GUIDELINES FOR WRITING

All sentences should be simple or complex.

Sentences should consist of a key sentence with clauses or phrases..

Phrase: Last week

Key clause: I saw the man

Clause:  who lived in the village

Clauses and phrases are joined to the key sentence by connector words.

Clause connectors: who, that, where, when, as, because, although, if.

Phrase connectors: with, due to, but, having, buying, opening, seeking and more

There should not be unnecessary repetition of words in sentences.

I live in a village. It is a big village. It is near the river. The river flows down

from the mountains.

There should be no repeated words in paragraphs.

I am aware of the problems facing the people suffering from sickness and are

unable to find treatment.  Many go to the hospital but their suffering continues

as they are no able to obtain drugs.  If they want treatment they have to buy

drugs at the chemist.

I am aware of the problems facing the people suffering from sickness and are

unable to find treatment.  Many go to the hospital but their illness continues

as they are no able to obtain medication.  If they want medical support they

have to buy drugs at the chemist.

Words should not be repeated within sentences that follow.

I went to town. I wanted to buy a hat. It was a hat for school.

Words that are repeated should be removed except ‘the’ or ‘a’.

I had no money. I went to the bank. I wanted to ask for a loan

I had no money and went to the bank to ask for a loan.

When words are repeated, the second word can generally be removed.

I live in a village. The village is near the river. The river flows from the mountains.

I live in a village near a river that flows from the mountains.

GUIDELINES FOR 3 SENTENCE PATTERNS

The key sentence may be first or second.

I Iooked out the window.

I saw a ship.

It was on the horizon.

The key sentence remains. Second and third sentences become phrases.

Sentence 1 as the key

I looked out the window and saw a ship on the horizon.

Sentence 2 as the key

Looking out the window, I saw a ship on the horizon.

If the first verb is a past participle, the following verbs are past tense.

Opening the door, he looked outside and called to his son.

If the first verb is past tense, the following are past participles.

He looked for his son, hoping he would be safe and calling his name.

Some sentences are in the form of lists.

I bought apples.

I bought oranges.

I bought bananas.

I bought apples, oranges and bananas.

More complex sentences can be lists.

My job is to look after security, check ID and guard the warehouse.

Such sentences have more than one verb in list form.

A clause that contains ‘had’ can be replaced by ‘with’.

He was an old man.

He had grey hair.

He was an old man with grey hair.

If there is more than one ‘had’ it can be replaced by ‘and’.

He was an old man.

He had grey hair.

He had a walking stick.

He was an old man with grey hair and a walking stick.

The English language has ways to avoid repetition.

There is a seat.

People sit on the seat

They eat their lunch.

There is a seat on which people sit to eat their lunch.

We are guided by the preposition.

Near the house, there is a tree.

People shelter under the tree.

Near the house, there is a tree under which people shelter.

Another structure avoids repetition

He came to work early.

He could not open the lock.

He came to work early but could not open the lock.

She wanted to study.

She could not find a quiet place

She wanted to study but could not find a place.

Another does the same.

She wanted to open the door.

She could not open the door.

She wanted to open the door

but could not do so.

The thieves tried to break the lock.
They could not break the lock.

The thieves tried to break the lock

but could not do so.