The Art of Styling Sentences:

20 Patterns for Success

by
Marie L. Waddell
Robert M. Esch
Roberta R. Walker

Barron's Educational
Series; 3rd edition
(Aug. 1993)
1
PATTERN 1: Compound sentence:
semicolon, no conjunction
(2 short, related sentences now
joined)
SV;SV.

What precedes and what follows the

semicolon must be capable of
standing alone.
2
 Pattern 1
Examples:
a. Try on this jacket; it seems to be your size.
b. Hard work is only one side of the equation; talent is
the other.
c. Some people dream of being something; others stay
awake and are.
d. “E.T., don’t phone home; it’s too expensive.”
– El Paso Herald-Post
e. “Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in
everything.” – Aesop
f. “Forget defensive driving; practice paranoid
driving.” – Jim Lanham, El Paso Herald-Post

3
A friend whom you have been gaining
during your whole life you ought not to
be displeased with in a moment.  A
stone is many years becoming a ruby;
take care that you do not destroy it in
an instant against another stone.

~ Saadi (Sheikh Muslih Addin)

Iranian poet; c. 1184–?1292
4
 PATTERN 1A
S V ; however, S V .
Use a conjunctive adverb (connector)
such as however, hence, therefore, thus,
then, moreover, nevertheless, likewise,
consequently, or accordingly.

The comma after the connector is

optional; however, I recommend using
one if you use a polysyllabic
conjunctive adverb. 5
 Pattern 1A
Examples:
a. David had worked in the steaming
jungle for two years without leave;
hence he was tired almost beyond
endurance.
b. This gadget won’t work; therefore,
you shouldn’t buy it.

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 PATTERN 1B: Use a coordinating
conjunction (also a connector)
such as and, or, for, but, nor, yet, or so.

S V ; S V , and S V.
or
S V, but S V ; S V .

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 PATTERN 1B MODEL
Examples:
a.It was radical; it was daring, but mostly it
was cheap.
b.The snow fell rapidly, and in the building
Harold felt safe; he dreaded leaving his
shelter for the long, dangerous trip home.

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 PATTERN 1C
S V ; S V ;S V.
a.“Blot out vain pomp; check impulse;
quench appetite; keep reason under its
own control.”
– Marcus Aurelius
b.“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of
mind; it is the freshness of the deep spring
of life.”
– Stanley Ullman,
15th-century French essayist

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 PATTERN 2
Compound sentence with elliptical construction
S V DO or SC ; S , DO or SC.
^
(comma indicates the omitted verb)

Elliptical clauses add elegance and efficiency to

your sentences.

10
Elements of elliptical clauses:
• grammatically incomplete
• missing either the relative pronoun
(dependent word) that introduces it . . .
• . . . or something from the predicate in the
second part of a comparison
• missing parts are understood in context
• reader probably not aware that anything is
missing

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 PATTERN 2
• This is really the same as Pattern 1, but here the
verb in the second clause is omitted BECAUSE
and ONLY IF it would needlessly repeat the
verb of the first clause, which must be exactly
the same.
• If you leave out more than the verb, you may
need to insert a word, such as one, here.
• It is also possible to omit more than just the
verb; sometimes you may even omit the subject.

12
 Pattern 2 Models
Examples:
a. Jessica had five dollars; Monica, three.
(The verb had was dropped from the second clause, but
the meaning is still clear.)
b. A red light means stop; a green light, go.
c. For many students the new math crusade of
the 1950s was a disaster; for others, a godsend.
d. Tom played a musical number by Bach; Jed, one by
Mozart.
e. An artist’s instinct is intuitive, not rational; aesthetic,
not pragmatic.
f. Washington, D.C., has 92 police officers per 10,000
people; New Jersey, 41; West Virginia, 16.
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 PATTERN 3
compound sentence with an
explanatory statement

S V : S V.
General statement (idea) specific statement (example)
_____________________ : _________________________

(an independent clause) (an independent clause)

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• When he is dying, Giles Corey murmurs
these famous words: “More weight.”
• “Adultery, John”—Elizabeth reminds
John of his broken commandment.
• I take the fifth commandment a step
farther: Honor your teachers.

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 Examples:
a. Darwin’s Origin of Species forcibly states a
harsh truth: only the fittest survive.
b. A lizard never worries about losing its tail: it can
always grow another.
c. Don’t forget what the old saying prudently
advises: Be careful what you wish for because
you may actually get it.
d. When you are faced with hard times, remember
Edwin Markham’s inspiring words: “Sorrows
stretch out places in the heart for joy.”

