Sentence variety

Use different sentence types and lengths

Using a variety of sentences can help you to create interest and tension in your writing. Experiment with different sentence lengths and types to build atmosphere, mood and suspense.

Varying sentence length

Use your sentence lengths to reflect the pace of the action in the . On a basic level, short sentences can show a faster pace whereas longer sentences tend to slow it down.

Here is an example using a long sentence:

He looked out of the window, noticing the girl who, at that moment, was walking towards the heavy door to the library.

Notice the difference in pace when the same scene is described with short sentences:

He looked out of the window. He noticed the girl. She was walking towards the library door.

Varying sentence openings

Vary the way that you start sentences to keep your writing interesting and lively. For example:

Start your sentence with a…	Example
verb – an action word	Running for her life, Sarah shouted at the bus to stop.
simile - comparing something to something else	As quiet as a whisper, he turned to me.
preposition – indicates the position of someone or something	Beyond the gate, the road stretched far away.
adverb – modifies or describes a verb, adjective or another adverb	Cautiously, he moved away from the lion.
connective – joining word	Despite the sunshine, Mr Tucker was wearing a heavy coat.

Start your sentence with a…	verb – an action word
Example	Running for her life, Sarah shouted at the bus to stop.

Start your sentence with a…	simile - comparing something to something else
Example	As quiet as a whisper, he turned to me.

Start your sentence with a…	preposition – indicates the position of someone or something
Example	Beyond the gate, the road stretched far away.

Start your sentence with a…	adverb – modifies or describes a verb, adjective or another adverb
Example	Cautiously, he moved away from the lion.

Start your sentence with a…	connective – joining word
Example	Despite the sunshine, Mr Tucker was wearing a heavy coat.

Here’s a piece of writing that lacks variety:

I woke up. The sun was beaming through the window and warmed my face. I turned towards it, closing my eyes to enjoy the moment. I stayed there for a moment and then got out of bed. I padded across to the window. I opened it to hear the birds outside. It looked like it was going to be a good day.

Although this is well written, notice that most sentences start in the same way. The writer has mostly used simple sentences throughout.

Here is a second draft of this paragraph. Notice how the variety of sentences changes the feel of the piece:

I opened my eyes to the warmth of the sun that was beaming through the window. Turning towards it, I closed my eyes. Moments later I got out of bed and padded across to the window. I opened it and heard the birds outside. I knew it was going to be a good day.

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Writing fiction - OCRSentence variety