Instead of beginning every sentence with the simple subject, try beginning with a modifier, an appositive, or the main verb. You can also try delaying completion of your main statement or interrupting sentences with parenthetical elements. Look at the following examples.
Begin with a single-word modifier.
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Suddenly the wind rushed into the room.
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instead of The wind suddenly rushed into the room.
Begin with a modifying phrase or clause.
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Unregulated and easily accessible, the Internet is a powerful force.
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instead of The Internet, unregulated and easily accessible, is a powerful force.
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In front of an audience, she was a star.
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instead of She was a star in front of an audience.
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When the manager told me what the apartment cost, I decided living at home with Mom and Dad wasn't so bad.
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instead of I decided living at home with Mom and Dad wasn't so bad when the manager told me what the apartment cost.
Begin with an appositive.
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A frequently misdiagnosed condition, iron overload can lead to serious diseases.
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instead of Iron overload, a frequently misdiagnosed condition, can lead to serious diseases.
Put the verb before the subject
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Directly in front of him stood his father
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instead of His father stood directly in front of him.
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Greater than the novel's shortcomings are its strengths.
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instead of The novel's strengths are greater than its shortcomings.
Delay completing your main statement.
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We saw the ballot measure, so important to the students, the faculty, and indeed everyone in the community, lose by a one-percent margin.
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instead of We saw the ballot measure lose by a one-percent margin even though it was so important to the students, the faculty, and indeed everyone in the community.
Insert an interruption—a surprise element—in a sentence; use parentheses or dashes.
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My home town— it is closer to being a junction than a town—recently acquired its first traffic light.
Never sacrifice meaning or clarity for variety, however. And remember that any technique you use for sentence variety will be self-defeating if you use it too often in a short piece of writing.












Phrases, Clauses, and Sentences
Common Sentence Errors