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 SP 3
• A colon signals that something important or
explanatory will follow and indicates that the
second clause will specifically explain or expand
an idea expressed in the first clause.
• Capitalization of the first word after the colon is a
matter of personal taste and style; however, do
capitalize the first word when quoting someone.
• Remember the test for every compound
sentence: both clauses must be full statements
and capable of standing alone as sentences.

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 PATTERN 3 MODEL
Nothing makes the earth seem
so spacious as to have friends at
a distance: they make the
latitudes and longitudes.
~Henry David Thoreau

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 PATTERN 3A
compound sentence
using a dash
S V – S V.
A. Specific statement (example) general statement (idea)
________________________ – _________________________
(an independent clause) (an independent clause)

B. The second statement may also signify a break in thought.

Because a dash is more informal,

use this structure sparingly.
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 What is the difference between a
semicolon, a colon, and a dash?
• The semicolon is the neutral choice.
• Use a colon to amplify or illustrate the
first clause (general > specific).
• A dash signals an abrupt change of
tone or thought; a dash gives force to
an added idea.

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 PATTERN 3A MODELS
a. Only one man knew the safe’s combination
– he was out of town.
b. Eva said nothing could stop her from
attending college – she meant it.
c. “You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbor” – Following this
commandment might keep teens from
gossiping about their peers.

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 Complete the best punctuation
(; or :)

• We do not ride upon the railroad __ it

rides upon us.
• Minds are like parachutes __ they function
only when open.
• Half of all advertising is wasted __ no one
knows which half.

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 PATTERN 3A MODEL
• Where and how would you connect these
two independent clauses?
• “All successful men have agreed in one
thing they were causationists” (Ralph
Waldo Emerson).

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 PATTERN 4:
A series of parallel items
(in any part of the sentence)
separated by commas
but without a conjunction

A, B, C S V.
S V A, B, C.

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AP term to know:
asyndeton
the deliberate omission of conjunctions in a
series of related clauses

Effect:
• may speed up the pace of a work
• may add emphasis to text
• adds a degree of equality to the terms

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 PATTERN 4 MODEL
a. The coach is loud, profane, demonstrative; he has again
been trapped, caught, humiliated.
b. With wisdom, patience, virtue, Queen Victoria directed
the course of 19th-century England.
c. “And [the film star] looks every inch the actor: painted,
powdered, affected, vain, insecure, unreal, quite
frightening, grotesque.”
– Dundan Fallowell, European Travel and Life, Sept. 1990
d. “Our priorities run to safety over style, value over flash,
comfort over speed.” – Caroline Miller, Lear, April 1993
e. “She was attentive, friendly, even casual – not really
different from her demeanor at any other meeting,
though her mind must have been racing.”
– Gregory Curtis, Time, Jan. 8, 2001

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 PATTERN 4A:
a series with conjunctions
between all items (but usually not
more than three); series may be
in any place in the sentence
A and B and C SV .

SV A or B or C.
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AP term to know:
polysyndeton
the deliberate use of many conjunctions
for special emphasis
Effect:
• creates a flowing, continuous sentence
pattern
• highlights quantity or mass of detail
• may slow down the pace of a work
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 4 A MODELS
a.Peering down from the hill, Merlin could
see the castle swathed in gloom and fear
and death.
b.Despite his handicaps, I have never seen
Frank angry or cross or depressed.
c.Collies and geese and children tumbled
out of the farmhouses in Alsace Lorraine,
barking or hissing or shouting according to
their unique French natures.
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 PATTERN 4A MODEL
Time draweth wrinkles in a fair face
but addeth fresh colors to a fast friend,
which neither heat nor cold nor misery
nor place nor destiny can alter or
diminish.
~Eng. Renaissance poet, wit, and
playwright John Lyly [1554-1606]

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 PATTERN 5
This series of an even number of
balanced pairs joined by a coordinating
conjunction creates a balanced rhythm.
(The even number of items may be in any
slot in the sentence.)

A and B, C and D, E and F S V .

