Basic Sentence Structures And Samples

Using the four basic sentence structures in a written work is very important, first as a means of clarity of expression, and second as a means of adding dimension and variety to a written work. For instance, using only simple sentences such as “The woman eats everything she sees. ” will not give continuity to a written work, and will make the work sound and look like an enumeration of things, just a list of everything with nothing to link each of these together.

On the outset, it will make the written work ambiguous or difficult to understand. There should be a variety of sentences in a written work, so noticeably, if for instance, the above sentence is followed by a compound sentence like, “She eats everything but she also chooses what to eat based on her mood. ” the above simple sentence acquires another dimension and thus, more clarity.

Now if to these two sentences another sentence is added, a complex sentence, like, “She opens her mouth every time something edible is in sight until the item is too big for her mouth. ” the idea expressed in the first two sentences becomes even clearer, hence, the function of clarity; and with the introduction of new ideas in the third sentence, more variety is achieved. Finally, with the addition of a compound-complex sentence, such as, “When she is full, the woman’s stomach distends immensely, and she stops eating.
” the ideas come full circle and maximum clarity is achieved. The above sentences may therefore be written as follows. “The woman eats everything she sees. She eats everything but she also chooses what to eat based on her mood. She opens her mouth every time something edible is in sight until the item is too big for her mouth. When she is full, the woman’s stomach distends immensely, and she stops eating. ”