Understanding Simple Sentences
* A simple sentence has one independent clause (a complete thought).
* It has a subject (who or what is doing the action) and a verb (the action).
Methods for Expansion
1. Add Adjectives and Adverbs:
* Adjectives: Describe nouns (people, places, things).
* Adverbs: Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more detail about how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
Example:
* Simple: "The dog barked."
* Expanded: "The large, fluffy dog loudly barked at the mailman."
2. Use Prepositional Phrases:
* Prepositional phrases consist of a preposition (e.g., in, on, at, with, by) followed by a noun or pronoun.
* They provide information about location, time, direction, manner, or other details.
Example:
* Simple: "The girl played."
* Expanded: "The girl played in the park with her friends after school."
3. Add Clauses:
* Dependent Clauses: These cannot stand alone as a complete sentence but add information to the main clause.
* Independent Clauses: These can stand alone as a complete sentence. You can join two independent clauses with a conjunction (e.g., and, but, or).
Example:
* Simple: "The cat sat."
* Expanded: "The cat sat on the windowsill because it was sunny outside."
* Expanded (two independent clauses): "The cat sat on the windowsill, and it watched the birds fly by."
4. Include Participial Phrases:
* Participial phrases act like adjectives, describing the noun in the sentence. They are formed from a verb ending in "-ing" or "-ed" (or other past participle forms).
Example:
* Simple: "The runner finished."
* Expanded: "The runner, panting heavily, finished the race."
Tips for Expanding Sentences
* Consider your purpose: What kind of detail do you want to add?
* Use vivid language: Choose words that create a clear image in the reader's mind.
* Avoid redundancy: Don't repeat information unnecessarily.
* Vary your sentence structure: Mix up simple, compound, and complex sentences to keep your writing interesting.
Remember, expanding a sentence is about adding details to make your writing more engaging and informative.