Page 187 - (DK) Help Your Kids with Language Arts

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MAKING S ENTENC E S INTERE S TING

A fresh start
There was a chill in the air as Jessica
Good writers avoid starting all
the sentences in a paragraph walked through the woods. There was
in the same way because it nobody around. There was a sudden
All these sentences
sounds monotonous. Sentences start with the same growl in the distance.
can easily be rewritten to stop word, there.
this from happening.

There was a chill in the air as Jessica
walked through the woods. Nobody was
This passage gives exactly
the same information, but around. Suddenly, she heard a growl in
in a more interesting way.
the distance.

Add detail
Adding extra detail using This sentence isn’t Jessica backed away from the monster.
very interesting.
adjectives and adverbs will make
a sentence more informative and
interesting. The position of an
adverb can also be changed to Adding an adverb tells the
vary the sentence structure. reader about the way the girl is
moving. The adjective describes Jessica nervously backed away from the
the mood of the monster.
angry monster.
GLO S S A RY
Main clause A group of words that
contains a subject and a verb and
makes complete sense on its own. Nervously, Jessica backed away from the
Subordinate clause A group of words
that contains a subject and a verb Moving the adverb angry monster.
but depends on a main clause for changes the structure
its meaning. of the sentence.

REAL W OR L D
Exciting commentary
• Add more detail to a sentence
by using prepositions, which tell Sports commentators often
the reader where something is or describe the events of a game
when something is happening. or race with very short sentences.
Prepositions include about, across, This makes the commentary
after, at, and under. as fast-paced and exciting as
the event itself. It’s particularly
• Use a variety of conjunctions to effective for radio commentaries
link clauses and make sentences when listeners can’t see the
flow from one to another. These action, but are relying on the
are connecting words, such as commentary to create the mood.
so, because, until, whereas,
and but.