Sentence Patterns
13 Sentence Patterns
Pattern A
A single modifier out of place for emphasis
Modifier S.V
To place additional emphasis on any modifier put it somewhere other than its normal place in the sentence. You must have a comma to keep reader from misinterpreting the sentence.
Single words before, inside, or below may look like prepositions instead of singular adverb if comma is not used.
Unclear: inside the child was noisy.
Clear: inside, the child was noisy.
Incorrect: Francesca liked to occasionally wade in the neighbor’s pool.
Correct: Occasionally, Francesca liked to wade in the neighbor’s pool.
Incorrect: The professor tried to further illustrate the point of the essay.
Correct: The professor tried to illustrate further the point of the essay.
Examples Pattern A: Below, the traffic looked like a necklace of ants.
Pattern B
Prepositional Phrase Before S-V
Prepositional phrase (,) S V
• Anywhere a mouse can go
Off, When, Under, Over, Through, Between, Behind
A word that shows the relationship between 2 nouns.
Put one or more Phrases at the beginning of the sentence use a comma after a single prepositional phrase.
For example these sentences must have comma.
After that, time had no meaning for him.
In the library, books are plentiful.
These sentences do well without a comma.
• Until next summer there will be no more swimming.
• During the winter months tom worked as a trapper.
Example Pattern B: With slow and stately cadence the honor guard entered the castle grounds. Down the field the Heisman Trophy winner ran.
Pattern C
A Series Without A Conjunction
• For
• And
• Nor
• But
• Or
• Yet
• So
In between 2 independent clauses. ( Complete sentence)
This pattern is the simplest form of the series. The items are separated by commas,
Pattern A
A single modifier out of place for emphasis
Modifier S.V
To place additional emphasis on any modifier put it somewhere other than its normal place in the sentence. You must have a comma to keep reader from misinterpreting the sentence.
Single words before, inside, or below may look like prepositions instead of singular adverb if comma is not used.
Unclear: inside the child was noisy.
Clear: inside, the child was noisy.
Incorrect: Francesca liked to occasionally wade in the neighbor’s pool.
Correct: Occasionally, Francesca liked to wade in the neighbor’s pool.
Incorrect: The professor tried to further illustrate the point of the essay.
Correct: The professor tried to illustrate further the point of the essay.
Examples Pattern A: Below, the traffic looked like a necklace of ants.
Pattern B
Prepositional Phrase Before S-V
Prepositional phrase (,) S V
• Anywhere a mouse can go
Off, When, Under, Over, Through, Between, Behind
A word that shows the relationship between 2 nouns.
Put one or more Phrases at the beginning of the sentence use a comma after a single prepositional phrase.
For example these sentences must have comma.
After that, time had no meaning for him.
In the library, books are plentiful.
These sentences do well without a comma.
• Until next summer there will be no more swimming.
• During the winter months tom worked as a trapper.
Example Pattern B: With slow and stately cadence the honor guard entered the castle grounds. Down the field the Heisman Trophy winner ran.
Pattern C
A Series Without A Conjunction
• For
• And
• Nor
• But
• Or
• Yet
• So
In between 2 independent clauses. ( Complete sentence)
This pattern is the simplest form of the series. The items are separated by commas,