Advanced Reading & Writing

Brief 4 Sentence Variation

Writing an Interesting Article
Part 1 3 types of sentence variation.
1. Vary Tense By changing the tense, you can make your writing feel more alive and
flowing.
Past Simple It was a comfortable flight.
Past Continuous He was loading a plane at the airport.
Present Perfect He has been to France before.
He had taken a part-time job at the airport.
2. Vary Length and complexity
Short sentence
The sun was hot.
Long sentence
The sun beat down on our shoulders until we began to

sweat and make our

clothes very wet
Complex sentence Although there was a cool breeze, the sun shone brightly on
our shoulders

until, even with our hats on, began to sweat.

3. Vary openings If too many sentences start with the same word, especially The, It,
This, or I, prose can grow tedious for readers, so changing opening words and phrases
can be refreshing.
The biggest coincidence that day happened when David and I ended up sitting next to
each other at the Super Bowl.
Possible Revisions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Coincidentally, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
In an amazing coincidence, David and I ended up sitting next to each other at the Super Bowl.
Sitting next to David at the Super Bowl was a tremendous coincidence.
But the biggest coincidence that day happened when David and I ended up sitting next to each

5.

other at the Super Bowl.

When I sat down at the Super Bowl, I realized that, by sheer coincidence, I was directly next to

6.
7.

David.
By sheer coincidence, I ended up sitting directly next to David at the Super Bowl.
With over 50,000 fans at the Super Bowl, it took an incredible coincidence for me to end up sitting

8.
9.

right next to David.

What are the odds that I would have ended up sitting right next to David at the Super Bowl?
David and I, without any prior planning, ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super

Bowl.
10. Without any prior planning, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
11. At the crowded Super Bowl, packed with 50,000 screaming fans, David and I ended up sitting right
next to each other by sheer coincidence.
12. Though I hadn't made any advance arrangements with David, we ended up sitting right next to
each other at the Super Bowl.
13. Many amazing coincidences occurred that day, but nothing topped sitting right next to David at the
Super Bowl.
14. Unbelievable, I know, but David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
15. Guided by some bizarre coincidence, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the
Super Bowl.

Video 1 - ___________________________________________
Notes
Raffles College of Higher Education
Prepared by John Brummel for the English Language Program

Advanced Reading & Writing

Brief 4 Sentence Variation

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Video 2 - ___________________________________________
Notes

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Raffles College of Higher Education

Prepared by John Brummel for the English Language Program

Advanced Reading & Writing

Brief 4 Sentence Variation
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Video 3 - ___________________________________________
Notes

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Raffles College of Higher Education

Prepared by John Brummel for the English Language Program