Sentence Variety
Using a variety of sentence structures and lengths will make your writing more interesting and
readable.
Gramatical Variet'l
A Simple Sentence is 1 independent clause and no dependent clause.
The ocean is a brilliant blue today . I like slow, head high, clean, peeling lefts with a slight
offshore breeze.
A Compound Sentence has 2 or more independent clauses joined by a comma and a
conjunction (and but, or, nor , for, so, yet).
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I went to the beach, and I surfed.
A Complex Sentence is 1 independent clause and at least 1 dependent clause.
I like to sUlf when the beach is empty. When the water is crowded, I lose my focus. ·
* insert a comma when the dependent clause comes first.
Variety in Sentence Length
. To edit for variety in sentence length
• Underline the longest and shortest sentence in each paragraph. If the difference
between the longest and shortest sentence is small, try revising the paragraph.
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If many sentences have fewer than 10 words, consider if any of them need more detail
or should be combined with other sentences.
The ocean is a brilliant blue today. I like slow waves. I like head high waves. I like
peeling lefts. I surfed. The beach was empty . I like to surf when the beach is empty.
I surfed today. The slow, head high, clean peeling lefts were a brilliant blue against the empty beach. It was perfect