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 PATTERN 5 MODEL

a. The actual herbs in special vinegars – thyme

and basil, rosemary and garlic, hot pepper and
chive – float in beautifully designed bottles.
b. Eager yet fearful, confident but somewhat
suspicious, Joe eyed the barber who would
give him his first haircut.
c. The story of Spain is a history of kings and
poets, saints and conquistadores, emperors
and revolutionaries, Cervantes and Picasso,
Franco and Juan Carlos, the Alhambra and the
Escorial.
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What is an appositive?
• An appositive is a noun or noun phrase
that renames another noun right beside it.
The appositive can be a short or long
combination of words.
• All modern American literature comes from
one book, The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn by Mark Twain.
• Huck’s friend Tom gets all his ideas from
reading.
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 PATTERN 6:
an introductory series of appositives
(parallel in structure
and related in meaning)
with a dash and a summarizing
subject

APP, APP, APP – summary word SV.

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 PATTERN 6 (cont.)
Sample summary words = such, all,
those, this, many, each, which,
what, these, something, someone
Bull riding, camel racing, bronco
riding, and roping – these events
mean “rodeo” to many people;
they mean money to the cowboy.

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 Pattern 6 (cont.)
• Vanity, greed, corruption – which
serves as the novel’s source of
conflict?
• The tea tax, the lack of
representation, the distance from the
mother country, the growing sense of
being a new and independent nation
– what do you think caused the
American Revolution?
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 Pattern 6 model
• Newspapers, novels, magazines – these
sources help time pass quickly for
travelers.
• Sleeping late, going out with friends,
catching up on movies – which of these
activities will you enjoy over the long
weekend?

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 Write your own pattern 6:
• Foods • Sports
• Movies • Hobbies
• TV shows • Places you hope
• to visit
Recording
artists • Careers
• Holidays
• Colleges
• Classes
• Pets
• Video games
• Cars
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PATTERN 7: An internal series of appositives
or modifiers enclosed by a pair of dashes

S—appositive, appositive, appositive—V.

S—modifier, modifier, modifier—V.

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PATTERN 7 examples
• The much despised predators – mountain lions,
timber wolves and grizzly bears – have been
shot, trapped and poisoned so relentlessly for so
long that they have nearly vanished from their
old haunts.
• Many of the books kids enjoy reading – Little
Women, Jane Eyre, David Copperfield – portray
women in traditional and often uncomplimentary
roles.
• The basic fencing moves – the advance, the
retreat, the lunge – demand careful balance by
both fencers.
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 PATTERN 7A:
A single appositive or a pair enclosed
by two dashes or two commas.

You may use parentheses, but

(a) a pair of dashes makes the appositive
dramatic,
(b) parentheses will make it almost whisper,
and
(c) commas are ordinary.

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PATTERN 7A MODEL

S — appositive — V.

S, appositive, V.

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 PATTERN 7A Examples
a. A sudden explosion – artillery fire – signaled the deadly
assault.
b. A familiar smell – fresh blood – assailed his jungle-trained
nostrils.
c. My current plan, to change my major from marketing to civil
engineering, is on hold for the moment.
d. A popular theory among climatologists (the greenhouse
effect) suggests how the earth’s changing temperature
threatens humanity.
e. The new slogan – “See Texas First” – promotes tourism.
f. The first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, is a man
whom the world will never forget.
g. The show’s famous motto – ”Live long and prosper” –
proved to be downright prophetic.
h. Although he occasionally puts his head down, the student –
obviously not asleep – quickly refocuses when reprimanded.

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 PATTERN 8
• PATTERN 8 : Dependent clauses in a pair or
in a series at the beginning or end of a
sentence
• If . . . , if . . . , if . . . , then S V.
• When . . . , when . . . , when . . . , S V.
• S V that . . . , that . . . , that . . .

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 PATTERN 8 MODEL
a. When he smelled the pungent odor of pine,
when he heard the chatter of jays interrupting
the silence, when he saw the startled doe, the
hunter knew he had reached the center of the
forest.
b. Whether one needs fantasy or whether one
needs stark realism, the theater can become a
mirror of life.
c. Frieda was convinced that her point of view was
the right one, that she was entitled to act on it,
and that ultimately her parents would approve.
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 PATTERN 9
Repetition of a key term
in a modifying phrase

repeated key term

S V key term joined by in a phrase –
a dash or a comma not in an
independent clause

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 Uses for pattern 9
• This pattern is helpful when you have mentioned a
number of similar ideas in several sentences.
• Repetitions help echo key words, emphasize important
ideas, unify sentences, or develop coherence among
sentences.
• Repetition is appropriate in different positions in the
same sentence and in the same position of the
sentence. For example, the same preposition is
repeated in a series, or the same word is used as the
object of different prepositions.
• Be sure that the word is worthy of repetition.

