SENTENCE WRITING

Writing sentences is an activity that we have learnt as from primary school. Yet with so
many years of practice, many students still have difficulties in formulating grammatically
correct sentences or “good”/ sophisticated sentences. Why?

This is because with time, we tend to forget the basic grammar rules that are paramount
for effective writing. Or we tend to consider grammar as so tedious and complicated that
we give up and remain in our comfort zone of ignorance!

But here ignorance is NOT bliss!

Let us have a look at the essential ingredients of a “good” sentence!

1. Syntax: the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed/ well-

structured sentences in a language.

2. Verbs (Correct verb tenses)

Present Past Future Conditional

Simple Present Simple Past Simple Future Conditional 1

Present Continuous Past Continuous Future Conditional 2
Continuous
Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect Conditional 3
(Perfect)
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Continuous Continuous
14 tenses

3. Punctuation
4. Parts of Speech
i. Nouns
ii. Adjectives
AAAN FORMULA
iii. Articles
iv. Adverb
v. Pronouns (Relative Pronoun: who, which, that, where, whom, whose)
vi. Verbs (as explained above)
vii. Prepositions (about, below, excepting, off, toward, above, beneath, etc)
 viii. Conjunctions (And Or But Nor So For Yet After Although As If As Long As
Because Before Even If Even Though Once Since So That Though Till Unless
Until What When Whenever Wherever Whether Whileetc)
ix. Interjections (an exclamation, especially as a part of speech (e.g. wow!
ah!, dear me!)

How to write good sentences?

 Take time to think

 Thinking skills/ Imagination/ Creativity
 Explicitness/ Situationality/ Contextualisation
 Vocabulary/ be choosy
 Concise/ precise
 Check tense of verbs

Onerous
After the passing away of the father, the onerous responsibility of filling the bellies of so
big a family befell on the eldest son who was in his twenties.

The onerous tasks that the meek employee kept on doing over the years produced a
negative effect on his health.

Dense
The jungle was so dense and impenetrable that the sabres and axes of the adventurers
were hardly of any use.
At peak hours the traffic is so dense that commuters, trapped on the highways, can hardly
contain their exasperation.

Fantastic
The fantastic goal scored at the ninetieth minute was the climax of the match that was full
of suspense and hard action.
The fantastic news of the imminent arrival of my grandparents has enlivened my spirits
and now I want the party to be grandiose.

Whimsical
 The whimsical attitude of the old patient did not affect the nurse and she kept on caring
for him as a pampered child.
I hate whimsical people because you can never know what pleases or displeases them.

Precarious
The precarious health of the refugees prompted the authorities to urgently seek medical
help from abroad.
The reinforcement of troops on the frontiers was a clear indication of the precarious
tension that was building up between the two belligerent countries.

The AAAN /AAN FORMULA

Conciseness, the quality of being short and clear, with no unnecessary words, is a prime
consideration for you at the time of writing. Try to say as much as you want to (or better, as
is necessary!!) in as less words as possible. It not only checks on unduly long sentences, but
also produces a better impact.

Try the Article-Adverb-Adjective-Noun AAAN or the AAN formula. But be careful, it would
work if only there is a perfect match in the combination!!!

Here are a few examples: (AAAN)

A perfectly concocted plan

An absolutely nonsensical remark

An urgently solicited assistance/help

A vehemently pronounced denial

A casually dressed hotel manager

A providentially gifted talent

A copiously written document/statement