Sentence Patterns: Use as many as you can as often as you can!
Sentence Pattern 1: Specific NOUN + Strong Action VERB
The horse galloped.
Sentence Pattern 2: NOUN + VERB + NOUN
The bear gobbled the fish.
Sentence Pattern 3: Interrogative
What is your name?
Sentence Pattern 4: Open with an Adverb
Hurriedly, I finished my homework.
Sentence Pattern 5: Open with a Prepositional Phrase
Under my bed, I found my sneakers.
Sentence Pattern 6: Use an Appositive
Sandy, my best friend, is moving away this year.
Sentence Pattern 7: Open with an Adverb Clause
Because I failed my test, my mom grounded me.
Sentence Pattern 8: Close with an Adverb Clause
My mom grounded me because I failed my test.
Sentence Pattern 9: Use Parallel Structure with Words
Pizza, ice cream, and chocolate are my favorite foods.
Sentence Pattern 10: Use Parallel Structure with Phrases and Clauses
I eat breakfast, swim laps, and drink coffee every morning.
Sentence Pattern 11: Open with an Adjective
Furious, the teacher reprimanded her students for talking.
Sentence Pattern 12: Open with an Adjective Phrase
Filled with joy, the new parents doted on their baby.
Sentence Pattern 13: Open with a Present Infinitive
To get attention, the toddler threw a fit.
Sentence Pattern 14: Open with a Present Participle
Running from the cops, the perpetrator tripped and fell.
Sentence Pattern 15: Open with a Past Participle
Beaten by their opponents, the visiting team went home empty handed.
Sentence Pattern 16: Open with a Perfect Participle
Having eaten all of her vegetables, Kayla ate her dessert.
Sentence Pattern 17: Use a Restrictive Adjective Clause
The students who turned in their project passed the class.
Sentence Pattern 18: Use a Non-restrictive Adjective Clause
My cat, whom I adopted from a shelter, is my best friend.
Sentence Pattern 19: Compound Sentence with a Coordinating Conjunction
I went to the store and I bought some bread.
Sentence Pattern 20: Compound Sentence with a Semi-colon
My sister missed school today; she was sick.
Sentence Pattern 21: Compound Sentence with a Conjunctive Adverb
I didn’t pass my final, however, I passed the class.
Sentence Pattern 22: Compound Sentence with an Elliptical Expression
The boy wore a t-shirt; his friend, a sweater.
Sentence Pattern 23: Use a Parenthetical expression between Subject and Verb
The St. Louis Cardinals, winners of the 2006 World Series, have fans all over the globe.
Sentence Pattern 24: Open with a Parallel Structure Followed by a Closing Statement
Chocolate, perfume, and roses—all of these make great Valentine’s Day gifts.