This document provides guidance on creating sentence variety when writing. It discusses different types of sentences from a grammatical, rhetorical, and functional perspective. Examples are given for simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences. It also covers loose and periodic sentences as well as declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. The document encourages students to experiment with different sentence structures to make their writing more interesting and engaging for readers.

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Journal
There are times in life when you will have to
stand up for yourself, or for other people or
causes that you believe in.
Think about what you wanted to change in this
world in your journal on Friday.
What is one trait– skill or characteristic- you
have that will allow you to do this well?

2. +
What is an advocate?
An advocate is someone who supports a person or a cause.
Throughout life, you will have to advocate for yourself, and you
may feel compelled to advocate for others.
English I, and specifically our
NONFICTION(!!) unit will
give you the credibility to be
an effective advocate.

3. +
TODAY WE WILL
EVALUATE the sentence variety of different texts
COMBINE simple sentences to create variety

4. +
BRAINSTORM
What kinds of nonfiction writing have you heard of before?

5. +
NONFICTION!
Essays Letters
Journals and Diaries Magazine Articles
Documentaries Advertisements
Scientific Papers Creative Nonfiction
Biographies Encylopedia
Textbooks Research
Travel Books Self Help
Technical Documents Memoir
User Manuals
Journalism

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The Paper Bag Princess
by Ronald Munsch
Elizabeth was a beautiful princess. She lived in a castle and had expensive princess clothes.
She was going to marry a prince named Ronald.
Unfortunately, a dragon smashed her castle, burned all her clothes will his fiery breath, and
carried off Prince Ronald.
Elizabeth decided to chase the dragon and get Ronald back. She looked everywhere for
something to wear, but the only thing she could find that was not burnt was a paper bag. So
she put on the paper bag and followed the dragon. He was easy to follow because he left a
trail of burnt forests and horses’ bones.
So the dragon jumped up and flew around the whole world in just twenty seconds. When he
got back he was too tired to talk, and he lay down and went straight to sleep.
The dragon was so tired he didn’t even move.
“Ronald,” said Elizabeth, “your clothes are really pretty and your hair is very neat. You look
like a real prince, but you are a bum.” They didn’t get married after all.

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What do you think?
Is The Paper Bag Princess a complicated, sophisticated text?
Why or why not?

8. + Guided Notes: Sentence Structure and Variety
effective
 Good writing is and
interesting .
Topics that you write on can make your writing
interesting, but so can the way you structure your
writing.

9. + Guided Notes: Sentence Structure and Variety
Today we will focus on creating writing with sentence
variety. We will write strong, correct sentences of different
lengths and structures.

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Why?
 Because writing with no sentence variety is
BORING , and nobody wants to read boring
writing.
 Because sentence variety makes it easier for you as a WRITER
to move from one sentence to the next.
 Because adding sentence variety can give your writing life
and rhythm (like poetry!).

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SO MANY SENTENCES TYPES
AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!
GRAMMATICAL
RHETORICAL
FUNCTIONAL

12. +
GRAMMATICAL SENTENCES
A SIMPLE SENTENCE is a sentence with ONE INDEPENDENT
clause.
Example: I love ice cream.
This is a simple sentence because it contains one independent
clause.
YOUR TURN!

13. +
GRAMMATICAL SENTENCES
A COMPLEX SENTENCE is a sentence with ONE
INDEPENDENT clause and ONE DEPENDENT clause.
Example: When it’s hot outside, I love ice cream.
This is a complex sentence because it contains one independent
clause (I love ice cream), and one dependent clause (When it’s
hot outside).
Your Turn!!!

14. +
Grammatical Sentences
A COMPOUND SENTENCE is a sentence with ONE
INDEPENDENT clause, and another INDEPENDENT clause
connected by the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Example: I love ice cream, and you adore chocolate cake.
This is a compound sentence because it contains one
independent clause (I love ice cream) and another independent
clause (You adore chocolate cake) connected by one of the
FANBOYS (and).
Your Turn!!!

15. +
Grammatical Sentences
A COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE is a sentence with ONE
or more INDEPENDENT clauses connected by one of the
FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), and at least ONE
DEPENDENT clause.
Example: If it is summer, I eat ice cream, and you eat frozen
yogurt.
This is a compound-complex sentence because it contains two
independent clauses (I eat ice cream) (You eat frozen yogurt)
connected by one of the FANBOYS (and), and one dependent
clause (If it is summer).
Your turn!!!!

16. +
Rhetorical Sentences
In a LOOSE SENTENCE, the MAIN IDEA comes first, and the
less important details follow.
Example: I could tell he was disappointed by the tone of his
voice and the look on his face.
This is a loose sentence because the main idea (he was
disappointed) comes first, and the less important details (how I
knew he was disappointed) come after.
YOUR TURN!!!

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RHETORICAL SENTENCES
In a PERIODIC SENTENCE, the MAIN IDEA comes at the end of
the sentence.
Example: By the tone of his voice and the look on his face, I
could tell he was disappointed.
This is a periodic sentence because the main idea (he was
disappointed) comes at the end of the sentence, after less
important details.
Your Turn!!

18. +
FUNCTIONAL SENTENCES
A DECLARATIVE sentence is used to MAKE a STATEMENT.
This is the most common kind of sentence.
Example: I need to clean this classroom.
This is a declarative sentence because it does not contain a
question mark or an exclamation point, and because I am not
commanding anyone to do anything.

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FUNCTIONAL SENTENCES
An INTERROGATIVE sentence is used to ASK a QUESTION.
Example: Do I need to clean this classroom?
This is an interrogative sentence because it is asking a question.
You can tell because it has a question mark.

20. +
FUNCTIONAL SENTENCES
An IMPERATIVE sentence is used to GIVE a COMMAND.
Example: Clean up this room immediately.
This is an imperative sentence because it tells someone to do
something using a period.

21. +
FUNCTIONAL SENTENCES
An EXCLAMATORY sentence is used to EXPRESS
astonishment or extreme emotion.
Example: Eek! I need to clean this classroom!
This is an exclamatory sentence because it has an exclamation
point.

22. +
WRITERS BLOCK?!?
BUT MS. POPP!!
HOW DO I START
MY SENTENCES!!

23. + Reevaluating
The Paper Bag Princess
by Ronald Munsch
Elizabeth was a beautiful princess. She lived in a castle and had expensive princess clothes.
She was going to marry a prince named Ronald.
Unfortunately, a dragon smashed her castle, burned all her clothes will his fiery breath, and
carried off Prince Ronald.
Elizabeth decided to chase the dragon and get Ronald back. She looked everywhere for
something to wear, but the only thing she could find that was not burnt was a paper bag. So
she put on the paper bag and followed the dragon. He was easy to follow because he left a
trail of burnt forests and horses’ bones.
So the dragon jumped up and flew around the whole world in just twenty seconds. When he
got back he was too tired to talk, and he lay down and went straight to sleep.
The dragon was so tired he didn’t even move.
“Ronald,” said Elizabeth, “your clothes are really pretty and your hair is very neat. You look
like a real princes, but you are a bum.” They didn’t get married after all.

24. +
Creating Sentence Variety
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