles such as slept or ran. An infinitive, the basic form of a verb, which begins with to, such as to be or to spy. Better writers do not overload their writing with minor sentences. They add them to the variety of simple, compound and complex sentences to give their writing pace and energy.
Understand how to start sentences in a range of ways to create variety, pace, drama or emphasis in your writing. You can start a sentence with a determiner. For example: a, an, the, my, your, his, her, our, and their. A pronoun, for instance: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. At times you can start with an adverb or adverbial phrase. An adverb or adverbial phrase of (manner) for example quickly.
An adverb or adverbial phrase of time (when). For example, occasionally, every evening, that night. An adverb or adverbial phrase of place (where). For example, beneath the floorboards, above his head. A non-finite verb, for example, running, crawling, and cracked. An adjective, for example, slow, huge, and violent. An adjective, for example, slow,huge and violent.
A subordinating or coordinating conjunction, for example, if, although, as, but and.
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