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• Although the repetition may occur anywhere, a key
word is often most effective toward the end.
• Or, if you have a key word in the subject slot, the
repetition may be a part of an interrupting modifier.
• Regarding punctuation, remember that a dash
suggests a longer pause, a greater break in thought
than a comma.
• Y ou may change the form of the repeated word, but
be sure it is worthy of repetition. Use a dash or
comma before the repetition, depending on your
intended meaning.

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Which sentence correctly meets the
criteria for SP 9?
1. He was a good father, providing a good
home for his good children.
2. He was a cruel brute of a man, he was
brutal to his family and even more brutal
to his friends.
3. He was a cruel brute of a man, brutal to
his family and even more brutal to his
friends.
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 PATTERN 9 MODELS
a. We all inhabit a mysterious world – the inner world,
the world of the mind.
b. Neither the warning in the tarot cards – an ominous
warning about the dangers of air flight – nor the one
on her ouija board could deter Marsha from
volunteering for the first Mars shot.
d. He praises the beauty of his love, a love unfortunately
hopeless because it is not mutual.
e. Looking into the mansion, we saw great splotches of
mud on the marble, marble that only that morning had
shone from Cinderella’s meticulous efforts.
f. “Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory
however long and hard the road may be; for without
victory, there is no survival.” (Winston Churchill)
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PATTERN 9A: Same word
repeated in parallel structure

S V repeated key word in same

position of the sentence.

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 EPISTROPHE
• the repetition at the end of successive
sentences or lines of the last word or
phrase of a clause, sentence or line
• May be found in SP 9A sentences
• Example from the Gettysburg Address:
“government of the people, by the people,
for the people.”

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 PATTERN 9A MODELS
a. His greatest discoveries, his greatest successes, his greatest influence
upon the world’s daily life came to Edison only after repeated failure.
(effective adjective)
b. The city itself sets the pace for Venetians – for their leisure, for their tasks,
for their efforts, and for their hopes. (same preposition)
c. Government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. (object of
different prepositions)
d. Audrey appeared really chic, really classic, really blasé. (adverb or
intensifier)
e. Sam devoted his life to those selfish people, for their selfish cause, but
clearly with his own selfish motives dominating his every action. (same
modifying word in phrases that begin with different prepositions)
f. “It isn’t always others who enslave us. Sometimes we let circumstances
enslave us; sometimes we let routine enslave us; sometimes we let things
enslave us; sometimes, with weak will we enslave ourselves.” – Richard
Evans’ Quote Book (same verb or alternative forms of same word)

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 PATTERN 10

• PATTERN 10: Emphatic appositive at end

and after a colon

S V word (or idea): the appositive (the second naming)

(with or without modifiers)

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 PATTERN 10 MODEL
a. Atop the back of the lobster is a collection
of trash: tiny starfish, moss, sea conchs,
crabs, pieces of kelp.
b. Anyone left abandoned on a desert should
avoid two dangers: cactus needles and
rattlesnakes.
c. Airport thieves have a common target:
unwary travelers.
 
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 PATTERN 10A
Appositive (single or pair or series) after a dash or a colon
 
S V word – the appositive
(echoed idea or second naming)
 
A DASH almost always precedes a short, climactic appositive,
whereas a COLON generally precedes a longer appositive.

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 PATTERN 10A MODEL
a. Adjusting to a new job requires one quality above all
others – a sense of humor.
b. Many traditional philosophies echo the ideas of one man
– Plato.
c. The grasping of seaweeds reveals the most resourceful
part of the sea horse – its prehensile tail.
d. The Greeks’ defeat by Alexander could have been
averted if they had listened to their most astute
statesman: Demosthenes, the brilliant adviser of the
Athenians.

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 PATTERN 11:
Interrupting modifier between S and V

The word stressed is a modifier rather

than an appositive, as in pattern 10.

Choose the punctuation pairs to set it off

according to the type of emphasis you
want to give the modifier.

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 PATTERN 11 MODEL
1. A small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, can make
millions think.
2. Rare meat, even though containing more natural juices than well-
done meat, is chewier.
3. Mule deer (once common throughout North America) are now
almost extinct.
4. Curanderos – often seen in many urban barrios and rural areas
in the Southwest – combine herbs, massage, and prayer into a
magical healing process.
5. Relaxation and informality are important parts of our fantasies
about life in a tropical paradise; once you get accustomed to
having twenty people waiting on you hand and foot (it doesn’t
take very long), you no longer feel like a guest.

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 PATTERN 11A:
A full sentence
(statement or question or exclamation)
as interrupting modifier

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