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Writing Good Sentences

A good sentence can be thought of as something that answers some or all of the following questions:
Who? What? Why? When? Where?
Take a look at the role answering each of these questions plays:
Who? - Subject -> Who performs / performed / will perform an action (can also be things)
What? - Verb -> Which action
Why? -> Reason -> Phrase explaining the reason for the action
When? -> Time -> When the action happens / happened / will happen
Where? -> The place -> Where the action happens / happened / will happen

It's important to note that each sentence must contain at least who and what, but can also include why, when and
where.
Keep the order of who, what, why, when and where when using the sentences worksheets even when not using
all five categories and you'll always write a perfect sentence!
Sentences - Practice
Take one entry from who and what and add other elements (in the same order) to create well-formed
English sentences. Not all combinations make sense or are grammatically correct. Try writing down the
five categories and creating your own sentences worksheets. Notice that all verbs are in the past tense on
this practice sentence worksheet. You can create sentences worksheets using any variety of tenses.
Keep the same order and you will always create well-formed sentences using this sentences worksheets
exercise.

Who

What

Why

When

Where

My dog

runs away

for a raise

on Saturdays

in the arena

A business person

sings

about a job

today

on the coast

The school
principal

Asks

to ask some
questions

this morning

in the suburbs

Every year

in Chicago

everyday

at work

Every week

?...

telephones
Lady Gaga

for an hour
?...

Jennifer

from our home

?...

?...
?...

Examples:
My dog ran away from our home on Wednesday. The school principal telephoned to ask some questions.
Lady Gaga sang for an hour in the arena. Jennifer asked for a raise two years ago in Chicago.

Writing your First Sentences in English


(you may skip this if you feel comfortable with writing sentences)
Here is a step by step guide to writing your first sentences in English. Follow
each step and your sentence will go from simple to complex. Follow these
steps to learn how to write three types of simple sentences and learn about
parts of speech.
Understand what subjects and verbs are.
Sentence 1
Write down a subject and the verb to 'be'. Here are your possibilities:

I am
You are (1 person)
She is
He is
It is
We are
You are (2 or more people)
They are
you can also use names:
Tom is
Anna and Susan are
Mary is

Choose an adjective. Adjectives are words that describe how something or


someone is. Here are some adjectives:

big / small
fat / thin
old / new
old / young
easy / difficult
beautiful / ugly
handsome / ugly
fast / slow
funny / boring
interesting / boring
tall / short
intelligent / stupid

Combine your subject with 'to be' with an adjective to write your first
complete sentence! Here are some examples:

I am old.
You are young.
She beautiful.
He is thin.
It is new.
We are tall.
You are intelligent.
They are fast.
Sentence 2
Write down a subject and the verb 'to be' as you did above.

I am
You are (1 person)
She is
He is
It is
We are
You are (2 or more people)
They are

Choose a noun. Nouns are objects, people, places, jobs at work - in other
words the things we find in the world. Let's begin with what people are.
People can be:

doctor
student
banker
teacher
lawyer

Combine the subject and 'to be' with the noun. Place 'a' before the noun
when it is one person. Use 's' at the end of the word if there are two people
or more.

I am a teacher.
You are a student.
He is a lawyer.
She is a doctor.
We are teachers.
You are students.
They are doctors.

For things, you can use other nouns. Remember to place 'a' before the noun
if it is one, or add 's' if there are more than one.
It is a book.

It is a computer.
It is a house.
They are cars.
They are bikes.
They are candles.
Congratulations! Now you can write two types of sentences. Let's review:

I am tall. I am a student.
You are funny. You are a teacher.
He is fat. He is a banker.
It is difficult. It is a test.
She is beautiful. She is a student.
We are intelligent. We are students.
You are young. You are lawyers.
They are thin. They are doctors.
They are expensive. They are cars.

Sentence 3
Combine the two sentences to make a third type of sentence. It's easy! Take
the adjective and place it before the noun after 'a'. Now you have a third
type of sentence. Let's use the sentences from before:
I am tall. I am a student. -> I am a tall student.
You are funny. You are a teacher. -> You are a funny teacher.
He is fat. He is a banker. -> He is a fat banker.
It is difficult. It is a test. -> It is a difficult test.
She is beautiful. She is a student. -> She is a beautiful student.
We are intelligent. We are students. -> We are intelligent
students.
You are young. You are lawyers. -> You are young lawyers.
They are thin. They are doctors. -> They are thin doctors.
They are expensive. They are cars. -> They are expensive cars.
Congratulations on completing the first step to writing sentences in English.
Next, learn how to use verbs such as play, go, cook, eat, sleep, work, and
more.

The Four kinds of Sentences in English


There are four sentence types in English: Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative
and Exclamatory.

Declarative: Tom'll come to the meeting

Imperative: Turn to page 232 in your

Interrogative: Where do you live?


Exclamatory: That's awesome!

tomorrow.
science book.

1.

