What is a Sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that makes sense on its own. It must have a
verb, it must start with a capital letter and it must end with a full stop,
exclamation mark or question mark.
Simple Sentences
Use a capital letter to start and a full stop to
end.
The boy ate his sandwich.
The man was happy.
The cow jumped over the moon.
ABS Sentences
Use the connectives and, but, so
List Sentences
Use more than one adjective in a list. Don’t use
too many!
Same Letter Sentences
Use two adjectives which begin with the same
letter.
Jack bought some big, juicy apples.
She had a cold, cruel, cackling cackle.
It was a cold, wet, miserable and misty
morning.
It was a cold, cloudy, wild and windy day.
Double A Sentences
Use two adjectives before a noun and two more
to describe a related noun.
He was a cold, cruel man.
It was a steamy, sweaty day.
It was a busy, bustling market.
He was a strict, horrible teacher with a
fierce, violent temper.
I walked home and I opened the door.
I ran to the station but it was too late.
I cut my finger so I put on a plaster.
Simile Sentences
Use as or like to compare with something.
The moon hung above us like a pale white face
Although it was August it was as cold as a late
December evening.
It was an old, derelict house with a wild,
overgrown garden.
The huge, green tractor ploughed the muddy,
wet field.
Many Questions Sentences
A question with a list of nouns as questions for
effect.
Where is the treasure? The diamonds? The
gold? The rubies?
Who were those people? Those boys? Those
strange men?
Short Sentences
To create tension. Use next to long, list
sentences for effect.
Repeated Word Sentences
Repeats one word for effect.
Thud, Thud, Thud.
Add-a-word/Change a Word Sentences
(Upleveling)
Change or add words to sentences to give more
He peered through the cracked, stained
window. He screamed.
Everything failed.
Oh no!
Stop… s … stop!
detail.
John walked strolled slowly down the long,
winding road to see his best friend Paul and get
buy some delicious sweets.
-ly Sentences
Start a sentence with an adverb
Double –ly ending sentences
The sentence ends with two adverbs.
Carefully, she put the baby into the cot.
Cautiously, she tiptoed in to the dark, dimly lit
corridor.
He rode swiftly and determinedly.
He wrote slowly and carefully.
3ed Sentences
Sentences that begin with three related
adjectives ending in –ed, followed by commas.
BOYS Sentences
Two part sentences: first part ends with a
comma; second part begins with one of the
connectives: but, or, yet, so.
Frightened, terrified, exhausted, they ran
from the creature.
Confused, troubled, worried, she didn’t know
what had happened.
The teacher was happy, but the children were
not.
He could arrive late, or he could arrive on time.
It was cold, yet he was still sweating.
It was a lovely day, so he went for a run.
Noun First Sentences
Noun at the start of a sentence, followed by a
comma than add when, which, who or where as
an embedded clause. End the embedded clause
with another comma before adding the rest of
the sentence.
Cakes, which taste fantastic, are not so good
for your health.
My mother, who was born in 1944, looks very
young for her age.
The garage, where he had his car repaired,
has been closed down.
Verb, Person Sentences
Start with a verb followed by a comma then the
name of a person (or a personal pronoun)
followed by the rest of the sentence.
Flying, John had always been afraid of it.
Falling, he knew he should have checked his
parachute.
Extend by using a clause to begin instead of
just a verb:
Flying over the city, Superman could see the
lights of the cars below.
If, if, if, then Sentences
Use to start or end a story or as part of a
persuasive text. Three clauses beginning with if
separated by commas.
If the alarm had gone off, if the bus had been
in time, if the road repairs had been
completed, then his life would not have been
destroyed.
If I hadn’t found that watch, if the alarm
hadn’t gone off, if it hadn’t scared those
burglars, then I wouldn’t be sitting here today.
The more, the more Sentences
The first more should be followed by an
emotion and the second more should be
followed by a related action.
The more upset she was, the more her tears
flowed.
The more angry he became, the more he
hammered his fist on the table.
Repeated Adjective Sentences
Use two identical adjectives, one repeated for
effect, straight after the other.
The hills were dark, dark because the storm
clouds had covered the sun completely.
Leo was a terrible monster, terrible because he
could not scare anyone.
Outside/Inside Sentences
Shows a character’s true feelings.
He smiled, shook the man’s hand and greeted
him warmly (Inside, however, he was more
terrified than he had ever been).
Emotion word, (comma)
Begin the sentence with an adjective which
describes an emotion, followed by a comma. The
rest of the sentence describes actions related
to the opening adjective.
Desperate, she screamed for help.
Terrified, he froze instantly on the spot where
he stood.
Extend to use more than one adjective:
Exhausted and worried, he stumbled away.
Personification Sentences
Give objects human characteristics.
The rain wept down the window.
The wind screamed through the branches.
The breeze whispered through the branches.
The waves threatened the tiny boat
Irony Sentences
Deliberately exaggerates how good or bad
something is. Really useful for persuasive
writing or in narrative.
The “trip of our dreams” was, in fact, our
worst nightmare.
The council’s “support” was nothing of the kind.
3 bad _(dash) Question Sentences
Sentence begins with three negative words. The
third is followed by a dash then a question
which relates to the negative adjectives.
Greed, jealousy, hatred – which of these was
John Brown’s worst trait?
Thirst, heatstroke, exhaustion – which would
kill him first?
Some; others Sentences
Compound sentences which begin with the word
some and have a semi-colon rather than a
connective to join the two parts of the
sentence together.
Some people love football; others just can’t
stand it.
Some days are full of enjoyment; others begin
and end terribly.
Imagine 3 examples:
Sentences begin with the word imagine and
then describe three aspects of something
(often times or places). The first two are
separated by commas and the third concludes
with a colon. The writer then explains that such
a time or place exists.
Imagine a time when people were not afraid,
when life was much simpler, when everyone
helped each other: this is the story of that
time.
Imagine a place where the sun always shines,
where wars never happen, where no-one ever
dies: in the Andromeda 5 system, there is such
a planet.
De: De Sentences
Description: Details. Two independent clauses
separated by a colon. Focus on What? When?
Where? Why? How?
The vampire is a dreadful creature: it kills by
sucking all the blood from its victims.
Snails are slow: they take hours to cross the
shortest of distances.
I was exhausted: I hadn’t slept for more than
two days.
Complex Sentences using Connectives as
Openers
This forces the author to write subordinate
clauses. A comma marks the end of the
subordinate clause.
If I don’t get all my spellings right, I will not
get a merit.
While I was sleeping, my son went shopping
with his dad.
Although my car broke down, I still managed to
get to work.
Since he passed his driving test, he was able to
drive to work.
Because I fell over, I cut my elbow really badly.
While the children were playing happily in the
garden, the parents were busy preparing dinner.