College Composition

College Composition Study Guide

Chapter 2: Constructing Sentences Objectives 1. To create complex sentences of varying structures for more advanced writing. 2. To understand revision strategies. 3. To differentiate between advanced parts of speech. 2.1 Advanced Parts of Speech When writing more complex sentences, different types of words and phrases should be used to add variety to the sentence structure. In addition, complex sentences will also allow the writer to have more specific details and clarity within a writing. Adjectives and Adverbs Indicating degree: The chart below describes a quality that adjectives and adverbs share: degree. Degree Definition Example Positive Describes one item; uses standard form of the word He yelled loudly. He had a loud voice. Comparative Contrasts two items; adds –er or uses more/less. He yelled louder than Mike. His voice is louder than Mike’s. Superlative Compares three or more items; adds –est or uses most/least. Out of all of us, he yelled the loudest. He had the loudest voice of any of us. Mistakes happen when writers combine methods of indicating degree. • He yelled more louder than Mike. • He had the most loudest voice of any of us. The rule of thumb is to add an ending to one syllable words and add a prefatory word in front of words of three syllables. Adverb versus adjective after a linking verb: To decide which to use, consider the meaning of the sentence. In some cases, the adverb might make the most sense, but in others, the sentence will be clearer if you use an adjective. • Sarah felt badly about her comments. • Sarah felt bad about her comments. Was Sarah bad at feeling or were her feelings bad ones? Consider the meaning you wish to convey to determine which word to use.

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