Directions: Review the key points about sentence variety below. Then complete the practice exercises on the following pages. SENTENCE VARIETY Simple sentences contain just one independent clause. An independent clause is part of a sentence that can stand alone. It has a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought.Simple sentences serve a purpose. They state their meaning clearly, and using a series of them can build tension or emphasize an important point.○ EXAMPLE: The intruder came in the door. He peered around the corner. The family was watching television. He stepped quietly into the room.However, too many simple sentences can make your writing choppy and uninteresting to read.Using a variety of sentence types makes your writing more interesting and helps create better “flow.”If your sentences are all short, your writing will be boring. If they are all long, it will be difficult to follow. Good writers use a mixture of simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences in their writing.
