Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sentence-structure]

This tag should be used for questions about structuring your sentences in certain genres or for certain characters in your writing.

This tag should be used for questions about structuring your sentences in certain genres or for certain characters in your writing. You should use this tag together with other tags that describe what you are trying to achieve, such as , or . You may also want to think about the specific words you use in your sentences, leading to the usage of tags such as , or .

80 questions
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Why does variety in sentence length and structure feel engaging?

An obvious answer might be "because people like variety", but this doesn't feel right. If this was the case, why doesn't using a different font family (or color) for each word feel engaging? What is it about us humans that makes us attracted to this…
Emanuil Rusev
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4 answers

Starting a sentence with well. Does my sentence need to be changed?

I had a colleague today point out that the use of well in the following sentence is a typo. I think it makes sense but now I'm second guessing myself. Is this correct? If not, what would be a better way to say this: Well these rules have been in…
Blizzardengle
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5 answers

How to construct quality long sentences?

I want to construct long sentences, for fiction. I do use subordinate conjunctions and coordinate conjunctions, and I also understand different kind of phrases, and grammatical rules. But I still struggle to string the phrases and clauses together…
karthik
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Is there a rule against chopped sentences?

I'm beta reading a book with a lot of chopped sentences. I understand that this writer would like to make their sentences short and punchy. But it is disturbing when sentences are either lacking in a subject, object or verb. Here are a few…
user191110
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4 answers

Is it good to add 'I believe' at the beginning of the sentence?

I believe that people should eat apples. or, People should eat apples. Which one is best, or when to use which? Is it good to say 'I believe' or 'We believe' in public speaking or public statement? Another example: We believe that every user…
AMahdy
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3
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1 answer

"still could" vs "could still"

I am reading a novel and a sentence kind of popped out at me, so of course, the first thing I thought of was to come here and ask... What I would say out loud, and most likely write, if I were writing a story: "He could still feel a permanent…
CGCampbell
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3
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3 answers

How do you write long, nonconvoluted sentences?

Sometimes, when I show others a long sentence I have written, I am told it is convoluted due to the chaining of dependent clauses. Is there a way to keep tacking on modifiers and dependent clauses to a sentence without making it convoluted? In…
garbia
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Is it good to write long sentences with "and" like Hemingway?

When you read Hemingway, for example, the first thing you notice is that he uses the conjunction and a lot, and he is fond of long sentences! If I didn't know it's Hemingway, I would probably think it's wrong. Because you usually don't see it in the…
BM of Spadana
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1 answer

Subtle Difference in Sentence Structure

"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrel. He grasped Harry's hand. V.S. "P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrel, grasping Harry's hand. In the first sentence, it feels as though Professor Quirrel waits for a second or two after talking to grasp…
austingae
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How to write a note to the teacher?

How can write a note to the teacher informing her that my child needs to leave at 2:45 ( when the second bus load of students leave) on Wednesdays instead of her regular time 2:35 pm? She needs to stay that extra time in the class because she joined…
Ariel
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2 answers

Burying the important part of a sentence

Was watching Babylon 5 and am used to excellent writing with Harlan Ellison. There was this sentence in Season 5 Humor is a universal element…like helium. This seemed to lack impact, especially as delivered with the pause by Bruce Boxleitner. It…
Thom
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Wasn’t letting or Hadn’t let?

Which one works more in this paragraph? “Ruby was thinking hard, too hard for her own sake. She wanted to talk with him but it seemed like she wasn't able to. She wanted to caress his hand, to show him how much she cared about him. She was desperate…
leo
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How do I rephrase this overly long descriptive sentence?

I'm trying to describe the landscape of a dystopian city but I'm getting tripped up. "The city is rather a hellish sight: the endless, monotonous rows of buildings are lit up by industrial powerhouses spewing flames into a murky night sky." Any help…
etchoc
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Good rule of thumb when varying sentence lengths/structure

My question is, are there any good rules on how to vary your sentence length/structure to keep your writing interesting? Eg. start out with shorter sentences and then start to lengthen the sentences... something along those lines. I should add that…
Ryan Cameron
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Why don’t writers layer and number lengthy sentences?

Prof. Brooks Landon, U. Iowa, Ph.D. U. Texas at Austin. Building Great Sentences: How to Write the Kinds of Sentences You Love to Read (Great Courses) (2013). pp 55-56. Why don’t writers tier long sentences as Landon does beneath? His formatting is…
user36465