Page 37 - Grammar_Programme

How long is a complete sentence?

Complete sentences can contain any number of words.

 A complete sentence can be short – even just one word. Look at this example:

It ends in an exclamation mark.

It begins with a capital letter.
Run!

It contains a verb (Run).

It makes sense on its own.

Here are some more examples of short, complete sentences:

Help! Stop! Wake up! It rained. Dogs bark. Are you awake?

NOTE: Short sentences are often commands. Have you noticed that commands

usually start with the verb because they are telling you to do something?
Shut the door! Sit down! Don’t do that! Silence!

 A complete sentence can be much longer and have many words. The
important thing to remember is that the sentence should be clear to
understand. If a sentence is too long, it can become confusing. Look at this
example:

The English teacher came into the classroom and asked the class to put their

bags under their desks and he began to read the second chapter of the book
that he had started to read last lesson about the First World War and then
the teacher gave the class some questions to answer about the story.

This sentence is complete but it has far too much information. It would be better
to split the information into shorter sentences:-

The English teacher came into the classroom and asked the class to put

their bags under their desks. He began to read the second chapter of the
book that he had started to read last lesson about the First World War.
The teacher then gave the class some questions to answer about the story.

For good writing:
 make sure your sentences make sense
 do not confuse the reader with too much information
 vary the length of your sentences to add interest to your writing.

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