Sentence types
Knowing sentence types gives you real control over rhythm and clarity. There are three you need, built from clauses. A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb; a main clause makes sense on its own, a subordinate clause does not.
| Type | Made of | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | One main clause | The rain stopped. |
| Compound | Two main clauses joined by and, but, or, so | The rain stopped, and the crowd cheered. |
| Complex | A main clause plus a subordinate clause | Although the rain stopped, the pitch stayed soaked. |
Simple sentences are punchy and clear. Compound sentences link related ideas of equal weight. Complex sentences let you show how ideas depend on each other, which is exactly what analytical writing needs. Aim for a deliberate mix rather than one type all the way through.
Vary your openings
Do not start every sentence with the subject. Open sometimes with a subordinate clause ("Although..."), an adverb ("Carefully..."), or a connective. Varied openings alone make writing feel more controlled and mature.
Key punctuation
A few punctuation marks cause most of the errors, so it pays to nail them. Get these right and your writing reads cleanly.
- Comma splice
- The error of joining two complete sentences with only a comma. Fix it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a joining word such as "and" or "because".
- Full stop: ends a complete sentence. When in doubt, a full stop is safer than a risky comma.
- Comma: separates items in a list, marks off a subordinate clause, or sets off extra information. It does not join two full sentences on its own.
- Semicolon: links two closely related complete sentences without a joining word. The night was quiet; nobody moved.
- Colon: introduces a list, an explanation, or an example. She had one goal: to finish.
- Apostrophe: shows possession (the dog's lead) or a contraction (it is becomes it's). Note that "its" (belonging to it) has no apostrophe.
Watch its vs it's
"It's" always means "it is" or "it has". "Its" shows possession, like "his" or "hers", and never takes an apostrophe. If you can swap in "it is" and it still makes sense, you need "it's".
Register and formality
Register is the level of formality you choose to suit your purpose and audience. A text message to a friend, a class discussion, and a formal essay all call for different registers. Reading the situation and matching it is a language skill in itself.
| Feature | Formal register | Informal register |
|---|---|---|
| Word choice | Precise, standard vocabulary | Slang, casual words |
| Contractions | Avoided (do not, cannot) | Common (don't, can't) |
| Tone | Measured and objective | Chatty and personal |
| Typical use | Essays, reports, letters of application | Messages, dialogue, blogs |
For analytical essays, use a formal register: standard English, no slang, few or no contractions, and a measured tone. But formal does not mean stuffy or overcomplicated. Choose the clearest accurate word, not the longest one you can find.
Rewrite this informal sentence in a formal register suitable for an essay: "Basically the writer's kinda saying the war was a total mess and it's the leaders' fault."
Proofreading for accuracy
Proofreading is the final read where you hunt for errors, not ideas. It is a separate job from drafting, and doing it on purpose is the single easiest way to lift your Criterion D mark. Tired writers skip it and lose marks they had already earned.
A simple routine helps. Read once for each of a few common problems rather than trying to catch everything at once:
- Read aloud to catch missing words and clumsy phrasing your eye skips over.
- Check every apostrophe, especially its versus it's and plurals that should not have one.
- Look for comma splices: two full sentences joined by a comma.
- Confirm subject and verb agree (the group of students was, not were).
- Check consistent tense, and use the present tense when writing about a text ("the poet describes").
Where this is assessed
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence variety, and register all sit under Criterion D (using language). Accurate, well judged language does not just avoid losing marks; it makes your ideas land clearly, which supports every other criterion too.
Leave a gap between writing and proofreading if you can, even a few minutes. Fresh eyes catch what tired ones glide past, and reading slowly, almost pointing at each word, beats a quick scan every time.
Check yourself
1. Name the three main sentence types and what each is built from. +
Simple = one main clause. Compound = two main clauses joined by a word like and, but, or so. Complex = a main clause plus a subordinate clause (one that cannot stand alone). A good mix of all three controls rhythm and clarity.
2. What is a comma splice, and how can you fix one? +
A comma splice joins two complete sentences with only a comma, for example "It was late, we left." Fix it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a joining word: "It was late, so we left."
3. Why does register matter, and which register suits an analytical essay? +
Register is the level of formality, and matching it to your purpose and audience shows control of language. An analytical essay needs a formal register: standard English, no slang, few contractions, and a measured, objective tone, while still using clear rather than overcomplicated words.
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