Declarative

A declarative sentence "declares" or states a fact, arrangement or opinion.


Declarative sentences can be either positive or negative. A declarative
sentences ends with a period (.).
I'll meet you at the train station.
The sun rises in the East.
He doesn't get up early.

2. Imperative
The imperative form instructs (or sometimes requests). The imperative takes
no subject as 'you' is the implied subject. The imperative form ends with either
a period (.) or an exclamation point (!).
Open the door.
Finish your homework
Pick up that mess.

3. Interrogative
The interrogative asks a question. In the interrogative form the auxiliary verb
precedes the subject which is then followed by the main verb (i.e., Are you
coming ....?).
The interrogative form ends with a question mark (?).

How long have you lived in France?


When does the bus leave?
Do you enjoy listening to classical music?

4. Exclamatory
The exclamatory form emphasizes a statement (either declarative or
imperative) with an exclamation point (!).

Hurry up!
That sounds fantastic!
I can't believe you said that!

Main Sentence Structures in English


Writing in English begins with the sentence. Sentences are then combined into
paragraphs. Finally, paragraphs are used to write longer structures such as essays,
business reports, etc. The first sentence structure is the most common:

1. Simple Sentences
Simple sentences contain no conjunction (i.e., and, but, or, etc.).
Frank ate his dinner quickly.
Peter and Sue visited the
museum last Saturday.
Are you coming to the party?

2. Compound Sentences
Compound sentences contain two statements that are connected by a
conjunction (i.e., and, but, or, etc.). Practice writing compound
sentences with this compound sentence writing exercise.
I wanted to come, but it was
late.
The company had an
excellent year, so they gave everyone a bonus.
I went shopping, and my wife
went to her classes.

3. Complex Sentences (we will not be studying these


sentences this semester)
Complex sentences contain a dependent clause and at least one
independent clause. The two clauses are connected by a subordinator
(i.e, which, who, although, despite, if, since, etc.).
My daughter, who was late
for class, arrived shortly after the bell rang.
That's the man who bought
our house
Although it was difficult, the
class passed the test with excellent marks.

Practice with Compound Sentences


There are three types of sentences in English: Simple, compound and
complex sentences. Compound Sentences - What are They?
Compound sentences are made up of two simple sentences connected by a
coordinating conjunction. These conjunctions are also known as FANBOYS:
F - For
A - And
N - Nor
B - But
O - Or
Y - Yet
S - So
Here are some example compound sentences:
Tom arrived home. Then, he ate dinner. -> Tom arrived home,
and ate dinner.
We studied many hours for the test. We didn't pass the test. ->
We studied many hours for the test, but we didn't pass it.
Peter doesn't need to buy a new car.
He also doesn't need to go on vacation. -> Peter doesn't need to
buy a new car, nor does he need to go on vacation.

Conjunction Use in Compound Sentences


Conjunctions are used for different purposes in sentences. A comma is
always placed before the conjunction. Here are the main uses of the
FANBOYS:
1.

Addition / Next Action: use and


addition -> Tom enjoys playing tennis,
and he likes cooking.
next action -> We drove home, and we
went to bed.

2. Opposition - Unexpected Results: use but / yet

We wanted to visit our friends, but we didn't have


enough money to get a flight.

Janet did very well on her job interview, yet she


didn't get the position.
3. Cause / Effect: use for / so
cause -> Mary needed some new clothing, so she went
shopping.
effect -> They stayed home for the holiday, for they had to
work.
4. Choice Between Two: use or
We thought we might go to see a film, or we might have
dinner out.
Angela said she might buy him a watch, or she might give
him a gift certificate.
5. Not One nor the Other: use nor
We won't be able to visit our friends, nor will they be able
to visit us this summer.
Sharon isn't going to the conference, nor is she going to
present there.
NOTE: Notice how when using 'nor' the sentence structure is inverted. In
other words, after 'nor' place the helping verb before the subject.

Compound Sentence Worksheet


Use FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to write one compound sentence
using the two simple sentences.
1. Peter drove to visit his friend. They went out for dinner.
2. Mary thinks she should go to school. She wants to get
qualifications for a new profession.
3. Alan invested a lot of money in the business. The business went
bankrupt.
4. Doug didn't understand the homework assignment. He asked the
teacher for help.
5. The students didn't prepare for the test. They didn't realize how
important the test was.
6. Susan thinks she should stay home and relax. She also thinks
she should go on vacation.

7. The doctors looked at the x-rays. They decided to operate on the


patient.
8. We went out on the town. We came home late.
9. Jack flew to London to visit his Uncle. He also wanted to visit the
National Museum.
10. It is raining. It is very cold.
11. Henry studied very hard for the test. He passed with high marks.
12. I would like to play tennis today. If I don't play tennis, I would like
to play golf.
13. We needed some food for the week. We went to the
supermarket.
14. Tom asked his teacher for help. He also asked his parents for
help.
15. Janet doesn't like sushi. She doesn't like any kind of fish.

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