Sentence Style and Syntax
Revise sentence rhythm, emphasis, coordination, subordination, parallelism, and punctuation for precision and mature style.
A lesson of English 11, in College Readiness, Voice, and Revision, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify and write sophisticated sentence structures, use subordination and coordination purposefully, and develop a more intentional prose style.
What Distinguishes Sophisticated Prose
Sophisticated prose is not complicated — it is precise and flexible. It uses the full range of English sentence structures to match form to content.
The most recognizable feature of student writing: monotony — similar sentence lengths, similar structures, similar rhythms. Developing as a writer means developing range.
Four Advanced Sentence Strategies
1. The Absolute Phrase
An absolute phrase modifies the entire sentence. It is grammatically independent of the main clause (not connected by a subordinating conjunction).
"Hands clasped, eyes down, she walked into the room."
"The argument complete, the room fell silent."
Absolute phrases create a cinematic quality — a separate image that accompanies the main action.
2. The Appositive
An appositive renames or amplifies the preceding noun. It adds information without a full clause.
"Langston Hughes, the poet who integrated jazz rhythms into American verse, transformed what a poem could sound like."
Appositives are especially useful for integrating background information without disrupting the flow.
3. Syntactic Delay
Delaying the main clause creates suspense and emphasis.
"That the poem would have this effect — that a seven-line lyric from 1959 would still be taught in high school English classrooms sixty years later — is itself a testimony to Brooks's achievement."
The delayed main clause ("is itself a testimony") lands with more force for having been made to wait.
4. Anaphora
Anaphora is the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.
"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields..." — Churchill
In analytical prose, anaphora can create rhetorical force and emphasize parallel points.
The Grammar of Emphasis
Emphasis through placement: the most emphatic position in a sentence is the end. The second most emphatic is the beginning. The middle is weakest.
Emphasis through isolation: a short sentence after long ones; a sentence fragment for a single idea.
"The argument is not complicated. It is devastating."
Emphasis through repetition: saying something twice signals its importance.