ESOL Ws/E3.1a Write using complex sentences
ESOL > Writing > Sentence focus (Grammar & Punctuation) > Grammar > Ws/E3.1 Write in complete sentences > Ws/E3.1a Write using complex sentences
(i) Understand that the most basic form of complex sentence consists of a main clause and one subordinate clause, and use this kind of sentence, where appropriate, in learners' own writing Example: Dear Mr Allan, I am sorry, I can not attend the interview next Thursday because my English exam is on that day. I handed in my work, although it was not quite finished.
(ii) Use common conjunctions to introduce subordinate clauses, expressing time, reason, condition, concession (e.g. although) Example: I was walking along the street when I heard a loud noise behind me.
(iii) Use a pronoun such as who, which, where, when, to introduce a relative clause Example: The town where I was born is in the mountains. My brother, the one who works in the bakery, has a motorbike.
(iv) Understand that sentences can be amplified by expanding the information around the noun, and apply this, where appropriate, in learners' own writing Example: The older woman who lives down the road… A woman I used to work with… A smartly dressed woman in a black and white coat… A nice young man with a friendly smile…
(v) Develop awareness that sentences in more formal texts are likely to be constructed differently from those in less formal ones, e.g. informal texts are likely to use ellipses, and more formal texts are likely to have more complex sentences Example: Hi Sal, Sorry! Can't come to the meeting tomorrow - Les won't give me time off. She says she wants me to finish this job first. Probably see you Thursday. Hamid
Dear Mr. Jones I am afraid I can not attend the meeting tomorrow, as I am very busy at work. I hope I will see you at the next meeting.
(vi) Develop the ability to use different linguistic features appropriately for a range of written genres, depending on learners' interests and need to write
Example of application and level
- (i) Write a narrative, report, description or letter, using subordinate clauses of time, reason, condition (present and future), concession (especially with although) introduced by an appropriate conjunction such as when, because or relative clause using a pronoun such as who, which, where, when, e.g.: I was walking along the street when I heard a loud noise behind me.
Dear Mr Allan,
I am sorry, I can not attend the interview next Thursday because my English exam is on that day….
I handed in my work, although it was not quite finished. - (iv) The novel which I enjoyed most is called …The last novel I read, which I enjoyed … The last sci-fi novel I read, which I really enjoyed, was …
- (vi) Write poems, e.g.:
She
She is like the air
You need it to breathe
But it runs away from you
When you embrace it
She is like the water
Like the water you drink …
(Rosa, ESOL student, Enfield College, translation from Carlos Vives)
Sample activities
- Learners practise constructing complex sentences, consisting of a main clause and one subordinate clause, using a range of grammar practice activities, e.g. re-order jumbled sentences, discuss ways of joining two simple sentences, match halves of sentences.
- Learners read a narrative then practise adding to sentences based on it, by selecting appropriate subordinate clause and additional information they want to include. Learners needing more guidance can select from multiple-choice options within sentences, e.g. She was a little unhappy because: (a) she felt excited, (b) her parents were in Iran.
- Learners read diagrams (e.g. a graph showing facts about population, a diagram showing how a thermometer works) and practise writing descriptions and definitions.
- Learners compare two texts (e.g. an information leaflet and an article from a tabloid newspaper) that include features such as contracted forms of the verb, noun phrases, complex modal phrases, and discuss the differences, using a checklist to identify which features occur in which type of text.
- Learners construct the next steps in an incomplete set of instructions, e.g. for saving a file on a word processor.
- Learners read a magazine article or personal narrative on a topic of interest. They discuss how effectively the feelings and emotions are conveyed in prose. They compare these texts with poems written on similar themes. Learners are encouraged to write poems around other themes or ideas of interest to them.
