Think you can write a quality sentence? Creating a great sentence involves more than just a subject and verb. Although many factors contribute to sentence quality, the weaknesses below come up often in students’ writing. Check the list to see if you are in the habit of including any of these “no-no’s” in your writing!

  1. Starting a sentence with “There is”While this is grammatically acceptable, it is also a hallmark of weak writing. When “There is” or “There are” function as the subject and verb, they fail to bring meaning to a sentence. Consider the following example:There are a lot of people who think that Oregon is a great place to live.Starting with “There is” simply delays the meaning of the sentence and makes it indirect. Now, consider the corrected version:People think that Oregon is a great place to live.

    More direct, right? To make it even more concise, another option is:

    Oregon is a great place to live.

    The same rule applies for “It is.” Try converting the following examples into sentences that are more direct by avoiding the use of “There is / are / was” or “It is / was.”

    1. There was a line of students wrapping around the building.
    2. It is time-consuming to hang a picture correctly.
    3. There are five students in my study group.
  2. Relying on state of being verbs rather than action verbs

State of being verbs include any form of the verb “to be”:

  • am
  • is
  • are
  • was
  • were
  • be
  • being
  • been

“To be” verbs are some of the most commonly used verbs in the English language. These verbs are not bad or grammatically incorrect, but their purpose it to show the subject’s state of being rather than an action. Sentences are generally more interesting and engaging when they include action, so the more you can use vivid action verbs and avoid “to be,” the better! Consider these examples:

The tree is on the hill. vs The tree stands on the hill.

She is the best student in the class. vs. She earns the highest grades in the class.

It’s fine to use “to be” every once in a while, and sometimes it is unavoidable. However, if you notice that several sentences in a row contain a form of this verb, revise them to show action instead.

  1. Failing to Variate Sentence Types

Sometimes people think that long, complex sentence types are always interesting and considered important for academic writing. However, too many complicated sentences will fatigue and bore the reader. Instead, try using variety of sentence types! Varying your sentence structure and length is crucial for creating, clear, engaging, easy-to-read paragraphs. Whenever you use a complex sentence, follow it with a simple sentence. Consider the following example from Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club:

“We lived in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Like most of the other Chinese children who played in the back alleys of restaurants and curio shops, I didn’t think we were poor. My bowl was always full, five three-course meals every day, beginning with a soup of mysterious things I didn’t want to know the names of.”

  • The first sentence is simple: an independent clause followed by a prepositional phrase.
  • The second sentence begins with a descriptive phrase, and the independent clause comes after the comma.
  • The third sentence begins with the independent clause, followed by an appositive (a descriptive phrase) and ending with a dependent clause.

The variation of sentences makes the paragraph flow smoothly and engage the reader.

How many of these common sentence construction mistakes do you recognize in your writing? Give these tips a try the next time you notice yourself starting a sentence with “There is,” replying on “to be” verbs, or not varying your sentence structures. We guarantee they will make your writing more engaging!