Techniques to Make Your Writing More Sophisticated. Once you understand sentence structures or clauses (simple, compound
Techniques to Make Your Writing More Sophisticated Once you understand sentence structures or clauses (simple, compound, complex, and compound/complex- they have subject and verb)… 1. Add out of order adjectives to the simple sentence. S V Ex. Red and round, the ball bounced down the hall. 2. Add an introductory adverb to the simple sentence. S V Ex. Slowly, the boy crept outside. 3. Then you add phrases (no subject and verb). Start simple by adding an introductory prepositional phrase. S HV AV Ex. During the storm, the children were huddled under the stairs. 4. Then add an introductory participle phrase (looks like verb with –ing, -ed, -n, -t endings, but act like adjective) to the simple sentence (one independent clause which has a subject and verb). S V Ex. Dancing in the storm, the girls bolted out the door to meet their father. 5. Add back-to-back participle phrases. Ex. “Yes, he’s in the living room watching TV,” mom responded, heading back to the kitchen, chopping something in the background. Ex. Engaged to the handsomest man, adored by her family, and living in a beautiful home, she could not have imagined that everything could be taken away from her in an instant. 6. Add participle phrase to dialogue. Ex. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop. Hand me one of those mirrors,” Yvonne gasped, trying to catch her breath from laughing. 7. Add an introductory participles to the simple sentence. S V Ex. Clunking and chugging, the car sputtered down the road. 8 Now add an appositive phrase in the middle of the clause (or simple sentence). S V Ex. Mrs. Smith, a seventh grade teacher, loves to read books. 9. Use an introductory infinitive phrase in your sentence or independent clause. S HV AV Ex. To drive safely, you must take lessons.
10. Use gerund phrases as the subject of the sentence. S V Ex. Reading books is my favorite thing to do. 11. Use a gerund phrase as the object of the preposition (OOP) in the sentence. P OOP Ex. The teacher loves discussing characters in reading. 12. Use a gerund phrase as the predicate noun (verb side) in the sentence. S V Ex. Many people consider farming the hardest job. 13. Use a gerund phrase as the direct object in the sentence. S V Ex. The child loves reading books. Take the verb “loves” and ask “loves what”? reading books answers it, so it is the direct object.
