Name_______________________________________________________________Hour______ Spice Up Your Writing
With The
10 SASSY SENTENCES
Sentence variety is necessary because it: • Makes your writing more interesting • Adds style to your writing • It will help develop your writing skills 1. Two-Adjective Beginnings
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Tall, handsome lifeguards flirt wildly with the pretty girls. Rickety and dilapidated, the old schoolhouse didn’t stand a chance in an earthquake. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with a two-­‐adjective beginning: ! Students worked on their homework. ! Students were quiet. ! Students were diligent. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with a two-­‐adjective beginning about a clown. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. “-ing” At The Beginning Or End
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Running like the wind, Forrest Gump made national headline news. Saving the best for last, Lisa finally ate her Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. He trudged along the hot desert for days wishing he had brought more water. Sandy gave the homeless man all the money she had hoping that her small act of kindness might bring him some comfort. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with an “-­‐ing” at the beginning: ! Mr. Jacobs was dancing like a crazy person. ! He was really enjoying the Ke$ha concert. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Combine these sentences to make a sentence with an “-­‐ing” at the end: ! They hoped their undying enthusiasm would spark an impressive play. ! The coaches screamed at the basketball team. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with an “-­‐ing” at the beginning about a scary house. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with an “-­‐ing” at the end about a sky diving. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. “-ly” at the beginning
Cheerfully she answered the phone for her mother. Slowly opening the door, the child tried not to wake his parent. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with an “-­‐ly” at the beginning: ! The thief left the store. ! The thief had stolen goods. ! The thief was nervous. ___________________________________________________________________________ •
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___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with an “-­‐ly” at the beginning about a terrible flood. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4. Informative Interrupters
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The fish, a slimy mass of flesh, felt the alligator’s teeth sink into him as he tried to swim away. The child, face covered with chocolate doughnut, asked his mother if he could have some milk Combine these sentences to make a sentence with an informative interrupter: ! The dog smelled awful. ! I caught the dog digging in the rancid garbage. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with an informative interrupter about an ugly dog. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. Balanced Sentences
He runs onto the baseball field, spins around second base, and looks back at the academy. • Choosing a Christmas tree, putting up Christmas lights, and baking Christmas cookies, are all included in my December traditions. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with a balanced sentence: ! I walked into the kitchen. ! I dug through the pantry. ! I ate everything that contained any chocolate. ___________________________________________________________________________ •
___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with a balanced sentence about holiday traditions. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 6. Dependent Clauses
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Because it rained, the garden party was postponed. Since the road construction is complete, Jim can make it home in only ten minutes. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with a dependent clause: ! There was a lot of noise in the cafeteria during lunch. ! The noise gave me a headache. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with a dependent clause about a sunset. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 7. Past Participle
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Alarmed by the increase in meat prices, Judith has become a vegetarian. Confused by the commotion, the child began to cry. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with a past participle. ! The term paper was revised and rewritten. ! It received an “A”. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with a past participle about a roller coaster. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 8. Use “with” at the beginning
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With the upcoming Christmas festivities, our family was super busy making cookies and trimming the tree. With a corncob pipe and a button nose, Frosty the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul. •
Combine these sentences to make a sentence using “with” at the beginning. ! Our schedule was extremely busy. ! Our class fell behind on the unit. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence using “with” at the beginning about a bad hair day. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 9. Semicolon
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*Full sentence before it
*Full sentence after it
The days were hot and dry; the nights were extremely cold. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with a semicolon. ! Call me tomorrow. ! I will give you my answer then. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with a semicolon about a grinning lama. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 10. Infinitive Phrase
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* Start the sentence with the word “To”
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To win over the tough class, the teacher offered candy for correct answers. Combine these sentences to make a sentence with an infinitive phrase. ! Sara had to finish all of her homework. ! She began working on the bus and didn’t finish until bed time. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Now you write a sentence with an infinitive phrase about a delicious dessert. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Write a “Tardy Tale” using at least eight of the ten sassy sentence types. Highlight your sassy sentences and label them in the margins. A “Tardy Tale” is a made-­‐up story about why you were late for school. Be creative! _____________________________________________________________________________________________
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