Sometimes, writers of the English language should use the simple sentence. Simple sentences in English are subject-verb-object (SVO).
- He ate the cake.
- She won $100.
- The professor provided three examples of this week’s quiz.
The simple sentence gives the reader all the necessary information in a neat and tidy way. Simple sentences rarely need commas. Simple sentences are active and move the reader forward in the readings.
There are times, however, when a complex sentence is needed. A complex sentence is a complete sentence (main clause) connected to an incomplete sentence (subordinate clause) by subordinating conjunctions (after, as, before, since and many others).
- He ate the cake because he was hungry.
- She won $100 after a long, hard day at work.
- The professor provided three examples of this week’s quiz when the students failed the practice question.
In academic writing, sometimes simple sentences are all one needs. Sometimes, to deliver all of the information, a complex sentence is needed. Writers continually make decisions about what type of sentence to write. They may not realize they are doing it, but they are.
The writing tip for December, therefore, is to always be aware of the types of sentences you are writing. Is it a simple sentence? Is it a complex sentence? Make conscious decisions about your writing. This will make your writing better. Ask yourself, is the information I need to convey better received as a simple sentence or a complex sentence? Making sentence level choices is one of the indicators that a person is maturing as a writer.
– Submitted by Brian Harrell, Writing Center specialist