Sentence Variety
What is a simple sentence made of?
One independent clause
(subject, verb, it makes sense/completes a thought)
True or False:
Contractions (haven't, you're, we'd) should usually be avoided in formal writing.
True
What is the first sentence in your body paragraph called?
Topic sentence (your point)
Correctly punctuate the following sentence:
When I go to the store I need to buy eggs ham bread and coffee
10 bonus points if you get ALL the punctuation marks that are missing.
When I go to the store I need to buy eggs, ham, bread(,) and coffee
Bonus Answer: When I go to the store, I need to buy eggs, ham, bread(,) and coffee.
What is a reliable source?
10 bonus points if you can name a trusted, reliable source.
A trustworthy source written by an expert or organization
*teacher's discretion on the named sources*
Identify the sentence type:
I finished my homework, and I watched TV.
Compound sentence
Which word is more formal?
A lot or many
10 bonus points if you can name another word that is considered even more formal.
Many
(several, numerous, etc.)
What should immediately follow a topic sentence?
Supporting details or evidence
Add punctuation correctly:
I am ready she said
“I am ready,” she said.
Why is using multiple sources important in research?
It strengthens credibility and reduces bias
What makes a sentence complex?
It has an independent clause and at least one dependent clause
Rewrite this sentence to be more formal:
I think the article is kinda confusing.
The article is somewhat confusing.
(Reasonable formal revisions accepted.)
When including a direct quote in your writing, what must your include as well and why?
Quote tag in order to introduce and give context for the quote.
Fix the sentence:
He said I will be there soon.
He said, “I will be there soon.”
What is plagiarism?
Using someone else’s words or ideas without giving credit
Identify the sentence type:
Although it was raining, we continued the game.
Complex sentence
Why should writers avoid first-person pronouns in most formal essays?
They make writing sound informal or opinion-based
Identify the problem:
My topic sentence is about the importance of friendship, but my evidence is about school rules.
The evidence does not support the topic sentence (lack of cohesion)
Correct the punctuation:
Although I studied I was nervous, she said.
“Although I studied, I was nervous,” she said.
Why is it important to cite where you got a source?
10 bonus points if you can name which citation format we use in the English department.
To give credit to where information came from and avoid plagiarism.
(MLA format)
Combine these sentences into either a compound or complex sentence. Identify which type of sentence you created:
I was tired. I stayed up to finish my project.
*teacher's discretion*
Rewrite the sentence to make it more appropriate for a formal essay and explain why you made those changes.
You can see that pollution is bad.
*teacher's discretion*
Example: The evidence shows that pollution has harmful effects. It is objective and formal
What could be the topic sentence of a paragraph that has the following evidence:
Omar Ghanem, M.D., the Mayo Clinic's medical director claims that "Metabolic surgery is an effective and durable therapy for severe obesity. Metabolic surgery typically results in 25%–30% total body weight loss that often is sustained for many years."
*teacher's discretion*
Example: anything about combatting obesity, treatment options for obesity, new findings on weight-loss, etc.
Combine these using correct punctuation and sentence variety:
I was nervous. I gave the presentation.
*teacher's discretion*
AI is not giving you useful sources for your research. They are off topic or not credible. Name two other options you have for finding information.
Examples: search online yourself, find information in books, use the search engine "Google Scholar", find primary sources instead, etc.