Sentence Structure

Questions to Ponder

What makes a sentence a sentence?

What is so simple about a simple sentence?

What makes a complex sentence so… complex?

My sentence is short. How can it possibly be a run-on?

It has a subject and a verb. Can’t I just put a period there?

… and my personal favorite: Why should I care about sentence structure anyway?

Because Structure Is the Key! Sentences are the foundation of writing: they are the means through which you communicate your ideas. Good writers know how to vary the length and structure of sentences and use them to their advantage to capture the reader's attention.

Knowing about sentence structure—about simple, compound, and complex sentences—will help you use sentence variety more effectively and make your writing more interesting!

Links:

Fragment or Complete Sentence

Simple Sentence

Complex Sentences

Compound Sentences

Compound Complex Sentences

The Grand Finale on Sentence Types