I’m on the hunt for interesting complex sentences.
Here’s a template I found that is very subtle in regards to cause and effect.
NARROW the SCOPE with prepositional phrase/s (comma)
+ MAIN SENTENCE (possible comma)
+ HINT at Cause and Effect
Example A:
With the exception of cooking healthy meals, my husband and I have been training our new dog with such intensity that I’m afraid we’ve neglected our own kids.
Example B:
In the last few weeks, in both small ways and large, my housekeeping has deteriorated with the possible harm to my family’s health.
One way to come up with your own complex sentences is to write a list of WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW phrases and then arrange them in different orders until you have a pleasing effect.
I’ve done the first one for you.
WHO: me / I/ my English
WHAT: my speech/ has deteriorated / is simplified
WHAT: vocabulary, word choice
WHEN: over the years
HOW: from speaking and teaching international students learning English
I can play with these phrases, until I find an order that I like. How’s this one?
CONTEXT (comma)
+ OBSERVABLE EFFECT
+ INTERESTING VERB
+ CAUSE/CONDITIONS
My Sentence:
In terms of vocabulary and word choice, my use of simple English can be blamed on all the years I’ve spent with internationals.
Another example:
From the north woods of Michigan to the tropical shores of Florida, the architecture of a region rests on its natural resources and geological features.
In these examples, the effect comes before the cause.
—Back to Writing Tips
Continue Module 4, Crafting: Parallel sentence construction
