How to Write

Punctuation: Sentences

Introduction

Last post (over a month ago due to a dark month) I wrote on paragraphs. However, a paragraph is made of sentences, so now I’ll go into sentences! We all need them. If you don’t use your sentences correctly, then you’ll sound like a toddler and no one really takes what a toddler says seriously. I’d be willing to bet that if you’re reading this then you do want people to take you seriously. So let’s just jump right in then.

What is a sentence?

What is a sentence? Is it a grouping of words with a subject and a verb? I mean, technically yes. But if you want to do better than all of the other guys you’ll ignore that little technicality. Instead, you’ll use the sentence as a more powerful tool: a pacer. Similar to the period. Actually, a sentence and the period are almost interchangeable. Almost. (See? Both of those are sentences, but they don’t have a subject and a verb.)

So if a sentence doesn’t need a subject and a verb, what does it need? It needs a purpose. If it doesn’t have a subject but it has a purpose, then keep it. If it doesn’t have a verb but it has a purpose, then keep it. If it has a subject and a verb but not purpose, throw it away. Colleges and high schools want you to follow the rules even when they’re stupid, I think that’s why there are so many grammar rules! They’re training you to listen no matter how stupid their rules are.

But I digress! If you want a sentence to have maximum power, you need to be aware of where you put it and how long it is, because the length really matters.

Length

I mentioned the length of a sentence a second ago and how it really affects the overall feel of the scene, just like a period. If you have longer sentences the scene will feel more sophisticated. However, the shorter sentences will give it more of a chase feel. That comes into the periods domain a little more though, so to bring it back into the domain of the sentence length: a shorter sentence emphasizes it’s contents more than a longer sentence does. For example: “Go now!” This emphasizes the fact that he has to go right away. Now, if instead you did this: “Go to the store and buy some food for lunch, right now.” The emphasis is still on going right away, but it’s not as strong and it needs to share the spotlight with “food for lunch.”

Conclusion

The length of a sentence matters because the longer the sentence the more the light needs to shine on. A sentence is not tied to a subject and a verb, it is instead tied to purpose.