CAW LibGuides: Constructing Sentences in Academic Writing

This resource is useful when writing your assignments and when you come to edit your assignments. It provides instruction in writing sentence structures which are useful in descriptive, analytical, and evaluative writing.

The importance of sentence construction and punctuation for academic writing

Conveying meaning to the reader is the most important quality of a sentence.  It must be clear what you are trying to say.  Sentence construction plays a role in achieving this clarity, and it is important to think about aspects of sentence construction such as sentence complexity and punctuation.

The essential components of an academic sentence

Academic writing uses regular sentences, such as:  It is a beautiful day.

As an irregular sentence, the above sentence would be:  Beautiful day!

The subject (S) tells us the person or thing performing an action in a sentence, e.g.

The author (S) tested pronunciation, and the learners were split into two groups.

Notice that the subject “author” is absent in the second part of the sentence, because it is a passive voice sentence which allows for the subject to be omitted.  In other words:

The learners were split into two groups [by the author].

In academic sentences, the subject (S) is often something rather than somebody, e.g.

The report (S) discusses the value of teaching pronunciation.

The subject can link parts of a sentence effectively, e.g.

The research was conducted in May 2013; it was extensively reported in the news following publication.

In the above example “it” is a pronoun which refers back to “research”. Pronouns can be a useful way to limit the number of words in your writing and improve the flow. However, when overused, pronouns can become confusing for your reader.

The verb (V) can tell us:

[1]       what the subject is doing (actions);

[2]       the state of being of the subject;

[3]       how the subject is feeling.

Examples

[1]       The author tested (V) pronunciation, and the learners were split (V) into two groups (actions).

[2]       The research is (V) (state of being) robust.

[3]       I felt (V) (expressing sensation) nervous at first.

The four key purposes of a sentence

Purpose	Ending Mark	Example
States an idea	.	Covid cases are rising daily.
Asks questions	?	What did the study do?
Gives a command or instruction	.	Take note of the results.
Shows a strong emotion	!	It is a fantastic study!

 

Sentence Clauses

A sentence can be categorised according to its structure, and how clauses are arranged within the sentence. A clause is a collection of words which formulates either the whole or a part of a sentence.

Types of clauses in sentences

Independent Clause

A sentence with one independent clause makes sense on its own. In other words, it contains a subject and a verb and is a complete sentence. This type of sentence can be useful for making a statement, which you then explain using more complex sentences. For example:

The study produced several interesting results.

A sentence with two independent clauses has two clauses which both make sense on their own (both have a subject and verb). This type of sentence can be useful for showing where both clauses have equal importance. For example:

[1]       The study produced several interesting results; the study has been cited

regularly in journal articles.

[2]       Perhaps the latest budget has hit pensioners hard, but politicians argue that

all the cuts have been necessary.

[3]       This study, particularly, has a significant number of participants; yet the

results of the study were inconclusive.

Notice that in the first example above, a semi-colon is used to separate the clauses, while in the second the word but and a comma has been used.  Both are correct, but joining two independent clauses together with a semi-colon (as in the first example above) gives both clauses equal ranking.

In this third example above, there is an extra comma separating the non-essential part of the sentence, particularly.  Because of this extra comma, a semi-colon is better than a comma to separate the two clauses as it adds clarity to where the first clause ends and the second one begins.  In other words, the reader could become confused by too many commas.

Dependent Clauses

A sentence with a main clause plus dependent clause has one clause which makes sense on its own and another which does not. The dependent clause (shown in bold in the examples below) usually contains information additional to the independent clause. This type of sentence can be useful for analysing and where additional details are required. For example:

[1]       The study produced several interesting results and has been cited regularly in journal articles.

Notice that in example 1 above there is no comma to separate the two clauses.  When the dependent clause follows the independent one and the two are joined by words such as and/ but, no comma is required. On the other hand, if the dependent clause precedes the independent one, as in example 2 below, then a comma is usually needed.

[2]       If the questionnaires are returned this week, the data will be analysed next week.

However, the dependent clause is often embedded in the sentence. In other words, it is a broken sentence and the subject and verb are split. For example:

The book, which has taken five years to write, will be published next month.

If the part in blue was removed, the sentence would still make sense, and the subject and verb would be together (The book + will be published).

Comma Use

The dependent clause can precede or follow the main clause. Sometimes when the dependent clause follows the main clause, no comma is needed to separate the two clauses, for example:

The library will close tomorrow and on Thursday. (time)

(On Thursday and Friday, the library will close.)

The library will close if there is a holiday. (‘if’)

(If there is a holiday, the library will close.)

Using coordination to link clauses

Co-ordination is when words like ‘for’, ‘and’, ‘not’, ‘but’, ‘or’, ‘yet’ and ‘so’ are used in sentences to show equal importance, for example, with two independent clauses. This can be very useful for critical writing.

The 7 most common coordinators are: for; and; nor; but; or; yet; so (FANBOYS).

Notice below this powerful way of changing meaning!

• The sample size was appropriate, and the findings concurred with those of other major studies.
• The sample size was appropriate, for the findings concurred with those of other major studies.
• The sample size was appropriate, yet the findings concurred with those of other major studies.

Two-part evaluative sentences

In academic writing, words such as ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘that’ or words such as ‘although’ or ‘while’ help to form two-part evaluative sentences.

These kinds of sentences are very useful for critical writing.

Examples

[1]       While the aim of the research was clear, the design was ineffective as the researcher was a novice.

[2]       The research was conducted using a large sample size, which extended the viability of the findings.

[3]       Although field trials have demonstrated the efficacy of this approach, results in lab-based research have been mixed, and more research is required to explain this phenomenon.

 

Appendix One contains tasks to test your knowledge on constructing sentences in academic writing.  Answers can be found in Appendix Two.  Both appendices can be found in the downloadable pdf resource.

CAW’s Libguides website offers a plethora of resources across all genres of academic writing to help support writing assignments.  To view and download these resources visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/CAWhomepage/CAWResources

CAW offers writing development workshops across all genres of academic writing, including: Sentence Construction: Writing Cohesively in your Academic Assignments.  To view all available workshops and book online, visit:

https://libcal.coventry.ac.uk/calendar/caw

To book a one-to-one tutorial with the Centre for Academic Writing: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome

To find who your subject Academic Liaison Librarian is, visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/ALL 

Guide to Referencing: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/referencing