Sentence Variety Ideas[1]

 

1.      –ing word group (participle phrase) at the beginning of the sentence:

Sitting on the porch, the quiet, close-knit family watched the sun go down.

 

2.      –ing word group in the middle of the sentence:

The quiet, close-knit family, sitting on the porch, watched the sun go down.

 

3.      –ing word group at the end of the sentence:

The quiet, close-knit family sat on the porch, watching the sun go down.

 

4.      Adverb clause at the beginning of sentence:

As the quiet, close-knit family sat on the porch, they watched the sun go down.

 

5.      Adverb clause at the end of sentence:

The quiet, close-knit family sat on the porch in order to watch the sun go down.

 

6.      Adjective immediately following noun:

The family, quiet and close knit, sat on the porch, watching the sun go down.

 

7.      Appositive (actual word that will serve as the appositive will have to be added):

The quiet, close-knit family, the Smiths, sat on the porch, watching the sun go down.

 

8.      Noun followed by –ing word group (noun absolute):

The sun having already gone down, the quiet, close-knit family sat on the porch.

 


 

[1] Ó Mary Ellen Ledbetter. Ready-to-Use English Workshop Activities