How to use a variety of sentences

It is good to have a variety of sentences in your writing.

Simple sentences

You can have short ones, and then some long ones… If they are all simple sentences (just one main verb and one idea), it gets boring and difficult to read. You should also use a mixture of questions and statements.

Imagine that you have been asked to give some advice to a friend who is being bullied. You would probably think of a few ideas very quickly:

• Tell your family about it.
• Don't suffer in silence.
• Do something about it.

Questions

You could improve your work by adding other types of sentences. At the moment, it is just a list of orders. You could add questions, such as:

• Why don't you talk to someone at school about it?
• Do you know anyone else who is being bullied right now?

This pushes your friend to think about something. It also gives them the opportunity to start talking about it.

Statements

Then you could add a statement or two, such as:

• Bullying is more common than many people think.
• The worst thing about being bullied is feeling alone.

Connectives

If you combine these ideas and sentences, you will have an interesting and varied piece of writing. All you need to add are some connectives, such as 'and', 'but', 'so' or 'because'. Now you have writing that makes a real impact and which can offer advice as well as persuading people.

Here is an example:

Do you know anyone else who is being bullied right now? Why don't you talk to someone at school about it? Bullying is far more common than many people think and far more serious than many people imagine. In fact, it is one of the main reasons for pupils missing school. But the worst thing about being bullied is feeling alone. So don't suffer in silence, tell your family about it and do something now.