Writing Good Sentences

Mastering Language Arts

Linda Turrell

• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781647011154
• eBook ISBN: 9781647011161
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Teaching Languages

Why read this book? This book walks you through the ten writing skills needed to master the art of writing good sentences. Whether it is the skill of crafting clear, logical, coherent, or vivid sentences, you will expand your skills. No matter where your experiences lead, you will have these skills:

1.Sentences types--simple, compound, and complex

2.Sentences--run-on and fragment

3.Sentence types--infinitive, participle, and appositive

4.Sentences--declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory

5.Sentence word choice--choosing vivid words

6.Sentence logic--understanding cause and effect

7.Sharpening sentences

8.Expanding sentence meaning through description

9.Expanding sentence meaning using nouns

10.Expanding sentence meaning--using verbs

The ten steps explored in this book explain the process by examples, exercises, and reproducibles. These lessons will show you HOW to MASTER this skill.

It can be used both inside and outside the classroom by students and independent learners. The clear explanatory material is followed by reproducible activities that will help bring writing mastery. An answer key is included. This book is volume four of the MASTERING LANGUAGE ARTS SERIES. Volume one, WRITING GOOD STORIES, volume 2, EVERYDAY WRITING, and volume three, MASTERING PUNCTUATION, are companion books in the series.

This unique approach will help beginner writers, as well as writers who want to work on specific writing skills. This book is written by an award-winning instructor who has taught how to master many types of writing over the course of thirty years. She has published twenty-three books and fifteen professional articles, has been a state conference speaker, columnist, consultant, and instructional review columnist, and has served as a national judge for instructional media. And she is the holder of the TEXTY award given nationally for excellence in instructional writing. She was one of three in her category, and that series has been in print for twenty-three years used in classrooms across the nation. Linda G. Turrell has ten instructional books in two languages in 311 libraries worldwide.

Chapter 10

Expanding Sentences Using Verbs

Writing descriptive sentences using verbs.

Writing descriptive paragraphs requires many skills. Using verbs well is one of the skills in writing sentences. Verbs are words that describe action. When you choose verbs to describe, choose the word that gives the clearest picture. Let’s say you are describing singing.

Look at these descriptions: humming, singing, and bellowing a tune.

Which description tells you that the words are sung softly?

Humming describes soft singing. Bellowing describes loud singing. Singing really does not tell you anything about how the words are sung.

It is important to choose words that tell you the reader what you mean. Would you say the little girl bellowed the tune? Maybe, she hummed the tune. Or did she sing but sing softly? Now you are using an adverb. The adverb describes the verb. It gives a clearer picture. You may use adverbs to sharpen the meaning of the verb.

Let’s look at these words again. Humming constantly is a sharper picture than just using the word humming. Singing sweetly gives the reader an even clearer picture than using the word singing. Bellowing a tune sharply tells you even more.

Chapter 10—Expanding Sentences Using Verbs

Writing descriptive sentences using verbs

Choose your verbs carefully! Read each sentence. Choose a word from the list to replace the verb and adverb in each sentence.

Choose from these words.

grinned strolled worked hopped

scrawled crammed laughed skipped

whispered scribbled cried yelled

snapped stared studied

1. The writer wrote sloppily.
2. The student talked softly.
3. The student smiled sli...

Table of contents

• Sentence Types—Simple, Compound, Complex
• Sentence Run-Ons and Fragments
• Sentence Types—Infinitives, Participles, and Appositive Phrases
• Sentences—Declarative, Interrogative, Imperative, and Exclamatory
• Choosing Vivid Words for Sentences
• Writing Logical Sentences—Understanding Cause and Effect
• Sharpening Your Sentences
• Expanding Sentence Meaning through Description
• Expanding Sentences through Nouns
• Expanding Sentences Using Verbs